Megan TAYLOR

Megan Taylor started skating at the age of five. Her mother, a former professional skater from St. Moritz, and her father Phil, a former speed and exhibition skater, taught her to skate. Megan performed her first public exhibition on the same bill as her father, at the Richmond Ice Rink, one month before her ninth birthday. Phil accompanied his then 11-year-old daughter to the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics, acting as her trainer. Taylor was the highest placed British girl in seventh place, behind gold medal winner Sonja Henie. At the 1934 and 1936 World Championships, Taylor finished second to Henie, but, following the Norwegian’s retirement, she eventually won the World title in 1938, which she retained the following year. Taylor was three times the runner-up at the European Championships 1937-39, each time to fellow Briton Cecilia Colledge. However, in wining her three British titles in 1932-34, she beat Colledge into second place on each occasion. Having turned down a large sum of money to turn professional in 1938, Taylor did make the switch in November 1939 when she performed in an ice revue with her father in Australia, before touring the United States and Canada. In New York, she appeared with Sonja Henie in “Ice Follies” and “Ice Capades”.