Carol Heiss American figure skater who competed in women's singles. Date of Birth: 20.01.1940 Country: USA

Biography of Carol Heiss

Carol Heiss is an American figure skater who competed in women's singles. She is currently a figure skating coach. Heiss grew up in the suburbs of Queens, New York, near Ozone Park, where she began ice skating at the age of 6. She was coached by Pierre Brunet. In 1951, Carol won the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships. In 1952, she became the first-place winner at the U.S. Championships at the junior level. In 1953, she moved up to the senior level, and from 1953 to 1956, she consistently placed second behind Tenley Albright at the national championships.

In 1956, Heiss qualified for the Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. There, she again placed second, while Albright took first. However, at the World Championships later that year, she defeated Albright, winning her first of five consecutive gold medals at the world championships. She simultaneously pursued her education and graduated from New York University.

After the 1956 Winter Olympics and the world championships, Carol Heiss wanted to retire from amateur sports and join professional shows. However, her mother, who was seriously ill with cancer before her death in October 1956, asked Carol to stay in amateur skating and win a gold Olympic medal for her. Between 1957 and 1960, Carol dominated women's figure skating worldwide and became the first-place winner at the Squaw Valley Olympics, receiving the highest scores from all nine judges.

In 1960, after retiring from competitive figure skating, Heiss played the lead female role in the film "Snow White and the Three Stooges." She married Alan Jenkins, the Olympic champion in men's figure skating in 1956. Until 1970, Heiss occasionally performed in various shows. In 1970, she began coaching athletes in Akron, Ohio, gaining widespread recognition. Her students included Timothy Gable and Miki Ando.