John Curry

John Curry, who lived from 9 September 1949 to 15 April 1994, was a British figure skater. In 1976 he won the European, World and Olympic championships in the same year. He was noted for combining ballet and modern dance influences with his skating. Born in Birmingham, England, he began skating lessons in 1957 and won his first British title in 1971 after moving to London to study with Arnold Gerschwiler. Coached by Carlo Fassi, he also won the British championship in 1976, giving him a grand slam of four major titles that year. He was Great Britain's flag bearer at the Winter Olympics, was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1976, and was the first male figure skater from Great Britain to win Olympic gold.