Esme Mackinnon facts for kids
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United Kingdom |
||
| Women’s Alpine skiing | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 1931 Mürren | Slalom |
| Gold | 1931 Mürren | Downhill |
Esmé Mackinnon (born December 2, 1913 – died July 9, 1999) was a British alpine skier from Edinburgh, Scotland. She is famous for being the first woman to win a World Championship in both downhill and slalom skiing. People often called her "Muffie." She was also a member of the Ladies' Ski Club, which was the first ski club just for women.
Esmé Mackinnon: A Skiing Pioneer
Esmé Mackinnon was a truly special skier. Experts from Ski magazine once said that she and another British skier, Audrey Sale-Barker, were "probably the first women who could really be called racers." This means they were among the first women to compete seriously in ski races. A famous ski writer, Sir Arnold Lunn, even wrote that Esmé "had the most remarkable record of any lady racer."
Besides her World Championship wins, Esmé also won other important races. In March 1933, she won the slalom and combined titles at the well-known Arlberg-Kandahar races. These races took place in Mürren, Switzerland, the same place where she became a world champion.
Her Big Win in 1931
When she was just 17 years old, Esmé Mackinnon won two gold medals at the 1931 World Championships. These championships were held in Mürren, Switzerland. She won both the slalom and the downhill races. The snow was very deep and soft that day, but this didn't stop Esmé from skiing brilliantly.
Esmé also won a third race at the 1931 Championships. This race was not officially part of the championships. It went from Grütschalp to Lauterbrunnen. As Esmé was nearing the finish line in Lauterbrunnen, she saw a funeral procession. Out of respect, she stopped skiing and waited for it to pass. The people timing the race stopped her clock and then restarted it when she began skiing again.
Some people say Esmé stopped because she was being respectful. However, Sir Arnold Lunn, who was there, said she had to stop. The funeral procession actually passed right between Esmé and the finish line! She lost a few seconds because she had to start moving again from a flat spot, instead of gliding through the finish line with her speed.
The Austrian team protested, saying that the time the funeral procession took should be added to Esmé's total time. But the judges disagreed. They said that a race is about who skis fastest, not about what happens with a funeral procession. So, Esmé was still named the winner. Her final time for that unofficial race was 10 minutes and 4.4 seconds.
