1932 Winter Olympics
![Updated by an Infoplease Editor on August 28, 2020](/themes/ip/images/info-circle.png)
Lake Placid
Back in 1928, American Irving Jaffee had the fastest time in the 10,000–meter speed skating race at St. Moritz only to lose his gold medal when thawing ice made it necessary to call the event off with no official winner.
Four years later, Jaffee won the 10,000 and the 5,000–meter races and local hero Jack Shea won at 500 and 1,500 meters as the U.S. swept all four speed skating events—which were run as actual races (not timed heats) for the first time in Olympic history.
Billy Fiske, who had driven the 5–man U.S. bobsled to a gold medal at St. Moritz when he was only 16, steered the 4–man sled to victory in 1932. On board was Eddie Eagan, the 1920 Olympic light heavyweight champion, who remains the only athlete ever to win gold medals in both the Winter and Summer Games.
Canada won its fourth consecutive hockey gold medal, but 38–year-old Gillis Grafstrom of Sweden missed in his bid for a fourth straight men's figure skating title, placing second to 22–year-old Austrian Karl Schafer.
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