Tuesday, 03 December 2024

Peggy Fleming

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Athletes 2024
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Figure Skating
Statistics: 1 Ladies’ singles Olympic Gold Medal (1988)
3 Ladies’ singles World Championship Gold Medals (1986, 1987 & 1988) 1 Ladies’ singles World Championship Bronze Medal (1965)
Member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
Member of the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame
There have been women who won Olympic Gold in Ladies’ figure skating before Peggy Fleming won in Grenoble in 1968, but with all due respect, Fleming's grace and unique style set her apart from even the others who were classified as elite.

In 1961, all of the U.S. competitors for the 1961 World Championships died in a plane crash on route to competing in Czechoslovakia. Fleming’s ascendence to the top tier brought the U.S. back in figure skating, so there was an extra layer of importance to her success.

Going into Grenoble, Fleming won Gold in the 1966 and 1967 World Championships, and with the weight of the U.S. on her shoulders as the best chance for any Olympic Gold, she won. The lone American Gold medalist in 1968, Fleming not only won the heart of the U.S. but of all those who watched her. She finished her career with another World Championship, and she went on to have a long career as a broadcaster.

We are proud to nominate Peggy Fleming for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.