Barbi Henneberger
Henneberger at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Birth nameBarbara Maria Henneberger
Born(1940-10-04)4 October 1940
Oberstaufen, Bavaria, Germany
Died12 April 1964(1964-04-12) (aged 23)
Trais Fleur slope
near St. Moritz, Switzerland
OccupationAlpine skier
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Skiing career
DisciplinesDownhill, giant slalom,
slalom, combined
ClubTAK München
Olympics
Teams2 – (1960, 1964)
Medals1 (0 gold)
World Championships
Teams3 – (1960, 1962, 1964)
    includes two Olympics
Medals2 (0 gold)
Medal record
Women's alpine skiing
Representing  Germany
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1960 Squaw Valley Slalom
Representing  West Germany
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 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 United 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-GDownhillCombined
196019315not run113
19622151344
19642310755

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

Olympic results

  Year   Age  Slalom  Giant 
 Slalom 		Super-GDownhillCombined
196019315not run11not run
1964231075

References

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