![]() After a brief meeting, they stepped out into the Rose Garden to meet with awaiting press and photographers, where President Johnson paused, plucked a flower from a blossoming saucer magnolia tree, and later pinned it to Fleming’s lapel. On March 27, 1968, Fleming and her mother, Dorothy, joined President Johnson in the Oval Office. Johnson invited Peggy to the White House. ![]() Nearly two months after her gold medal victory in France, President Lyndon B. Following her impressive gold medal win in February 1968, Fleming brought hope to the future of the sport, marking the modern era of women’s figure skating, and transformed it into “the marquee sport of the Winter Games.” Sports Illustrated featured her on the cover in 1968 and Americans praised her performance. 4 In 1964, she placed fourth at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, and went on to win three consecutive World Championships between 19. Fleming benefited from the fund, using money to purchase new skates, and soon established herself as a force in the sport. Our country has sustained a great loss of talent and grace which had brought pleasure to people all over the world." 3įollowing the crash, a memorial fund was established to rebuild the United States’ Figure Skating Program. This disaster has brought tragedy to many American families and is a painful loss to the international community of sport as well. "I was distressed and saddened to learn of the airliner crash in Brussels this morning. Kennedy issued a statement the following day: ![]() In addition to the team, many family members, officials, and coaches affiliated with the Olympic team died, including Fleming’s coach, William Kipp. ![]() The flight had no survivors, including other passengers and crew members. On February 15, 1961, a plane crashed near Brussels, Belgium, killing the entire United States figure skating team as they flew to the World Figure Skating Championship in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She began skating at the age of nine, but soon faced a challenging hurdle to her career. Peggy Fleming was born in San Jose, California, on July 27, 1948. ![]()
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