Maria Walliser

Maria Walliser is a Swiss alpine ski racer, born on 27 May 1963 in Mosnang in the canton of Sankt Gallen, who became one of the leading downhill specialists of the 1980s. She began racing in World Cup events in 1980, won three downhill races in 1983, and took the World Cup downhill title in 1984 and the overall World Cup titles in 1986 and 1987. At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo she won a silver medal in the downhill, finishing 0.05 seconds behind her compatriot Michela Figini. At the 1988 Winter Olympics she added bronze medals in the giant slalom and the combined, which gave her three Olympic medals in all. She also won downhill and Super G gold at the 1987 World Championships and the downhill at the 1989 World Championships, and she retired in 1990 after 72 World Cup podiums, 25 of them victories. She later became president of a Swiss foundation that promotes awareness of folate deficiency.