 Fraser, circa 1951 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Gretchen Kunigk | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 11, 1919 Tacoma, Washington, US | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | February 17, 1994 (aged 75) Sun Valley, Idaho, US[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 117 lb (53 kg) | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Alpine skiing | |||||||||||||||||
| Event | Slalom | |||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Puget Sound | |||||||||||||||||
| Team | Ski Team | |||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1948 (age 29)[2] | |||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | Olympic gold medal, Olympic silver medal | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||
Gretchen Kunigk Fraser (February 11, 1919 – February 17, 1994) was an American alpine ski racer and nurse. She was the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in skiing, as well as the first American to win an Olympic silver medal in skiing.[3] She was also the first American to be awarded the Pery Medal by the ski club of Great Britain.[4] She was also the skiing stand-in for ice skater Sonja Henie in the movies Thin Ice (1937) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941).[5] Fraser was revered in her time for her contributions to American athletics, receiving ticker-tape parades and brand sponsorships upon her return to the United States following her Olympic win.
- ^ "Gretchen Fraser, 1948 Olympic Champ, dies". Seattle Times. Associated Press. February 17, 1994.
- ^ "Gretchen Fraser to quit contests". Ellensburg Daily Record. Associated Press. February 24, 1948. p. 2.
- ^ Pfeifer, Luanne (October 1996). Gretchen's Gold: The Story of Gretchen Fraser, America's First Gold Medalist in Olympic Skiing. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 9781575100197.
- ^ "The Pery Medal". Ski Club Of Great Britain. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
- ^ "Gretchen Fraser Goes Gold". Legacy.com. Retrieved April 20, 2016.