APD | Former Spanish Olympian found dead after weeks of missing

By APD writer Aditya Nugraha

Former Spanish Olympics medalist Blanca Fernandez Ochoa was found dead weeks after she was reported missing.

Body of the 56-year-old lady was found by tracker dogs in a mountainous area near Madrid on Wednesday afternoon.

Investigation into cause of her death is now being carried out by Spanish authorities.

Blanca was Spain’s first female athlete to win a medal in 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. She seized bronze medal in the event. It was the fourth and final time that she competed at the games.

Responding to the finding of Ochoa’s body, Spain Secretary of State for Sports Affairs Maria Jose Rienda said that it “was a very sad day”.

Ochoa was reported missing by her daughter Olivia Fresneda after she disappeared on August 23.

Before vanishing, Ocha told her family that she planned to go walking around in northern Spain.

Intensive search over her whereabouts was carried by at least 200 police, firefighters and rangers after her car was found abandoned in Cercedilla, a mountain resort village.

The mother of two children was one of five siblings in her family who competed at the Winter Olympics for the Spanish skiing team.

Her brother, Francisco Fernández Ochoa, was the first Spaniard to win a gold medal at the games. He secured the first place at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.

Blanca Fernandez Ochoa became a TV personality after her retirement from sports career. She starred in several Spanish TV reality shows.

After her retirement from competitive sports, Ms Fernández became a semi-regular fixture on Spanish TV starring in a series of reality shows.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)