Peggy Gale Fleming American figure skater Date of Birth: 27.07.1948 Country: USA

1. American Figure Skater Peggy Fleming
2. Early Life and Training
3. Achievements
4. Life after Competitive Skating
5. Commentator and Personal Life
6. Advocacy and Winemaking

American Figure Skater Peggy Fleming

Peggy Fleming is an American figure skater who won the gold medal in women's singles at the 1968 Winter Olympic Games. She is also a three-time world champion and five-time U.S. champion.

Early Life and Training

In 1961, when Fleming was 18 years old, her coach, Mark Clazeron, died in a plane crash along with most of the U.S. figure skating team, who were flying to the 1961 World Championships. Afterward, Peggy Fleming trained under Carlo Fassi, who recognized her potential as a future star. Fassi saw in her a rare combination of composure and resilience, as well as a great sense of musicality and artistic expression.

Achievements

Thanks to her unique style, Peggy Fleming reached the top of the podium five times at the U.S. Championships and three times at the World Championships. In 1968, Fleming became the only American to win a gold medal at the Grenoble Olympic Games. Despite making several mistakes in her free skate, including single jumps instead of doubles and losing her balance, the judges still awarded her high scores, taking into account her past accomplishments.

Life after Competitive Skating

After retiring from competitive skating, Peggy Fleming toured the United States as a special guest star in the "Ice Follies" show. She was later invited to work in television and mainly participated in special ice revues produced in television studios. One of these revue films was shot in the USSR, featuring famous landmarks in Moscow and Leningrad. The film showcased Fleming's exceptional skating style in close-up shots.

Commentator and Personal Life

Following her performing career, Peggy Fleming became a commentator for figure skating competitions on ABC for over 20 years. In 1970, she married dermatologist Greg Jenkins, who had previously competed in ice dancing. They currently reside in the San Francisco area and have two sons and three grandchildren.

Advocacy and Winemaking

In 1998, Fleming was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was detected at an early stage and successfully treated through surgery. Fleming and her husband are also vineyard owners and operate a winery in California. The winery produces wines such as "Choreography Cabernet" and "San Francisco Bay Syrah Rosé". The profits from the sales of "Victories Rosé" are donated to charitable institutions that support breast cancer research.