View source for Peggy Fleming

{{Short description|American figure skater}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox figure skater
| name= Peggy Fleming
| image = Former U.S. Olympian Peggy Fleming holds a Gold at the Pavilion.jpg
| caption = Fleming at a joint Canada–USA event during the [[2010 Winter Olympics]]
| country = {{USA}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1948|7|27}}
| birth_place = [[San Jose, California]], U.S.
| skating club = Arctic Blades FSC, Lake Arrowhead <br> Broadmoor Skating Club, Colorado Springs 
| height = 5 ft 4 in<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fl/peggy-fleming-1.html |title=Peggy Fleming |access-date=March 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625015100/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fl/peggy-fleming-1.html |archive-date=June 25, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| retired = 1968
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates = <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalSport|[[Figure skating]]: [[Single skating|Ladies' singles]]}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Figure skating at the Winter Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Grenoble]]|[[Figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics#Ladies|Ladies' singles]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1968 World Figure Skating Championships|1968 Geneva]]|Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalGold|[[1967 World Figure Skating Championships|1967 Vienna]]|Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalGold|[[1966 World Figure Skating Championships|1966 Davos]]|Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1965 World Figure Skating Championships|1965 Colorado Springs]]|Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[North American Figure Skating Championships|North American Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1967 North American Figure Skating Championships|1967 Montreal]]|Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1965 North American Figure Skating Championships|1965 Rochester]]|Ladies' singles}}
}}

'''Peggy Gale Fleming'''<ref name=filmr/> (born July 27, 1948) is a retired American [[figure skating|figure skater]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1968/ |title=1968 Grenoble Winter Games &#124; Olympics at Sports-Reference.com |date=April 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417042444/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/winter/1968/ |archive-date=April 17, 2020}}</ref> She is the [[Figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Winter Olympic Champion]] in the ladies' singles, being the only American gold medalist at these Games, and a three-time [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Champion]] (1966–1968) in the same event. Fleming has been a television commentator in figure skating for over 20 years, including at several [[Winter Olympic Games]].

==Career==
Fleming was born and grew up in [[San Jose, California]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Almond |first=Elliot |date=August 13, 2016 |orig-date=January 20, 2012 |title=Figure skating legend Peggy Fleming thrilled to see U.S. championships back in San Jose |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/01/20/figure-skating-legend-peggy-fleming-thrilled-to-see-u-s-championships-back-in-san-jose/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028183843/https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/01/20/figure-skating-legend-peggy-fleming-thrilled-to-see-u-s-championships-back-in-san-jose/ |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |access-date=September 18, 2024 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref> the daughter of Doris Elizabeth (née Deal) and Albert Eugene Fleming, a newspaper journalist<ref name=filmr>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/67/Peggy-Fleming.html |title=Peggy Flemming |publisher=Filmreference.com}}</ref> and former [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnx6NFH6PzI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Rnx6NFH6PzI |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live |title=Peggy Fleming (2012) Remembers |date=December 18, 2012 |publisher=youTube.com |access-date=November 21, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She began skating at age nine<ref>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</ref> when her father took Peggy and her three sisters skating. 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 her to unprecedented success and five U.S. titles, three World titles and the gold medal at the [[1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Olympics]] in [[Grenoble]], France. Philosopher Spencer Wertz called Fleming's Olympic free skating program "a watershed in the development of an artistic component of competitive skating."<ref>Kestnbaum, p. 114</ref>

Fleming's mother selected a color for her Grenoble skating costume, [[chartreuse (color)|chartreuse]], named after the [[liqueur]] of that color produced by neighboring [[Carthusians]] in their founding monastery, which also gives the name "chartreuse" to the region, thereby perhaps inspiring local French audience support for Peggy's virtually flawless performance.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/peggy-fleming-and-the-1968-winter-olympics/552635/ |title=Peggy Fleming and the 1968 Winter Olympics |first=Conor |last=Friedersdorf |date=February 7, 2018 |website=The Atlantic}}</ref> 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 [[United States at the 1968 Winter Olympics|U.S. Olympic team]] won in the [[1968 Winter Olympics]]. It signaled a return to American dominance in the sport of women's figure skating following the unprecedented tragedy of the 1961 [[Sabena Flight 548|Sabena plane crash]].<ref name="Elliott">{{cite news |last1=Elliott |first1=Helene |title=Sixtieth anniversary of U.S. figure skating plane crash conjures heartfelt memories |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-02-15/us-figure-skating-plane-crash-60-anniversary-olympics |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 15, 2021}}</ref>

