|
|
 |
Women of Wide World: Peggy Fleming
ABC Sports Online
|
When Peggy Fleming was 11 years old, the entire United States Figure Skating team was killed in a plane crash en route to the 1961 World Championships in Prague. Her coach was one of those who died on the plane, leaving Peggy to create her own style and image.
|  | | Peggy Flemming won a gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France. |
Four years later, the 15-year-old Fleming won her first United States national figure skating title and a star was born. It was the first of five straight national titles.
In 1967, she won her second World title and was named Wide World of Sports' Athlete of the Year.
But it was during ABC's broadcast of the 1968 Winter Olympics that truly captured Peggy's performance on ice. Televised live and in color for the first time, the most enduring image was Peggy's free skate. Her performance was so masterful that she won the gold medal by 88.2 points over her closest competitor, and she was the lone American to bring home a gold medal from Grenoble, France.
In March 1968, Peggy ended her amateur career with a gold medal at the World Championships in Geneva on WWOS.
Her amateur career concluded with five U.S. titles, three World championships and an Olympic gold medal.
|
|
|
