| Peggy Fleming |
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|
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| Personal information |
|---|
| Country represented |
USA |
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| Born |
(1948-07-27) July 27, 1948
San Jose, California, United States |
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| Height |
5'4" (162 cm)[1] |
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| Former coach |
William Kipp, Carlo Fassi |
|---|
| Skating club |
Arctic Blades FSC, Lake Arrowhead
Broadmoor Skating Club, Colorado Springs |
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| Retired |
1968 |
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Peggy Gail Fleming[2] (born July 27, 1948) is an American figure skater. She is the 1968 Olympic Champion in Ladies' singles and a three-time World Champion (1966–1968). Fleming has been a television commentator on figure skating for over 20 years, including several Winter Olympic Games.
Life and career
Peggy Fleming was born in San Jose, California, the daughter of Doris Elizabeth (née Deal) and Albert Eugene Fleming, a newspaper journalist.[2] She began skating at age nine[3] when her family moved to Cleveland and soon began skating in earnest on the advice of her father. In 1961, when Peggy was twelve years old, her coach William Kipp was killed in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 along with the rest of the United States figure skating team while en route to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships. Fleming was subsequently coached by Carlo Fassi. Her unusual style led to five U.S. titles, three World titles and the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. Her award in Grenoble was singularly important for the American athletes and the nation as a whole, for this was the only gold medal that the U.S. Olympic team won in the 1968 Winter Games. It signaled a return to American dominance in the sport of women's figure skating following the unprecedented tragedy of the 1961 plane crash.
After becoming an Olympic champion, Fleming turned professional, performed on TV shows and toured with many skating shows, like Ice Capades. During the Cold War, Fleming had filmed a TV show in USSR[4] and skated to Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto in China.[5] Since 1981, She was a skating commentator for ABC Sports.[4] In 1993, the Associated Press released results of a national sports study.[6] Fleming was ranked as the 3rd most popular athlete in America, behind fellow Olympians Mary Lou Retton and Dorothy Hamill.[7]
Peggy Fleming was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. The cancer was detected in its early stages, and surgery was successful. She became a breast cancer activist who recommends not procrastinating and advocates for early detection.[8]
In June 13, 1970, Fleming married her teenage sweetheart Greg Jenkins, a dermatologist and a former amateur pair figure skater.[9][10] The couple have two sons, Andy in 1977, Todd in 1988,[4] and three grandchildren.[11] They also owned and operated Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery in California. The winery produced close to 2,000 cases of wine a year with such brands as "Choreography Cabernet" and "San Francisco Bay Syrah Rosé."[12] Profits from the "Victories Rosé" went towards charities that supported research towards breast cancer.[12] The winery closed in 2011.[13]
In 1988, a Peggy Fleming all porcelain doll was made by Franklin Mint Heirloom Porcelain Dolls.
In 2007, she appeared in the movie Blades of Glory as a judge.
Along with former Olympian Vonetta Flowers, Fleming was injured and briefly hospitalized after a traffic accident while riding in US Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February 2010.[14]
In 2011 Peggy Fleming became spokesperson for the Robitussin® Last Names Giveaway because her last name sounds like one of the cold and flu symptoms Robitussin® treats per the rules of the contest.[15]
Peggy Fleming Doll, 1988
Results
Peggy Fleming at the 1968 Olympics on a 1983 Paraguayan stamp
Awards and honors
Tributes
- Peggy Fleming is mentioned very prominently in the Peanuts comic strip during the late 1960s and early 1970s, with Snoopy clearly having a crush on her.
- On February 22, 2011, Trey Anastasio Band performed a song about Peggy Fleming titled Peggy.[16]
- In an episode of Community, Ben Chang dresses as Peggy Fleming for the school Halloween dance and accuses anyone who mistakes him for an Asian skater of being racist. Shirley correctly identifies him, saying that "[she's] always loved Peggy Fleming."
See also
References
- ↑ "Peggy Fleming". Sports-reference.com. July 27, 1948. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Peggy Flemming". Filmreference.com.
- ↑ Woolum, Janet (1998) Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 1-57356-120-7. p. 124
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hilton, Lisette (2005). "Fleming launched modern era of figure skating". ESPN Classics.
- ↑ "Peggy Fleming". Peggy Fleming's Official Site. 2014.
- ↑ Wilstein, Steve (May 17, 1993). "Retton, Hammill most popular American athletes". Associated Press.
- ↑ "Athletes". Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ↑ "American Breast Cancer Guide – Celebrities Inspiration Roundup". Web.archive.org. April 27, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ↑ Borden, Timothy (2004). "Fleming, Peggy". Notable Sports Figures.
- ↑ Kaminsky, Peter (November 1, 1999). "Picks and Pans Review: The Long Program". People Magazine.
- ↑ "Peggy Fleming". biography.com. 2014.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sports Illustrated, July 2, 2007, p. 87
- ↑ Hamilton, Marianne L. (January 16, 2012). "Fleming Jenkins tasting room closes for good". Los Gatos Weekly-Times via San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ↑ Associated Press (February 14, 2010). "Fleming injured in accident in Biden's motorcade". Team USA.
- ↑ "Cold and Flu Season Promotions | Robitussin®". Robitussin.com. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ↑ livephish (February 25, 2011). "Trey Anastasio, Terminal 5, New York, NY".
External links
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