Figure skating writer and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum states that although Fleming was from a working-class background, she presented the image of "well-groomed, well-disciplined...upper-class femininity."<ref name="kestnbaum-110">{{Cite book |last=Kestnbaum |first=Ellyn |title=Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning |publisher=Wesleyan Publishing Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-8195-6641-1 |location=Middleton, Connecticut |pages=110}}</ref> Fleming's costumes were made by her mother; and as Kestnbaum puts it, "reflected the simple elegance of classic lines."<ref name="kestnbaum-110" /> Fleming also drew upon [[ballet]] conventions, displaying "graceful classical positions", as well as her use of classical music, and, encouraged by [[compulsory figures]], an upright and a relaxed upper-body carriage.<ref name="kestnbaum-110" /> Kestnbaum recognizes, however, that Fleming's fame advanced women's visibility in the male-dominated sports world, which "paved some steps along the way to women's visibility in widening spheres of public life."<ref>Kestnbaum, p. 111</ref>

After becoming an Olympic champion, Fleming turned professional, performed on TV shows including five NBC specials of her own and toured with many skating shows, like [[Ice Capades]]. Fleming had also filmed a TV show in the [[Soviet Union|USSR]]<ref name=ESPN>{{cite news |title=Fleming launched modern era of figure skating |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Fleming_Peggy.html |last=Hilton |first=Lisette |agency=ESPN Classics |date=2005}}</ref> and skated to ''[[Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto]]'' in [[China]].<ref name=program>{{cite news |type=videos |title=Peggy Fleming |url=http://peggyfleming.com/media/videos/ |publisher=Peggy Fleming's Official Site |date=2014}}</ref> Since 1981, she has been a skating commentator for [[ABC Sports]].<ref name=ESPN/> In 1993, the [[Associated Press]] released results of a national sports study<ref>{{cite news |title=Retton, Hammill most popular American athletes |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=19930517&id=XZYxAAAAIBAJ&pg=1249,4781703 |last=Wilstein |first=Steve |agency=Associated Press |date=May 17, 1993}}</ref> that ranked Fleming as the third most popular athlete in America, behind fellow [[Olympic Games|Olympians]] [[Mary Lou Retton]] and [[Dorothy Hamill]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Athletes/R/Retton-Mary-Lou.aspx |title=Athletes |access-date=September 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327212934/http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Athletes/R/Retton-Mary-Lou.aspx |archive-date=March 27, 2010}}</ref>

==Personal life==
On June 13, 1970, Fleming married her teenage sweetheart Greg Jenkins, a dermatologist and a former amateur figure skater.<ref name=encyclopedia>{{cite news |title=Fleming, Peggy |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Peggy_Fleming.aspx |last=Borden |first=Timothy |agency=Notable Sports Figures |date=2004}}</ref><ref name=people1999>{{cite news |title=Picks and Pans Review: The Long Program |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20129610,00.html |last=Kaminsky |first=Peter |agency=[[People Magazine]] |date=November 1, 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328120901/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20129610,00.html |archive-date=March 28, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The couple have two sons, Andy (born in 1977) and Todd (born in 1988)<ref name=ESPN/> and three grandchildren.<ref name=bio>{{cite news |title=Peggy Fleming |url=http://www.biography.com/people/peggy-fleming-9296974 |agency=biography.com |date=2014}}</ref> They currently reside in [[Denver, Colorado]].<ref name="Reside">{{cite news |title=Olympic gold medalist to be honored with larger-than-life sculpture |url=https://gazette.com/cheyenneedition/olympic-gold-medalist-to-be-honored-with-larger-than-life-sculpture/article_35d7b8ee-e8a3-11ea-b12b-e7bdd22252c1.html |author=Summers, Danny |date=2020-09-02 |work=Colorado Springs Gazette |publisher=Pikes Peak Newspapers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011064649/https://gazette.com/cheyenneedition/olympic-gold-medalist-to-be-honored-with-larger-than-life-sculpture/article_35d7b8ee-e8a3-11ea-b12b-e7bdd22252c1.html |archive-date=2020-10-11 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abcgonline.com/01_cel/index.htm |title=American Breast Cancer Guide – Celebrities Inspiration Roundup |date=April 27, 2006 |access-date=March 28, 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427194221/http://www.abcgonline.com/01_cel/index.htm |archive-date=April 27, 2006}}</ref>

