Beatrix Loughran earned the United States' first Olympic Winter Games figure skating medal (silver) at Chamonix, France. In addition, she earned the country's first global medal (bronze) that year in Oslo, Norway. The silver medal at Chamonix is still the highest achievement by an American ice dancer.
Loughran and her partner, Roy Chapman, were the first Americans to perform a triple twist jump in competition. It is not known who originally created this move, but it has been done successfully many times since then. Chapman died in an airplane crash on February 8, 1950, just two days before he was scheduled to compete at the Australian Championships. He was 29 years old.
After earning their first medal, Loughran and Chapman went on to have considerable success as judges. They won three World Championships together and were twice ranked first in the world.
Loughran later married George Hargreaves, who was also a successful judge and coach. They had one son together who became an accomplished ice dancer himself. His name was Brian Hargreaves-Mackenzie and he won four U.S. national titles between 1968 and 1971. After retiring from competitions, Loughran continued to work with young people through coaching and judging. She eventually became the director of instruction for the United States Figure Skating Association.
Grishuk and Platov were the first Olympic Ice Dance champions to win a second time. Before winning in Nagano, they had won 21 consecutive events.
Lipinski and Kwan performed flawlessly in the free skate. Six judges chose Lipinski over Kwan, and three chose Lipinski over Kwan, giving Lipinski the gold medal and Kwan the silver. Maria Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya of Russia, as well as Chen Lu of China, were the main contenders for the bronze medal.
Hermann Maier, shown here in 2009, won two gold medals in the 1998 Olympics. Uschi Disl won three biathlon medals in Nagano. Katerina Neumannova took silver in the 5 km traditional event.
Tara Lipinski of the United States won the Olympic gold medal in figure skating in 1998 at the age of 15, becoming the youngest women's Olympic gold winner in figure skating history. Michelle Kwan is a figure skating superstar and the most decorated figure skater in US history. She is an Olympic medalist in 1998 and 2002, a five-time world champion, and a nine-time U.S. champion.
Grishuk and Platov were the first Olympic Ice Dance champions to win a second time. Before winning in Nagano, they had won 21 consecutive events.
Tara Lipinski of the United States won the Olympic gold medal in figure skating in 1998 at the age of 15, becoming the youngest women's Olympic gold winner in figure skating history. Michelle Kwan is a figure skating superstar and the most decorated figure skater in US history. She is an Olympic medalist in 1998 and 2002, a five-time world champion, and a nine-time U.S. champion.
Figure skating took contested in the Olympic Center Arena in Lake Placid, New York, during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Twenty countries sent figure skaters to compete in the Lake Placid competitions. Medalists Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner were forced to withdraw before the tournament owing to Gardner's injury.
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