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Waltraud Hecher was one of the most successful ski racers in the world in the 1960s
Photo: IMAGO / press photo Baumann
The Austrian Waltraud "Traudl" Hecher was one of the most successful ski racers in the world in the 1960s.
The two-time Olympic bronze medalist died on Tuesday at the age of 79 in her hometown of Schwaz in Tyrol.
This was announced by Hecher's family on Thursday.
Hecher celebrated her breakthrough in the 1959/1960 season, when she first celebrated her first significant victories in downhill and combined at the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel, thereby qualifying for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Sqaw Valley, California.
There she won her first downhill bronze behind the German Heidi Biebl and the American Penny Pitou.
Four years later she repeated her bronze medal at the Innsbruck Winter Olympics.
Even before the introduction of the World Cup, Hecher won more than 50 international races and in the Austrian ski Mecca of Kitzbühel one of the downhill runs that was still contested by women at the time.
At the age of 24 she ended her career in 1967 at the end of the premiere season in the World Cup.
Two of their three children followed in Hecher's footsteps.
Elisabeth »Lizz« Görgl became double world champion (downhill, super-G) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2011 after winning bronze at the 2009 World Championships (super combined) after winning two Olympic bronze medals (downhill, giant slalom) in Vancouver in 2010, like her mother once did.
She has been a singer since retiring in 2017.
Son Stephan Görgl won two World Cup races.
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