Lucile Wheeler
Occupation | Alpine skier ♀ |
---|---|
Skiing career | |
Disciplines | Downhill, giant slalom, slalom, combined |
Olympics | |
Teams | 2 – (1952, 1956) |
Medals | 1 (0 gold) |
World Championships | |
Teams | 5 – (1950, '52, '54, '56, '58) includes two Olympics |
Medals | 4 (2 gold) |
Medal record |
Lucile Wheeler CM (born January 14, 1935) is a former alpine ski racer from Canada. She was a double world champion in 1958, the first North American to win a world title in the downhill event.[1][2][3][4]
Early years
Wheeler was born in
Taught to ski at the age of two, Wheeler's skills were such that she was soon competing against older ski racers. At age 10, she finished seventh in a downhill event at Mont Tremblant in a race that was open to participants of all ages. She won the Canadian junior ski championship in 1947 at age 12 and at 14 was selected to compete for Canada at the World Championships in 1950 in Aspen, Colorado, the first major alpine event held outside of Europe. However, her parents felt she was too young at age 15 to miss school and did not allow her to go.[6]
Racing career
The early 1950s was still a time when resources for Canadian skiers were extremely limited.
Wheeler's breakthrough performance resulted in an increase in government funding that enabled other Canadian skiers to compete at the international level. Her achievements were also instrumental in increasing the popularity of the sport both nationwide and in her native Quebec where what was once a remote destination in the Laurentian mountains for only a limited few became a thriving ski area with an abundance of quality facilities that attracts hundreds of thousands of skiers every winter.
World Championship results
Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950 | 15 | DNS | DNS | not run | DNS | not run |
1952 | 17 | 26 | 27 | 27 | ||
1954 | 19 | DSQ2 | 18 | 7 | — | |
1956 | 21 | DSQ2 | 6 | 3 | — | |
1958 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
Wheeler qualified for the 1950 championships, but did not attend.
Olympic results
Year | Age | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | 17 | 26 | 27 | not run | 27 | not run |
1956 | 21 | DSQ2 | 6 | 3 |
After racing
Following her retirement from competitive racing at age 24 in 1959,
Honours
Wheeler was voted the
See also
References
- ^ "Canada's Lucile Wheeler wins skiing title". Ottawa Citizen. Canadian Press. February 6, 1958. p. 1.
- ^ "Canadian takes downhill title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. United Press. February 6, 1958. p. 35.
- ^ "Lucile Wheeler first again, wins world's giant slalom". Ottawa Citizen. Canadian Press. February 8, 1958. p. 1.
- ^ "Lucile and Anne give Canada ski prominence". Ottawa Citizen. Canadian Press. February 10, 1958. p. 11.
- ^ a b Christie, James (April 20, 2009). "Lucile Wheeler". Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Lucille Wheeler". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
- ^ Chisholm, Lauchie (March 13, 1958). "Lucile welcomed as champ, takes celebrity role in stride". Montreal Gazette. p. 3.
- ^ "Home town residents honour Lucile Wheeler". Montreal Gazette. April 14, 1958. p. 28.
- ^ "Kaye Vaughan weds skier Lucile Wheeler". Ottawa Citizen. Canadian Press. June 27, 1960. p. 7.
External links
- Lucile Wheeler at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Lucile Wheeler at Ski-DB Alpine Ski Database
- Lucile Wheeler – Lou Marsh Trophy 1958
- Lucile Wheeler at Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
- Lucile Wheeler at Canadian Ski Hall of Fame
- Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame – Alpine skiing – Lucile Wheeler
- Lucile Wheeler Vaughan at U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame
- Lucile Wheeler at Team Canada
- Lucile Wheeler at Olympics.com
- Lucille Wheeler at Olympic.org (archived)
- Lucile Wheeler at Olympedia