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Peggy Fleming

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Peggy Fleming
Former U.S. Olympian Peggy Fleming holds a Gold at the Pavilion.jpg
Personal information
Country represented United States
Born (1948-07-27) July 27, 1948 (age 70)
San Jose, California, United States
Height 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1]
Former coach William Kipp, Carlo Fassi
Skating club Arctic Blades FSC, Lake Arrowhead
Broadmoor Skating Club, Colorado Springs
Retired 1968
Medal record
 
Figure skating: Ladies' singles
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Grenoble Ladies' singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1968 Geneva Ladies' singles
Gold medal – first place 1967 Vienna Ladies' singles
Gold medal – first place 1966 Davos Ladies' singles
Bronze medal – third place 1965 Colorado Springs Ladies' singles
North American Championships
Gold medal – first place 1967 Montreal Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 1965 Rochester Ladies' singles

 

Peggy Gale Fleming[2] (born July 27, 1948) is an American former figure skater. She is the 1968 Olympic Champion in Ladies' singles and a three-time World Champion (1966–1968). Fleming has been a television commentator in figure skating for over 20 years, including several Winter Olympic Games.

Contents

  • 1 Life and career
  • 2 Results
  • 3 Awards and honors
  • 4 See also
  • 5 References
  • 6 External links

Life and career

Fleming was born in San Jose, California, the daughter of Doris Elizabeth (née Deal) and Albert Eugene Fleming, a newspaper journalist[2] and former U.S. Marine.[3] She began skating at age nine[4] when her father took Peggy and her three sisters skating. In 1961, when Peggy was twelve years old, her coach William Kipp was killed in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 along with the rest of the United States figure skating team while en route to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships. Fleming was subsequently coached by Carlo Fassi. Her unusual style led to five U.S. titles, three World titles and the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. Peggy's mother played a memorable role in her daughter's Grenoble Olympic medal, as she chose a color for the skating costume, chartreuse, named after the liqueur of that color produced by neighboring Carthusians in their founding monastery, which also gives the name "chartreuse" to the region, thereby perhaps inspiring local French audience support for Peggy's virtually flawless performance [5]. Her award in Grenoble was singularly important for the American athletes and the nation as a whole, for this was the only gold medal that the U.S. Olympic team won in the 1968 Winter Olympics. It signaled a return to American dominance in the sport of women's figure skating following the unprecedented tragedy of the 1961 Sabena plane crash.

After becoming an Olympic champion, Fleming turned professional, performed on TV shows including five NBC specials of her own and toured with many skating shows, like Ice Capades. During the Cold War, Fleming had filmed a TV show in USSR[6] and skated to Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto in China.[7] Since 1981, she has been a skating commentator for ABC Sports.[6] In 1993, the Associated Press released results of a national sports study[8]that ranked Fleming as the third most popular athlete in America, behind fellow Olympians Mary Lou Retton and Dorothy Hamill.[9]

Peggy Fleming was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. The cancer was detected in its early stages, and surgery was successful. She became a breast cancer activist who recommends not procrastinating and advocates for early detection.[10]

In June 13, 1970, Fleming married her teenage sweetheart Greg Jenkins, a dermatologist and a former amateur figure skater.[11][12] The couple have two sons, Andy (born in 1977) and Todd (born in 1988),[6] and three grandchildren.[13] They also owned and operated Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery in California. The winery produced close to 2,000 cases of wine a year with names as "Choreography" a Bordeaux style blend from Napa Valley and a "Victories Rose" from the San Francisco Bay Syrah.[14] Profits from the "Victories Rosé" went towards charities that supported research towards breast cancer.[14] The winery closed in 2011.[15]

In 1988, a Peggy Fleming all-porcelain doll was made by Franklin Mint Heirloom Porcelain Dolls.

In 2007, Fleming appeared in the movie Blades of Glory as a judge.

