Irving Jaffee biography
Irving Jaffee, (born September 15, 1906, New York, New York, U.S.—died March 20, 1981, San Diego, California), American pace skater who gained two Olympic gold medals (1932). His first Winter Games title (1928) was unofficial, although many acknowledge him because the winner.
Jaffee started his Olympic profession on the 1928 Games in Saint Moritz, Switzerland. In the ten,000-metre contest he held the preliminary lead, beating Norway’s champion Bernt Evensen. During subsequent heats, nevertheless, the ice started to soften because the temperature rose. Though officers deliberate to nullify the outcomes and have the heats rerun, the Norwegian competitors, Jaffee’s solely severe menace, didn't return, conceding defeat. The occasion was later canceled, and no medals had been awarded.
At the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, U.S., Jaffee shared the title as most profitable competitor on the Games by taking gold medals within the 5,000-metre and the ten,000-metre races. Controversy surrounded the speed-skating occasions, nevertheless, because the Americans launched pack-style skating (athletes raced in teams in opposition to one another as an alternative of skating in pairs and racing in opposition to the clock) amid quite a few protests.
After Jaffee retired from competitors, he continued to stage exhibitions. In 1934 he skated 25 miles in 1 hr 26 min 0.1 sec to set a marathon file. Though Jaffee by no means gained a nationwide championship, he amassed greater than 400 medals throughout his profession. He was inducted into the U.S. Skating Hall of Fame in 1940.