Annie FAMOSE

A three-time Winter Olympian, Annie Famose had her greatest Olympics in her home country at Grenoble in 1968, winning a silver medal in giant slalom and bronze in the slalom, also finishing fifth in the downhill. This placed her third in the World Championship combined event for 1968. Her biggest title came in winning the 1966 slalom World Championships in Chile. She also placed third in the downhill at the 1966 Worlds, but this later became a silver medal when Erika Schinegger, who had won the race, was found in 1967 to have mixed sexual characteristics, and was not allowed to compete at the 1968 Winter Olympics. In 1996 the FIS annulled all of Schinegger’s results from 1966, giving Famose the silver medal.

In the World Cup, Famose was the 1966-67 slalom champion for the season, and placed third in the overall. She won two slalom World Cups that year, at Grindelwald and Saint Gervais. She was twice a champion in Arlberg-Kandahar races, winning downhills at Chamonix in 1963 and at Sankt Anton in 1965. Famose was a five-time French champion, winning the downhill in 1963 and 1965, giant slalom in 1962 and 1964, and the slalom in 1963.

After her retirement from skiing, Famose developed sports shops and mountain restaurants, the first one in Avoriaz. She and Isabelle Mir also developed new training techniques for children. Famose was awarded the 2005 Veuve Clicquot for entrepreneurial merit. She was made a chevalier of the légion d’honneur in October 1968 and in July 2010, was made an officer of the légion d’honneur.