Blanca Fernández Ochoa - Olympic bronze medalist

Blanca Fernández Ochoa, bronze medalist in slalom at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, died August 24 in the mountains near Madrid, at age 56.

Ochoa grew up in a family of ski racers, children of a ski school director. Five of the kids became Olympians, and her oldest brother Francisco won slalom gold at Sapporo in 1972.

Ochoa competed on the World Cup tour from 1982 to 1992, finishing third in Super G standings in 1988 and third in slalom standings in 1991 and ’92. In 1988 at Calgary she had the fastest first run in slalom, only to fall in the second run. Four years later she took her Olympic bronze. She competed in four Olympiads.

After retiring, Ochoa appeared in a number of Spanish TV series. She married twice and had two children with her second husband. At the time of her death she was working as a personal trainer, and reportedly was in financial straits.

She was reported missing by her daughter on August 23, and her body was found two weeks later, with a variety of prescription drugs. Cause of death has yet to be determined.