Yvonne Rüegg was the surprise victor in the giant slalom event at the 1960 Winter Olympics, winning by a margin of one-tenth of a second ahead of American Penny Pitou’s time. Rüegg also competed in the slalom and was ninth in the downhill at these Games. The Olympics were her only major success on the international scene, but she was Swiss national champion in the downhill in 1959. She was a member of Ski Club Arosa (as was her compatriot Roger Staub, who won the men’s giant slalom event) and later married Italian skier Roberto Siorpaes, making her the sister-in-law of Gildo and Sergio Siorpaes, who won bronze medals in bobsledding at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Her aunt, Anny Rüegg, attended the 1936 Winter Olympics as an alpine skier for Switzerland (but did not compete) and her daughter-in-law Violetta Caldart represented Italy in curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Switzerland