Dianne de Leeuw

Dianne de Leeuw
Dianne de Leeuw in 1974
Personal information
Full name Dianne Margaret de Leeuw
Country represented Netherlands
Born (1955-11-19) 19 November 1955
Orange, California
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Retired 1976
Medal record
Representing the  Netherlands
Figure skating: Ladies' singles
Olympic Games
1976 Innsbruck Ladies' singles
World Championships
1975 Colorado SpringsLadies' singles
1976 GothenburgLadies' singles
1974 MunichLadies' singles
European Championships
1976 GenevaLadies' singles
1975 CopenhagenLadies' singles
1974 ZagrebLadies' singles

Dianne Margaret de Leeuw (born 19 November 1955) is a Dutch-American former competitive figure skater who represented the Netherlands. She is the 1975 World champion, the 1976 European champion, and the 1976 Olympic silver medalist.[1]

Personal life

De Leeuw was born in Orange, California, United States to a Dutch mother and a father with dual United States and Dutch citizenship. She married her former coach, Doug Chapman.[1]

Career

Since there were few international opportunities for U.S. skaters, de Leeuw's mother decided she should try to compete for the Netherlands.[2] She won her first national title in the 1970–71 season and was assigned to the 1971 European Championships in Zürich, where she placed 19th. To gain a berth to the 1972 Winter Olympics, de Leeuw was required to finish in the top ten at the 1972 European Championships.[2] She managed to place ninth and made her Olympic debut, finishing 16th. She then made her first appearance at the World Championships.

De Leeuw's international breakthrough came in the 1973–74 season. Her first ISU Championship medal was silver at the 1974 European Championships in Zagreb, behind Christine Errath. At the 1974 World Championships in Munich, she was awarded the bronze medal and stepped onto the podium with Errath and Dorothy Hamill.

In 1975, de Leeuw repeated as silver medalist at the European Championships in Copenhagen, while Errath again won gold. She became World champion at the 1975 World Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado, finishing ahead of Hamill and Errath, and was voted the 1975 Dutch female athlete of the year.

De Leeuw won gold at the 1974 European Championships in Geneva. At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, she carried the Dutch flag and made daily trips to Germany for ice time.[2] She received the silver medal, while Hamill and Errath obtained gold and bronze respectively. After taking bronze at the 1976 World Championships in Gothenburg, de Leeuw retired from ISU competition. She toured with Holiday on Ice and the Ice Follies and then became a coach, working at the Westminster Ice Palace in Westminster, California and Anaheim Ice.[2]

Results

International
Event 70–71 71–72 72–73 73–74 74–75 75–76
Olympics16th2nd
Worlds17th15th3rd1st3rd
Europeans19th9th6th2nd2nd1st
Prague Skate3rd
Richmond Trophy1st
National
Dutch Champ.1st1st1st1st1st1st

References

  1. 1 2 "Dianne de Leeuw". Sports Reference.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Elfman, Lois (April 2014). "Sharing a Love for Skating: Olympian de Leeuw reflects on her journey". Skating Magazine. p. 8.
Olympic Games
Preceded by
Atje Keulen-Deelstra		 Flagbearer for  Netherlands
Innsbruck 1976		 Succeeded by
Piet Kleine
Awards
Preceded by
Enith Brigitha		 Dutch Sportswoman of the Year
1975		 Succeeded by
Keetie van Oosten
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