Jacqueline du Bief

Jacqueline du Bief
Jacqueline du Bief, c. 1950
Personal information
Born (1930-12-04) 4 December 1930
Paris, France
Figure skating career
CountryFrance
Skating clubDe Glace Club Paris
Français Volants Paris
Retired1952
Medal record
Representing  France
Figure skating: Ladies' singles
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1952 Oslo Ladies' singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1952 Paris Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 1951 Milan Ladies' singles
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1952 Vienna Ladies' singles
Silver medal – second place 1951 Zürich Ladies' singles
Bronze medal – third place 1950 Oslo Ladies' singles

Jacqueline du Bief (born 4 December 1930) is a French retired figure skater who competed mainly in single skating. She is the 1952 Olympic bronze medalist,[1] the 1952 World champion,[2] a three-time European medalist,[3] and a six-time French national champion (1947–1952).[4]

Early life

Bief was born in Paris.[1] She began skating at age 7. She paused training due to World War II and then again for another two years due to illness. Her older sister, Raymonde, skated professionally.[5]

Career

Bief was known for being weak in compulsory figures but stronger in free skating, as well as her musicality and revealing costumes.[1][6] As a pair skater, she competed with Tony Font, winning the 1950 & 1951 French national titles.[1]

In 1949, Bief made an unusually large rise in placement after the free skate; she was in 16th place after the compulsory figures but finished in 9th place overall. A judge writing for Skating magazine noted her "truly outstanding, smooth flowing, ballet-like execution of a difficult program".[7] The next year, she finished 6th at the 1950 World Championships. Skating magazine praised her free skate for powerful jumps, including a double Lutz jump, as well as her footwork. Three of the judges placed her first in the free skate segment.[8]

In 1951, she won silver at both the European Championships and the World Championships. The following year, she again won silver at the 1952 European Championships.[2] Later that month, she was the bronze medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics.[1] She performed an illusion spin during her free skate as well as a double Lutz and a double loop jump.[9]

Going in to the 1952 World Championships, Bief had the advantage of skating in her home city, and the Olympic champion, Jeannette Altwegg, did not compete, while silver medalist, Tenley Albright withdrew early due to being ill.[6][10] Bief won the competition over Sonya Klopfer and Virginia Baxter.[6]

After the 1952 Championships, she turned professional.[6] She toured with several shows like Ice Capades, Hollywood Ice Revues, Scala Eisrevue from 1952 to 1964.[1]

Competitive highlights

Ladies' singles

International
Event 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952
Winter Olympics 16th 3rd
World Championships 18th 9th 6th 2nd 1st
European Championships 7th 3rd 2nd 2nd
National
French Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st

Pairs with Tony Font

National
Event 1950 1951
French Championships 1st 1st

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Jacqueline du Bief". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b "World Figure Skating Championships Results: Ladies Medalists" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-03.
  3. ^ "European Figure Skating Championships Results: Ladies Medalists" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-03-03.
  4. ^ "No Knife? A Skate Will Do". The Evening News. 1952. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  5. ^ Firstbrook, Peter (May 1952). "Jacqueline du Bief— World Champion". Skating. Vol. 29, no. 7. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  6. ^ a b c d Malone, John W. (1998). The encyclopedia of figure skating. New York: Facts On File. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0-8160-3226-6.
  7. ^ Storke, Harold (April 1949). "Championships of the World". Skating. Vol. 26, no. 6. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  8. ^ McRae, Kenneth (May 1950). "1950 Championships of the World". Skating. Vol. 27, no. 7. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  9. ^ Blanchard, Theresa Weld (May 1952). "The 1952 Olympic Championships". Skating. Vol. 29, no. 6. pp. 18–21. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  10. ^ Blanchard, Theresa Weld (May 1952). "The 1952 World Championships". Skating. Vol. 29, no. 7. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
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