She celebrated the milestone with her family in the Tatra mountain resort of Zakopane, where she has lived in the south of the country since the end of World War II.
Born in Falenty, near Warsaw, Grocholska-Kurkowiak spent her early years in the Polish capital. At the age of 17, she took part in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Germans, serving as a nurse with the First Cavalry Regiment. Her nom de guerre at the time was Kuczerawa.
After the war, she moved to Zakopane in the hope that the mountain climate would alleviate her health problems.
She developed a fine and long-lasting career in Alpine skiing, having won over 20 national championship titles between 1951 and 1965, in downhill skiing, special slalom, giant slalom, and combined.
She also won three medals, including one gold, at the Academic World Championships, and represented Poland at the Winter Olympics in 1952 (placing 13th in downhill and 14th in special slalom) and 1956 (17th in downhill and 30th in giant slalom).
Many say asthma and multiple injuries prevented her from scoring more spectacular successes.
Having completed her sporting career in 1968, Grocholska-Kurkowiak graduated from the Physical Training Academy in Kraków, southern Poland, and worked as a coach for many years.
She is also a poet. Her first volume of verse was published in 1965, followed by two more, in 1999 and 2006. The volume Collected Poems was published in 2017 as an initiative by the Polish Olympic Committee.
Grocholska-Kurkowiak was married to architect and skier Robert Kurkowiak, who died in 2016. They raised four daughters together.
(mk/gs)