Vivian Joseph (born March 7, 1948) is an American former pair skater who competed with her brother, Ronald Joseph. They are the 1964 Olympic bronze medalists, 1965 World silver medalists, and 1965 North American champions.

Vivian Joseph
Born (1948-03-07) March 7, 1948 (age 76)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Height5 ft 2.5 in (159 cm)
Figure skating career
CountryUnited States
Retired1965
Medal record
Representing United States
Figure skating: Pairs
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Innsbruck Pairs
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1965 Colorado Springs Pairs
North American Championships
Gold medal – first place 1965 Rochester Pairs
Bronze medal – third place 1963 Vancouver Pairs

Personal life

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Vivian Joseph was born on March 7, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois, and is the younger sister of Ronald Joseph.[1] She is Jewish.[2]

Career

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The Josephs began competing together by the late 1950s and became the U.S. national junior champions in 1961. They won the senior bronze medal in 1962 and silver the following year. They were assigned to the 1963 North American Championships, where they took the bronze medal, and to the 1963 World Championships, where they placed eighth.

The Josephs were selected to represent the United States at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and initially finished fourth. A few years later, the silver medalists, Marika Kilius / Hans-Jürgen Bäumler of Germany, were disqualified after they were accused of signing a pro contract before the Olympics. The original bronze medalists, Debbi Wilkes / Guy Revell of Canada, were elevated to silver and the Joseph siblings to bronze. When the German pair was reinstated in 1987, the IOC decided the Germans and Canadians were both silver medalists and the Americans remained bronze medalists.[3] The IOC officially updated the results in November 2014.[4][5]

The Josephs won the national senior title in 1965. They then took gold at the 1965 North American Championships and silver at the 1965 World Championships before retiring from competition. They were coached by Peter Dunfield.[3]

Results

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(Pairs with Ronald Joseph)

International
Event 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965
Winter Olympics 3rd
World Championships 8th 4th 2nd
North American Championships 3rd 1st
National
U.S. Championships 2nd J. 1st J. 3rd 2nd 2nd 1st
J. = Junior level

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Vivian Joseph". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
  2. ^ Hersh, Philip (February 12, 2011). "Anniversary recalls disaster of 1961 plane crash that wiped out U.S. figure skating team". Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ a b Rosewater, Amy (December 13, 2013). "1964 Olympic Skating Pair Only Now Discovering Their Place". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Rosewater, Amy (November 25, 2014). "I.O.C. Corrects Record on 1964 American Skating Pair". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Rosewater, Amy (November 25, 2014). "Fifty years later, Joseph siblings find redemption". IceNetwork.
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