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Peggy Fleming

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Peggy Fleming
Born (1948-07-27) July 27, 1948 (age 76)
San Jose, California, United States
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1]
Figure skating career
Country United States
Skating clubArctic Blades FSC, Lake Arrowhead
Broadmoor Skating Club, Colorado Springs
Retired1968
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 and the only American in the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France to bring home a Gold Medal.[3] 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.

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.[4] She began skating at age nine[5] 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.[6] 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[7] and skated to Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto in China.[8] Since 1981, she has been a skating commentator for ABC Sports.[7] In 1993, the Associated Press released results of a national sports study[9] that ranked Fleming as the third most popular athlete in America, behind fellow Olympians Mary Lou Retton and Dorothy Hamill.[10]

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.[11]

Fleming and her husband, Greg Jenkins, 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.[12] Profits from the "Victories Rosé" went towards charities that supported research towards breast cancer.[12] The winery closed in 2011.[13]

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.[14] She is also an artist with works on display with the Art of the Olympians.[15]

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.[16]

Personal life

On June 13, 1970, Fleming married her teenage sweetheart Greg Jenkins, a dermatologist and a former amateur figure skater.[17][18] The couple have two sons, Andy (born in 1977) and Todd (born in 1988),[7] and three grandchildren.[19]

Performance

Event 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968
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

  • ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, 1967
  • In 2003, Fleming was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor Coach Lombardi's legacy, and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the Coach.

See also

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. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200417042444/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1968/
  4. ^ "Peggy Fleming (2012) Remembers". youTube.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/peggy-fleming-and-the-1968-winter-olympics/552635/
  7. ^ a b c Hilton, Lisette (2005). "Fleming launched modern era of figure skating". ESPN Classics.
  8. ^ "Peggy Fleming" (videos). Peggy Fleming's Official Site. 2014.
  9. ^ Wilstein, Steve (May 17, 1993). "Retton, Hammill most popular American athletes". Associated Press.
  10. ^ "Athletes". Archived from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ a b Sports Illustrated, July 2, 2007, p. 87
  13. ^ Hamilton, Marianne L. (January 16, 2012). "Fleming Jenkins tasting room closes for good". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  14. ^ hosted by Fleming
  15. ^ http://artoftheolympians.org/artists/peggy-fleming/
  16. ^ Associated Press (February 14, 2010). "Fleming injured in accident in Biden's motorcade". Team USA. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
  17. ^ Borden, Timothy (2004). "Fleming, Peggy". Notable Sports Figures.
  18. ^ Kaminsky, Peter (November 1, 1999). "Picks and Pans Review: The Long Program". People Magazine. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014.
  19. ^ "Peggy Fleming". biography.com. 2014.
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