Madge Syers

Florence Madeleine " Madge " Syers, born Cave ( born September 16, 1881 in London, † September 9, 1917 in Weybridge ) was a British figure skater who started in a single run and pair skating. It is the first world champion and Olympic champion in figure skating ladies.

Career

Madge Syers was one of 15 children of the wealthy Edward Jarvis Cave. Like many other young girls in their elevated position, they began to run skates in Prince's Skating Rink in Knightsbridge. Unlike the other girls, she took this activity seriously and through sport but she also met her future husband, the sports official figure skater and figure skating coach Edgar Syers know that was 19 years older and took a big impact on their eiskunstläuferische development. He encouraged her to abandon the old-fashioned English style, with its minimal body movements and adopt the modern, free -flowing and international style, the Jackson Haines had made popular. They quickly became the best skater in the world. In 1899 she won the UK's first pair of running competition with her husband. In the same year the couple married after Edgar Syers had just won bronze at the World Cup in Davos. One of the first pair of running international competitions, the pair was second in Berlin.

Although the figure skating pair formed a very successful combination, it was the individual competitions, the Madge Syers could become a celebrity. Since at that time only a men's competition was at the World Championships, but no rule that explicitly forbade women to participate, she was, as she had discovered this gap in the regulations, sensationally announced its participation in the World Championship in 1902 in a local London. At that time it was unheard of for women to participate in sports competitions and therefore the officials of the International Skating Union ( ISU) had not thought that a woman would ever just try also to participate. Participation was by the British Association, the National Skating Association, fought. Syers ' husband was the General Secretary of the Association.

The biggest sensation managed Syers then, however, the competition, where she was in ankle-length skirt Vice World Champion behind Ulrich Salchow. This was supposedly so impressed by her performance that he gave her his gold medal. Following their participation, the organizers closed the loophole in the rules and adopted a rule that forbade women to participate in the men's competition. They justified this by saying that the long skirts ladies it too difficult for the judges made a correct assessment of the legwork. In 1905 a separate ladies competition was launched, which, however, only in 1920 was in retrospect as the official World Cup competition recognition. Madge Syers 1906 in Davos thus the first figure skating world champion in history. A year later she defended her title in Vienna, like last year, before Jenny Heart and Lily Kronberger.

Syers won in 1903 the first British championship in figure skating. Again, there was only one Lord competition. She referred Horatio Torromé to second place and a year later her husband to defend the title.

Syers went as a clear favorite for the Olympic Games in London in 1908, where he was finally first Olympic champion in figure skating ladies. All five judges they put both in the compulsory figures as well as in the free skate at number one. At 27, she is still the oldest Olympic Champion in women's singles.

Together with her husband took Syers also participate in the pairs figure skating competition of the Olympic Games and won bronze behind the first Olympic champions in pair skating Anna Hubler and Heinrich Burger from the German Empire and their compatriots Phyllis Johnson and James H. Johnson. Syers is - next to the German Ernst Baier, the 1936 managed this - one of only two people, and the only woman to have won two medals in figure skating at one and the same Olympics.

After the Olympics, Madge Syers took, which was also an excellent swimmer and rider, due to heart problems farewell from active competition. She died in 1917 at only 35 years of influenza.

Results

Single run

* In the men's competition, as there were no women's competition

Pair of running

( with Edgar Syers )

Summer Olympic Games Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympics 1902 World Figure Skating Championships 1906 World Figure Skating Championships 1907 World Figure Skating Championships Single skating 1899 World Figure Skating Championships Magda Julin Sonja Henie Barbara Ann Scott Jeannette Altwegg Tenley Albright Carol Heiss Peggy Fleming Trixi Schuba Dorothy Hamill Kristi Yamaguchi Sarah Hughes Adelina Sotnikova Cecilia Colledge Megan Taylor Jacqueline du Bief Gundi Busch Petra Burka Gabriele Seyfert Karen Magnussen Christine Errath Dianne de Leeuw Elaine Zayak Rosalynn Sumners Debi Thomas Jill Trenary Chen Lu Michelle Kwan Kimmie Meissner Carolina Kostner Keiller Greig Arthur Cumming (figure skater) Basil Williams (figure skater) Henry Graham Sharp Arthur Apfel Michael Booker (figure skater) Haig Oundjian Robin Cousins Steven Cousins

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