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Sonja Henie in 1928, the year of her first Olympic gold at St. Moritz
Sonja Henie in 1928, the year of her first Olympic gold at St. Moritz

The Philadelphia Inquirer · Public domain · Source

Person1912 – 1969

Sonja Henie

Norwegian figure skater who won three successive Olympic titles in women’s singles (1928, 1932, 1936) and then became a Hollywood film star in the United States

Born into a wealthy family in Oslo (then Kristiania), she finished last at the Chamonix Games in 1924 at the age of eleven, but went on to win ten straight world championships from 1927 to 1936 and three successive Olympic titles in women’s singles, in 1928, 1932 and 1936. Her ballet-inspired skating and short skirts are credited with changing the look of figure skating. After retiring she moved to the United States, became a Hollywood star in skating films and took US citizenship in 1941. She died of leukaemia in 1969.

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4 related events

  1. 1
    19241924 Chamonix Winter Olympicsparticipant

    An “International Winter Sports Week” was held at Chamonix, France; the following year the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized it as the first Winter Olympic Games.

  2. 2
    19281928 St. Moritz Winter Olympicsparticipant

    The Swiss Alpine resort of St. Moritz hosted the first Games planned from the outset as Winter Olympics; 15-year-old Sonja Henie won the figure-skating title.

  3. 3
    19321932 Lake Placid Winter Olympicsparticipant

    The small town of Lake Placid in New York State hosted the first Winter Olympics outside Europe; with the Depression and the long sea voyage, only 17 nations came.

  4. 4
    19361936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Winter Olympicsparticipant

    Nazi Germany held the Winter Olympics at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps; Hitler opened the Games, and Alpine skiing became an Olympic event for the first time.

People who appear alongside

  • Adolf Hitler1889 – 1945

    Nazi leader and Führer of Germany (1934–1945) who started the Second World War and perpetrated the Holocaust; he killed himself as Berlin fell

Themes this person appears in

  • Winter Olympics1924 – 2026

    From the “International Winter Sports Week” at Chamonix to PyeongChang and Milano Cortina — a century on snow and ice, with Korea’s first appearance and first gold