Which skier won the women’s downhill gold medal at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics?

Michela Figini won the women’s downhill gold medal at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics.

Figini represented Switzerland and won the Olympic downhill title at age 17. Her victory was one of the earliest major breakthroughs in a career that made her one of Switzerland’s leading speed skiers during the 1980s.

The women’s downhill was held at Jahorina, the mountain venue used for the alpine skiing events in Sarajevo. Figini’s Olympic result came before she won the overall Alpine Ski World Cup title in 1985 and the downhill world championship in 1985.

Maria Walliser, another Swiss skier, is a frequent source of confusion because she was also a prominent champion of the era. Walliser won Olympic downhill silver at Sarajevo, while bronze went to Olga Charvátová of Czechoslovakia. Katarina Witt competed in figure skating, not alpine skiing.