Carlo Fassi
Figure skating coach for Olympic medalists Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill among others
Athlete Bio#
Age
Died (Aged 67)
1929-1997
Hometown
Milan
Personal
Won the bronze medal at the 1953 World Championships and gold medals at the European championships in 1953 and 1954...Invited to the U.S. in 1961 to rebuild the country’s figure skating program following a tragic plane crash in which many American skaters and coaches were killed...Used his fluency in English, Italian, German and French to ensure judges treated his skaters fairly...Partnered with his wife, Christa, in coaching, often developing the character of their skaters as much as their physical abilities...Co-author of “Figure Skating with Carlo Fassi."Hall Of Fame Bio #
Carlo Fassi is an Italian-American figure skating coach who guided four figure skaters to Olympic gold medals. Born in Milan, Fassi was a competitive figure skater himself, claiming the Italian singles championship titles between 1943 and 1954 and winning a bronze medal at the world championships in 1953. Fassi was asked to come help rebuild the U.S. skating program following a plane crash in 1961 in which many American skaters and coaches were killed. Fassi eventually became an American citizen, coaching American figure skater Peggy Fleming Jenkins to the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Grenoble 1968, as well as the U.S.’s Dorothy Hamill and Britain’s John Curry, who both earned gold medals at the Innsbruck 1976 Games. Fassi also coached Britain’s Robin Cousins to win gold at the Lake Placid 1980 Games. He partnered with his wife, Christa, on many of his coaching efforts. Fassi passed away on March 20, 1997 in Lausanne, Switzerland, while coaching two of his skaters at the world championships. He co-authored a book entitled, “Figure Skating with Carlo Fassi."
