Peggy Fleming

Peggy Fleming (born July 27, 1948, San Jose, California, U.S.) is an American former figure skater who dominated world-level women’s competition from 1964 through 1968. She won a gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.

(Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica entry on figure skating.)

Early life

Fleming began skating at age nine. She worked with many coaches, including Carlo Fassi, who would eventually guide her to an Olympic gold medal.

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The United States dominated men’s and women’s figure skating in the 1950s, but in 1961 a plane carrying the United States team to the world championship crashed outside Brussels, Belgium. On the plane were skaters, their families, and coaches, including Bill Kipp, who coached a young Fleming. She became one of the brightest hopes to restore the United States to its former prominence in skating.

(Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica essay on “Training for Olympic Gold.”)

Olympics

Fleming won the first of five consecutive U.S. women’s championships in 1964. Her first Olympic appearance, at the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria, earned her a sixth-place finish. In the North American title competition, she finished second (1965) and then first (1967). After a third-place performance at her first world championship in 1965, she placed first for three consecutive years (1966 through 1968).

Fleming’s crowning achievement came in 1968. That year’s Winter Games were televised live and in color for the first time. Strongly associated with the broadcast is the image of Fleming, who was rewarded for her exceptional grace and artistic expression on the ice, as she won the only gold medal the United States earned at the 1968 Olympics.

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Later activities

Fleming turned professional in 1968 and performed with the Ice Capades, Holiday on Ice, Ice Follies, and other skating shows. She also performed in many television specials, and she won two Emmy Awards for her programs. Her 1973 television special was the first joint production by Soviets and Americans that was filmed entirely in the U.S.S.R. She continued to be in demand for corporate endorsements decades after she won the Olympic gold medal. She was also a much-sought-after public speaker.

Fleming remained in the public eye most prominently as a television commentator for national and international figure-skating competitions. In 2007 she appeared as herself in the skating comedy Blades of Glory. Fleming coauthored (with Peter Kaminsky) The Long Program: Skating Towards Life’s Victories (1999), which included a discussion of her struggle with breast cancer.

Personal life

While a teenager, Fleming began dating Greg Jenkins, who later became a dermatologist. The couple married in 1970, and they subsequently had two sons, Andrew and Todd Jenkins.