Written By: Liz Ronk
Ever since the first Winter Olympics in 1924, women athletes have competed for gold with the same intensity, grace and power as their male counterparts — even if, in ’24, the only events in which women were allowed to take part were figure- and pairs-skating. At the 2022 edition of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, meanwhile, competitors from around the globe will put it all on the line in a diverse array of events that includes new events such as big air freestyle, monobob (or one-person bobsleedding) and snowboard cross. Among the star attractions on the U.S. team are women such as skier Mikaela Shiffrin, bobsledder Lolo Jones, snowboarder Chloe Kim, and short track speed skater Maame Biney.
Here, in acknowledgement of the long, icy, often-uphill trail that sportswomen have had to navigate through the years, LIFE offers a series of Winter Olympics photos from the 1940s to the 1970s — pictures featuring the still-famous (Peggy Fleming, Lidiya Skoblikova, Andrea Mead Lawrence) as well as more than a few largely forgotten female athletes who made a mark in the Olympics, whether they medaled or not.
Fifteen-year-old Andrea Mead Lawrence, the first American alpine skier to win Olympic gold, trained in 1947.
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Six-time U.S. national figure-skating champion Gretchen Merrill, St. Moritz Olympics, 1948.
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French figure skater Jacqueline du Bief, St. Moritz, 1948.
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British figure skater Jeanette Altwegg, bronze medalist at St. Moritz, 1948.
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Canadian Patricia Gault, St. Moritz, 1948.
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Olympic figure skater, St. Moritz, 1948.
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Gretchen Merrill, St. Moritz Olympics, 1948.
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American skier Brynhild Grasmoen, St. Moritz, 1948.
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Great Britain’s Sue Holmes, Cortina, Italy, 1956.
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Unidentified skater, Cortina, Italy, 1956.
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Unidentified athlete, Cortina, Italy, 1956.
Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock
American figure-skating silver medalist Carol Heiss, Cortina, Italy, 1956.
Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock
Russian cross-country skiers Radya Yeroshina (silver) and Lyubov Kozyreva (gold), Cortina, Italy, 1956.
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American silver medalist Penny Pitou (left) and German downhill gold medalist Heidi Biebl, Squaw Valley, 1960.
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Slalom silver medalist Betsy Snite (USA), Squaw Valley, 1960.
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American downhill skier Penny Pitou (silver medalist), Squaw Valley, 1960.
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American downhill skier Penny Pitou (silver medalist), Squaw Valley, 1960.
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Unidentified athlete, Squaw Valley, 1960.
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Figure skater Carol Heiss (gold medal, Ladies Singles), Squaw Valley, 1960.
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Figure skater Carol Heiss (gold medal, Ladies Singles), Squaw Valley, 1960.
Ralph Crane/Life Pictures/Shutterstock
Russian speed-skating gold medalist Lidiya Skoblikova (center), with Poland’s Elwira Seroczynska (left, silver) and Helena Pilejczyk (right, bronze), Squaw Valley, 1960.
Ralph Crane/Life Pictures/Shutterstock
Unidentified athlete, Innsbruck Olympics, 1964.
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Unidentified athlete, Innsbruck Olympics, 1964.
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American skier Jean Saubert (center) received kisses from French downhill gold and silver medalists (and sisters), Christine and Marielle Goitschel, Innsbruck Olympics, 1964.
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Unidentified athlete, Innsbruck Olympics, 1964.
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Left to right: Christine Goitschel, Jean Saubert, and Marielle Goitschel, Innsbruck, 1964
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American speed skater and four-time Olympic medalist Dianne Holum, Grenoble Olympics, 1968.
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Unidentified athlete, Grenoble Olympics, 1968.
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Three-time Olympic medalist Lyudmila Titova, Russian speed skater, Grenoble Olympics, 1968.
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American figure skater Peggy Fleming, Grenoble Olympics, 1968.
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Twelve-year-old Romanian figure skater Beatrice Hustiu, Grenoble Olympics, 1968.
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American figure skater Janet Lynn, Grenoble Olympics, 1968.
Art Rickerby/Life Pictures/Shutterstock
American figure skater Peggy Fleming, Grenoble Olympics, 1968.
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Peggy Fleming, gold medalist, Ladies Singles figure skating, Grenoble Olympics, 1968.
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Anne Henning, 16, won the 500-meter speed skating race at the Sapporo Winter Olympics, 1972.
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Figure skaters Janet Lynn (American, bronze), Beatrix Schuba (Austrian, gold) and Karin Manguessen (Canadian, silver), Sapporo Winter Olympics, 1972.
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American speed skater and four-time Olympic medalist Dianne Holum, Sapporo Winter Olympics, 1972.
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Women’s luge, Sapporo Winter Olympics, 1972.
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