Barbara Henneberger

Barbi Henneberger
— Alpine skier —
Disciplines Downhill, Giant Slalom,
Slalom, Combined
Club TAK München
Born (1940-10-04)4 October 1940
Oberstaufen, Bavaria, Germany
Died 12 April 1964(1964-04-12) (aged 23)
Trais Fleur slope
near St. Moritz, Switzerland
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Olympics
Teams 2 – (1960, 1964)
Medals 1 (0 gold)
World Championships
Teams 3 – (1960, 1962, 1964)
    includes two Olympics
Medals 2 (0 gold)
Medal record
Women's alpine skiing
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
1960 Squaw Valley Slalom
Representing  West Germany
World Championships
1960 Squaw Valley Combined

Barbara-Maria "Barbi" Henneberger (4 October 1940 – 12 April 1964) was an alpine ski racer and Olympic medalist from West Germany. She competed for the Unified Team of Germany at the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics, and at the 1962 World Championships.

Ski racing

Born in Oberstaufen, Bavaria, Henneberger competed in the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley at age 19. She won the bronze medal in the slalom,[1] finished eleventh in the downhill, and 15th in the giant slalom. Henneberger was third in the combined, which earned a world championship medal. Four years later in 1964 at Innsbruck, she finished fifth in the downhill, seventh in the giant slalom, and tenth in the slalom.

In North America to model clothes after the 1963 season ended in Europe, Henneberger was not planning to compete at the U.S. Alpine Championships in Alaska at Alyeska in early April. Using borrowed skis, she won the downhill and slalom and finished second in the giant slalom.[2][3][4][5]

Death

Following the 1964 season, Henneberger and a dozen others were in Switzerland near St. Moritz in April to film the promotional movie Ski-Fascination for Willy Bogner, Jr.. Caught in a spring avalanche, she died at age 23 in Val Selin along with U.S. racer Buddy Werner. Both had raced ahead of the first avalanche, but were caught by a second from an opposite slope.[6] Found hours later under 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3.0 m) of snow, their deaths were attributed to suffocation,[7][8][9][10] and were the only two fatalities in the group.[11] Her funeral and procession in Munich were attended by thousands.[12]

Bogner, 22, and Henneberger were to be engaged that summer;[6] he was tried by a Swiss court for homicide by negligence.[13] After Bogner was initially acquitted,[14] the prosecution pursued an appeal and won a conviction for manslaughter by negligence,[15] and Bogner received a two-month suspended sentence.[16]

World championship results

  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 Slalom  		Super-G Downhill Combined
1960 19 3 15 not run 11 3
1962 21 5 1x 4 4
1964 23 10 7 5 5

From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.

Olympic results

  Year    Age   Slalom   Giant 
 Slalom  		Super-G Downhill Combined
1960 19 3 15 not run 11 not run
1964 23 10 7 5

References

  1. ↑ "Proud medal winners". Ottawa Citizen. Canada. Associated Press (photo). February 27, 1960. p. 9.
  2. ↑ Terrell, Roy (April 15, 1963). "Cool skiing in sun-baked Alaska". Sports Illustrated: 54.
  3. ↑ "Jean Saubert wins slalom". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. April 6, 1963. p. 2B.
  4. ↑ "Jean Saubert giant slalom ski winner". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 6, 1963. p. 10.
  5. ↑ "Second, but still champs". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. April 8, 1963. p. 4B.
  6. 1 2 "German skier not to blame for 2 deaths". Montreal Gazette. Canadian Press. August 29, 1964. p. 2.
  7. ↑ "The Man with No Luck". Sports Illustrated: 15. April 20, 1964.
  8. ↑ "Ski star killed racing avalanche". Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Associated Press. April 13, 1964. p. 1.
  9. ↑ "Fate finally put finger on Buddy Werner". Lewiston Evening Journal. Maine. Associated Press. April 13, 1964. p. 10.
  10. ↑ "Plaques honor slide victims". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. December 12, 1964. p. 9.
  11. ↑ "German skier named in death of 2 companions". Prescott Evening Courier. Arizona. UPI. August 27, 1964. p. 1.
  12. ↑ "AP wirephoto". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. April 16, 1964. p. 1-final.
  13. ↑ "Deaths of skiers said homicide". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. UPI. June 8, 1964. p. 2.
  14. ↑ "German skier acquitted of negligence". Vancouver Sun. Canada. UPI. August 31, 1964. p. 11.
  15. ↑ "German convicted of manslaughter". Eugene-Register Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. April 1, 1965. p. 1D.
  16. ↑ "German skier found negligent". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. March 31, 1965. p. 2.
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