Figure Skating at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Games:

The last two World Champions had been Christine Errath (GDR-1974) and Dianne de Leeuw (NED-1975). Errath had beaten de Leeuw both years at the Europeans, but de Leeuw won the 1976 Europeans shortly before the Olympics and was the favorite. Also expected to medal was America’s Dorothy Hamill, second at the Worlds in both 1974 and 1975, who was coached by Carlo Fassi, who also coached the 1976 men’s gold medalist, John Curry. Dianne de Leeuw was also an American from California, but early in her career had difficulty making US international squads. With a Dutch mother and a father with US/Dutch dual citizenship, she used her Dutch citizenship to compete for the Netherlands. The lead after the compulsories was taken by West German Isabel de Navarre, with Hamill second, de Leeuw third, and Errath fifth. Hamill then won the short program, which put her into the lead, with de Leeuw second and Errath fourth, following de Navarre. Hamill also won the free skate, which clinched her the gold medal over de Leeuw, who won silver, Errath moving up to the bronze medal. Hamill became quite famous in the United States for her pixie good looks and especially for her hairstyle, which many America women copied, giving it the name the Hamill Do.