Jacqueline du Bief
The first skater from France to win a gold medal in the women’s event at the World Figure Skating Championships, and the 1952 Olympic bronze medalist.
Jacqueline du Bief who was born on December 1930 is a French retired figure skater who competed mainly in single skating. She is the 1952 Olympic bronze medalist, the 1952 World champion, a three-time European medalist, and a six-time French national champion (1947–1952).
Bief was born in Paris. As a pair skater, she competed with Tony Font, winning the 1950 & 1951 French national titles. After turning professional, she toured with several shows like Ice Capades, Hollywood Ice Revues, Scala Eisrevue from 1952 to 1964. In 1964 she returned to France where she went back to school.
She was called weak in figures, but innovative free skater. du Bief greatest figure skating moment came in 1952, shortly after she had won a bronze medal at the Oslo Olympics, when she won the World Championship in Paris. Although du Bief landed the first-ever double Lutz by a woman, it was a controversial victory as she fell twice during her free skate. She was given a 6.0 by one judge despite this, and even the French fans pelted the ice with various items to protest the decision. Du Bief later wrote in her book Thin Ice, that American Sonya Klopfer deserved the title.