Dianne de Leeuw

Margaret Dianne de Leeuw ( born November 19, 1955 in Orange, California ) is a former Dutch figure skater, which was launched in a single run. It is the world champion of 1975 and the European Championships of 1976.

Dianne de Leeuw was born in California, the daughter of a Dutch mother and a father with Dutch and American citizenship. Her grandfather expressed the wish that she might run for the Netherlands, which they, nevertheless, she had spent most of her youth in the United States, did.

Already in her first start de Leeuw was in 1971 Dutch champion, a title she should defend until 1976. In 1971, she also denied their first European Championship and a year later their first World Cup and their first Olympic Games. Your breakthrough came the year 1974. In Zagreb, she was Vice - European Champion behind Christine Errath from the GDR. At the World Championships in Munich, she won the bronze medal behind Errath and the US-American Dorothy Hamill. The following year she was in Copenhagen again European silver medalist behind Errath. The highlight of her career followed but just at the World Championships in Colorado Springs. There it gained the gold medal against Hamill and Errath what was added ambiguous in the American press. The Olympic 1976, the last of her career, started well for de Leeuw. In Geneva, it was the first time European champion, in the East German runners Anett Pötzsch and Christine Errath. Then saw the Dutch press in her already the successor of Sjoukje Dijkstra. In 1975 she was elected to the Dutch Sportswoman of the Year. At the World Championships in Gothenburg, however, she could not defend her world title. She won bronze behind Hamill and Errath. Also at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck, where she was flag bearer of the Netherlands, it was not error-free and won the silver medal behind Hamill.

After the end of her amateur career, she was commissioned in 1976 to an ice show and toured with that of North America. Later, she married her former coach Doug Chapman and was also a trainer.

Results

Winter Olympic Games 1974 World Figure Skating Championships 1975 World Figure Skating Championships 1976 World Figure Skating Championships 1974 European Figure Skating Championships 1975 European Figure Skating Championships 1976 European Figure Skating Championships Single skating List of Olympic medalists in figure skating 1972 World Figure Skating Championships 1973 World Figure Skating Championships 1971 European Figure Skating Championships 1972 European Figure Skating Championships 1973 European Figure Skating Championships Lily Kronberger Sonja Henie Cecilia Colledge Megan Taylor Barbara Ann Scott Jeannette Altwegg Jacqueline du Bief Tenley Albright Gundi Busch Carol Heiss Petra Burka Peggy Fleming Gabriele Seyfert Trixi Schuba Karen Magnussen Elaine Zayak Rosalynn Sumners Debi Thomas Jill Trenary Kristi Yamaguchi Chen Lu Michelle Kwan Kimmie Meissner Carolina Kostner Eva Pawlik Valda Osborn Hanna Walter Regine Heitzer Claudia Kristofics-Binder Claudia Leistner Sarah Meier (figure skater)

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