Fleming and her husband owned and operated Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery in California. The winery produced close to 2,000 cases of wine a year with names as "Choreography" a bordeaux-style blend from Napa Valley and a "Victories Rose" from the San Francisco Bay Syrah.<ref name="Sports Illustrated 2007, p.87">''Sports Illustrated'', July 2, 2007, p. 87</ref> Profits from the "Victories Rosé" went toward charities that supported research towards breast cancer.<ref name="Sports Illustrated 2007, p.87"/> They had a tasting room in Los Gatos, California. The winery closed in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hamilton |first=Marianne L. |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_19755489 |title=Fleming Jenkins tasting room closes for good |work=San Jose Mercury News |date=January 16, 2012 |access-date=March 28, 2014}}</ref>

In 1988, a Peggy Fleming all-porcelain doll was made by [[Franklin Mint]] Heirloom Porcelain Dolls.
 
In 2007, Fleming appeared in the movie ''[[Blades of Glory]]'' as a judge.

In 2010, [[Art of the Olympians]] produced a 30-minute documentary about Fleming.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go3wVwFBFt0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/go3wVwFBFt0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live |title=hosted by Fleming|website=[[YouTube]] |date=September 8, 2015 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> She is also an artist with works on display with the Art of the Olympians.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://artoftheolympians.org/artists/peggy-fleming/ |title=Art of the Olympians &#124; Peggy Fleming |access-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222112452/http://artoftheolympians.org/artists/peggy-fleming/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Along with former Olympian [[Vonetta Flowers]], Fleming was injured and briefly hospitalized after a traffic incident while riding in U.S. Vice President [[Joe Biden]]'s motorcade at the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] in [[Vancouver]].<ref>{{cite web |agency=Associated Press |title=Fleming injured in accident in Biden's motorcade |date=February 14, 2010 |url=http://www.teamusa.org/news/2010/02/14/fleming-injured-in-accident-in-biden-s-motorcade/32182 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20111005182304/http://www.teamusa.org/news/2010/02/14/fleming-injured-in-accident-in-biden-s-motorcade/32182 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 5, 2011 |work=Team USA}}</ref>

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Peggy Fleming Doll.jpg|thumb|Peggy Fleming Doll, 1988]] -->==Performance==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Event
! 1962
! 1963
! 1964
! 1965
! 1966
! 1967
! 1968
|-
| align=left | [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]] || || || 6th || || || || style="background:gold;"| 1st
|-
| align=left | [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]] || || || 7th || style="background:#c96;"| 3rd || style="background:gold;"| 1st || style="background:gold;"| 1st || style="background:gold;"| 1st
|-
| align=left | [[North American Figure Skating Championships|North American Championships]] || || || || style="background:silver;"| 2nd || || style="background:gold;"| 1st ||
|-
| align=left | [[United States Figure Skating Championships|U.S. Championships]] || style="background:silver;"| 2nd N. || style="background:#c96;"| 3rd J. || style="background:gold;"| 1st || style="background:gold;"| 1st || style="background:gold;"| 1st || style="background:gold;"| 1st || style="background:gold;"| 1st
|}

== Awards and honors ==
*[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Wide World of Sports (U.S. TV series)|Wide World of Sports]]'' Athlete of the Year, 1967.
*In 2003, Fleming was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor Coach [[Vince Lombardi|Lombardi]]'s legacy, and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the Coach.

==See also==
*[[List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=peggy-fleming-jenkins|name=Peggy Fleming Jenkins|old_id=Peggy-Fleming-Jenkins|archive=20230720073218}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20080117123148/http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_13370.htm |date=January 17, 2008 |title=Peggy Fleming at usolympicteam.com}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|peggy-fleming|oc_archive=20201101115940|org_archive=20120116153234}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{YouTube|U_6iL4ztavM|Peggy Fleming on ''To Tell the Truth'' in 1966}}
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002tb18 Sixteen-year old Peggy Fleming practicing], 1965, in [[Los Angeles Times]] Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, [[Charles E. Young Research Library]], [[University of California, Los Angeles]].

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Peggy}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American female single skaters]]
[[Category:Figure skaters at the 1964 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Figure skaters at the 1968 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Figure skating commentators]]
[[Category:Olympic figure skaters for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic Games broadcasters]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in figure skating]]
[[Category:Figure skaters from San Jose, California]]
[[Category:American women sports commentators]]
[[Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Colorado College alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]