Marielle GOITSCHEL

A French Alpine skier with a taste for practical jokes whose Olympic success made her the most successful slalom skier of her day.

At the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Games, 18-year-old Marielle Goitschel won silver in the Olympic slalom while her older sister Christine won the gold. Two days later, Marielle won gold the giant slalom, while Christine tied for the silver.

Practical joke

After their victory, Marielle announced to the press that she had just become engaged to a soon-to-be-famous skier named Jean-Claude Killy. The happy news spread around the world. Then it was discovered that the story was really a practical joke that the Goitschel sisters had invented the night before.

Further success

Marielle returned to the Olympic Games in 1968 and won another gold medal, this time in the slalom race. She retired that year, but her total of five Olympic medals, including three golds, plus 11 World Championships medals in Alpine skiing, makes her one of the most successful female skiers of all time.