MADRID, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Spanish rescue services on Wednesday confirmed they have discovered the body of former Olympic skier Blanca Fernandez Ochoa in mountains north of Madrid.
The 56-year-old became the first ever Spanish woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympic Games when she claimed a bronze at the 1992 edition in Albertville, France.
Spain's first ever Winter Olympic medal had previously been won by her brother Paquillo, in Sapporo, Japan in 1972.
Ochoa's family became worried about her absense on August 24, but it was not until several days later that the Spanish National Police officially issued an alert over her disappearance.
Ochoa's car was found parked in the mountain town of Cercedilla on September 1, and a wide-scale search of the area involving around 200 police officers, firefighters and civil protection volunteers began on Monday.
Although the cause of her death has still to be confirmed, the El Pais newspaper cited sources close to the investigation as saying Ochoa's body showed signs of a head injury symptomatic of her having suffered a heavy fall.
