Gretchen Merrill
{{short description|American figure skater}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox figure skater
|name= Gretchen Merrill
|image=
|caption=
|fullname=
|altname= Queenie
|country= {{USA}}
|birth_date= {{birth date|1925|11|2}}
|birth_place= Boston, Massachusetts
|death_date= {{death date and age|1965|4|22|1925|11|2}}
|death_place= Windsor, Connecticut
|residence=
|height=
|coach=
|choreographer=
|formerchoreographer=
|skating club= Skating Club of Boston
|retired=
|medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalSport | Ladies' Figure skating}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalBronze|1947 Stockholm|Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|1947 Davos|Ladies' singles}}
{{MedalCompetition|North American Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|1945 New York|Ladies' singles}}
}}
Gretchen Merrill (November 2, 1925 – April 22, 1965)[https://web.archive.org/web/20120105164015/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,898707,00.html "Milestones: Apr. 30, 1965"]. Time. April 30, 1965. was an American figure skater. Gretchen was a six-time (1943–1948) U.S. national champion and thrice placed second in 1941, 1942 and 1949. She was the 1947 European silver medalist and World bronze medalist, winning those medals in the first World and Europeans Championships to be held since 1939. She was the second and last American woman to win a medal at the European Championships; following 1948, the competition was restricted to skaters representing European countries. Merrill placed 8th at the 1948 Winter Olympics.
She was married to William O. Gay{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/08/10/archives/gretchen-merrill-broker-to-be-wed-former-figureskating-leader.html|title=Gretchen Merrill, broker to be wed|date=August 10, 1952|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628155908/https://www.nytimes.com/1952/08/10/archives/gretchen-merrill-broker-to-be-wed-former-figureskating-leader.html|archive-date=June 28, 2018}} and died in 1965. She was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000.[http://www.worldskatingmuseum.org/Museum_HOF_Inductees.htm Official Site World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070905174119/http://www.worldskatingmuseum.org/Museum_HOF_Inductees.htm |date=September 5, 2007 }}
Results
class="wikitable" | |||||||||
Event
! 1941 ! 1942 ! 1943 ! 1944 ! 1945 ! 1946 ! 1947 ! 1948 ! 1949 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winter Olympics | align="center" | 8th | ||||||||
World Championships | align="center" bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd | ||||||||
European Championships | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | ||||||||
North American Championships | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | ||||||||
U.S. Championships | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="gold" | 1st | align="center" bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |
References
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929102900/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/euroladies1947.html Skatabase: 1940s Europeans]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070209065636/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/worldladies1947.html Skatabase: 1940s Worlds]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080102011159/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/olympicladies1940.html Skatabase: 1940s Olympics]
Navigation
{{NavigationUSChampionsFigureSkatingLadies}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Gretchen}}
Category:American female single skaters
Category:Olympic figure skaters for the United States
Category:Figure skaters at the 1948 Winter Olympics
Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists
Category:European Figure Skating Championships medalists
Category:20th-century American sportswomen
{{US-figure-skating-bio-stub}}