Petra Kronberger Biography

1969-

Austrian downhill skier

Petra Kronberger dominated women's alpine skiing for a few brief years between 1988 and 1992. Although she skied on the World Cup circuit for fewer than six full seasons, in that time Kronberger won three World Cup overall titles and two Olympic gold medals. Yet her personality was as famous and appreciated in Austria as her winning record. Kronberger prayed when she was nervous, always spoke kindly of her fellow athletes, and never gave off even a whiff of scandal. Even after she became rich and famous, she still rode her bicycle around her tiny hometown, Pfarrwerfen, Austria (population 2,100). For a time Kronberger was even a spokeswoman for a brand of European cocoa drink called Ovomaltine, which is noted for only using modest, down-to-earth, outdoorsy-type people in its advertisements.