In 2010, Art of the Olympians produced a 30-minute documentary.[16] She is also an artist with works on display with the Art of the Olympians.[17]

Along with former Olympian Vonetta Flowers, Fleming was injured and briefly hospitalized after a traffic accident while riding in U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.[18]

 

Results

Peggy Fleming at the 1968 Olympics on a 1983 Paraguayan stamp
Event1962196319641965196619671968
Winter Olympics     6th       1st
World Championships     7th 3rd 1st 1st 1st
North American Championships       2nd   1st  
U.S. Championships 2nd N. 3rd J. 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st

 

Awards and honors

 

Championship Titles

1959    Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating Central Pacific Championships, Juvenile Girls

1960    Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating Pacific Coast Championships, Juvenile Ladies

1961    Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating Pacific Coast Championships, Novice Ladies

1962   Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating Southwestern Pacific Coast Championships, Junior Ladies

1962    Silver Medal, U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, Novice Ladies

1963    Bronze Medal, U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, Junior Ladies

1964    Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, Senior Ladies

1964    Sixth place, Olympic Winter Games, Innsbruck, Austria

1964    Seventh Place, ISU World Championships, Dortmund, Germany

1965    Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, Senior Ladies

1965    Bronze Medal, ISU World Championships, Colorado Springs, Colorado

1966    Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, Senior ladies

1966    Gold Medal, ISU World Championships, Davos, Switzerland

1967    Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, Senior Ladies

1967    Gold Medal, ISU World Championships, Vienna, Austria

1968    Gold Medal, U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, Senior Ladies

1968    Gold Medal, Olympic Winter Games, Grenoble, France

1968    Gold Medal, ISU World Championships, Geneva, Switzerland

Awards

1967    ABC's Wide World of Sports Sixth Annual “Athlete of the Year”

1974    American Guild of Variety Artists “Entertainer of the Year”

1968    Babe Didrikson Zaharias “Outstanding Woman Athlete of the Year”

1997    United States Olympic Committee “Olympic Spirit Award”

1998   Iris Cantor – UCLA Woman’s Health Center “For Significant Efforts in Educating and Empowering Woman on Issues of their Health”

1999   Sports Illustrated's “20th Century Awards”, Honored as one of seven “Athletes Who Changed The Game”

1999    Professional Skaters Association “Sonja Henie Award”

2003    Vince Lombardi “Award of Excellence”

2005    “Lombardi Symbol of Courage”

2006    National Osteoporosis Foundation “Woman’s Health Leadership Award”

2007    “Woman of Courage” Frosted Pink Charity Event

Hall of Fame

1970    Inducted into Colorado Sports Hall of Fame

1976    Inducted into U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame

1976    Inducted into World Figure Skating Hall of Fame

1981    Inducted into Women’s Sports Foundation Hall of Fame

1984    Inducted into Inaugural U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame

1992    Inducted into Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

1996    Inducted into San Jose Sports Hall of fame

1998    Inducted into Colorado College Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of ‘70

2000    Inducted into Inaugural Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame

 

References

  1. ^ "Peggy Fleming". Sports-reference.com. July 27, 1948. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Peggy Flemming". Filmreference.com.
  3. ^ "Peggy Fleming (2012) Remembers". youTube.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  4. ^ Woolum, Janet (1998) Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 1-57356-120-7. p. 124
  5. ^ https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/peggy-fleming-and-the-1968-winter-olympics/552635/
  6. ^ a b c Hilton, Lisette (2005). "Fleming launched modern era of figure skating". ESPN Classics.
  7. ^ "Peggy Fleming" (videos). Peggy Fleming's Official Site. 2014.
  8. ^ Wilstein, Steve (May 17, 1993). "Retton, Hammill most popular American athletes". Associated Press.
  9. ^ "Athletes". Archived from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  10. ^ "American Breast Cancer Guide – Celebrities Inspiration Roundup". Web.archive.org. April 27, 2006. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  11. ^ Borden, Timothy (2004). "Fleming, Peggy". Notable Sports Figures.
  12. ^ Kaminsky, Peter (November 1, 1999). "Picks and Pans Review: The Long Program". People Magazine. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014.
  13. ^ "Peggy Fleming". biography.com. 2014.
  14. ^ a b Sports Illustrated, July 2, 2007, p. 87
  15. ^ Hamilton, Marianne L. (January 16, 2012). "Fleming Jenkins tasting room closes for good". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  16. ^ hosted by Fleming
  17. ^ http://artoftheolympians.org/artists/peggy-fleming/
  18. ^ Associated Press (February 14, 2010). "Fleming injured in accident in Biden's motorcade". Team USA. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
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