Maria Kowalska

Maria Kowalska took up skiing after World War II and first focused on the cross-country version, winning silver in the 10 kilometers at the Polish national championships in 1951. By then, however, she had already won the national alpine skiing slalom titles in 1950 and 1951, and the combined and giant slalom crowns in the former and latter years respectively, leading her to shift to alpine skiing permanently. She was runner-up in the giant slalom in 1952, but was nonetheless selected to represent her country at that year’s Oslo Olympics, where she was 34th in the downhill and slalom, and disqualified in the giant slalom.

Kowalska’s next national titles came in 1954 in the downhill and giant slalom, and she followed that up by winning the slalom, giant slalom, and combined in 1955. A victory in the slalom in 1956 led her to again represent Poland at the Olympics, where she placed 19th, 20th, and 22nd in the downhill giant slalom, and slalom respectively. She continued to compete until 1966, but her national titles were sporadic, as she won the combined in 1958 and 1962, and the slalom in 1964 and 1965. She later moved to Canada and settled in Ontario. Her brother Aleksander also completed at the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics, finishing 15th in the Nordic combined.