Joan DIX

The daughter of Olympic speed skater Fred Dix, who competed in the 1924 and 1928 Winter Games, Joan Dix was just 13 when she competed at the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics. Fred taught his daughter to skate after being appointed the instructor at the Richmond Skating Rink in London. Despite her age, Joan was considered a great talent and was sought after to give skating exhibitions around the London area. At the age of 12 she finished seventh in the European Championships at Paris in 1931 (won by Sonja Henie), and finished third in the British Championships in 1932, having narrowly missed out on a medal the previous year. Also in 1932, Dix finished 10th at both the Olympics and World Championships, and was seventh again at the Europeans. After the Olympics, Dix turned professional and finished second in the 1934 Ladies’ Professional Figure Skating Championship at Purley.