Today marks the 19th anniversary of the death of Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spain’s only Olympic alpine skiing gold medalist. His younger sister Blanca’s life also ended tragically early.
This Thursday marks the 19th anniversary of the death of a very special Spanish athlete: Francisco Fernández Ochoa, who in 1972 became the first and so far only Spanish athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
It was the culmination not only of his legacy but also of his family’s legacy: four of the Ochoa siblings also skied at an international level and participated in the Olympics.
His younger sister Blanca won bronze in the slalom in Albertville in 1992 – the second and to date last Olympic medal for Spain in alpine skiing. However, the success story of the two now has a tragic note.
“Like a Japanese King in a Bullfighting Arena”
Francisco Fernández Ochoa, born on February 25, 1950, in Madrid, celebrated the coup of his life in 1972 at the slalom competition in Sapporo, Japan.
He benefited from the fact that the top favorite and World Cup leader Jean-Noël Augert botched his second run. He won ahead of the South Tyrolean brothers Gustav and Roland Thöni.
Curious: The medal ceremony almost took place without “Paquito,” as Fernández Ochoa was called. Freshly showered, he came to the stadium but had forgotten his passport, which identified him as an athlete. The security personnel did not believe that he had just won a gold medal and did not want to let him into the interior.
In the end, there was a happy ending. Fernández Ochoa was allowed into the stadium and received his medal. He also took it with humor that the security forces did not believe his identity without the official documents: “Imagine that: An Olympic skiing champion from Spain! That would be like a Japanese king in a bullfighting arena.”
Francisco Fernández Ochoa from Spain sensationally became Olympic slalom champion in Sapporo in 1972
Sister followed in Ochoa’s Footsteps
There are ski resorts in the southern European country, including in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, which is up to 2428 meters high. Here, Fernández Ochoa – who also won World Cup bronze in Innsbruck in 1974 – learned to ski as a child, the son of a ski instructor.
Fernández Ochoa had a total of seven younger siblings, in addition to Blanca, born in 1963, three more of them also took part in Olympic alpine skiing races: brother Juan Manuel (born 1951) in Innsbruck in 1976, brother Luis (1965) in Sarajevo in 1984 and Calgary in 1988, and sister Dolores (1966), also in Sarajevo in 1984.
Blanca Fernández Ochoa was already close to building on her older brother’s medal coup in Calgary in 1988, was in first place in the giant slalom after the first run ahead of the German Christa Kinshofer – but then dropped out in the second run.
Four years later, she finally won the longed-for medal in Albertville – and then ended her career.
Blanca Fernandez Ochoa in 1988
Francisco and Blanca only reached 56 years old
Sadly, both Francisco and Blanca died early, each only reaching 56 years old.
Francisco, one of Spain’s most respected sports personalities throughout his life – he also gave King Juan Carlos ski lessons – died on November 6, 2006, of lymphoma.
Sister Blanca was found dead on September 4, 2019, after being reported missing – she had not returned from a mountain hike. Police investigations revealed that Blanca, who suffered from bipolar disorder, had taken her own life.
The memory of Francisco, the most famous member of the Ochoa dynasty, lives above all in the mountain village of Cercedilla, where he spent most of his life: a monument to him was unveiled there nine days before his death.