Elizabeth Manley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elizabeth Manley
Elizabeth Manley at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Personal information
Country represented	Canada
Born	(1965-08-07) August 7, 1965 (age 60) Belleville, Ontario
Height	1.52 m
Former coach	Peter Dunfield Sonya Klopfer
Former skating club	Gloucester Skating Club
Former training locations	Orleans, Ontario
Retired	1988
Medal record Representing  Canada figure skating: Ladies' singles Winter Olympics Silver 1988 Calgary Ladies' singles World Championships Silver 1988 Budapest Ladies' singles World Junior Championships Bronze 1982 Oberstdorf Ladies' singles

Elizabeth Ann Manley, born on August 7, 1965, is a famous Canadian former competitive figure skater. She won a silver medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics. She also earned a silver medal at the 1988 World Championships. Elizabeth was a three-time Canadian national champion.

Early Life and Skating Start

Elizabeth Manley was born in 1965 in Belleville, Ontario. She grew up in Trenton. Elizabeth was the fourth child and the only daughter in her family. Her father's job in the military meant they moved often. When Elizabeth was eight, her family moved to Ottawa. After her parents divorced, her mother, Joan, raised her.

Elizabeth started skating when she was very young. Her mother spent a lot of time and money to support her daughter's figure skating dreams.

Elizabeth's Skating Journey

Elizabeth won a bronze medal at the 1982 World Junior Championships. This competition took place in Oberstdorf, Germany. Later that year, she competed in her first senior World Championships. She finished 13th in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In the 1982–83 season, Elizabeth moved to Lake Placid, New York, for more intense training. However, she became sad and missed her home. This made her hair fall out and she gained weight. She did not win a medal at the Canadian Championships. She even stopped skating for a short time. But she returned to the sport when Peter Dunfield and Sonya Dunfield agreed to coach her. They worked with her at the Gloucester Skating Club in Orleans, Ontario.

Elizabeth competed at the 1984 Winter Olympics, finishing 13th. She also competed at the World Championships between 1984 and 1987. At the 1987 Worlds, she was in a good position to win after the first parts of the competition. But a difficult long program caused her to finish fourth overall.

The 1988 Winter Olympics

Before the 1988 Winter Olympics, not many experts thought Elizabeth Manley would win an Olympic medal. She was battling an illness, but she still performed well in the early rounds. Going into the final long program, she was in third place. Two other skaters, Katarina Witt from East Germany and Debi Thomas from the United States, were favorites for the gold medal. The media called their rivalry the "Battle of the Carmens" because both skated to music from the opera Carmen.

Katarina Witt skated a clean but careful long program. Debi Thomas had a difficult performance. But Elizabeth Manley gave the best performance of her career. It was so special that an announcer said, "Wouldn't it be great if every human being could have a moment like this once in their lives?" Elizabeth won the long program. She came very close to beating Witt for the Olympic gold medal. She won the silver medal, which made her a national hero in Canada.

After winning the silver medal at the 1988 World Championships, Elizabeth Manley stopped competing as an amateur skater.

Life After Competitive Skating

After retiring, Elizabeth Manley performed in ice shows and TV specials. She also competed in professional skating events for many years. She was known for her creative and unique skating programs. Today, she works as a figure skating coach. She also sometimes works as a commentator for media. In 1988, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

In 1990, Elizabeth Manley wrote her first autobiography called Thumbs Up!. She wrote a second book in 1999, titled As I Am: My Life After the Olympics.

In 1990, a radio host named The Real Darren Stevens joked that he was a Canadian who couldn't skate. He asked Elizabeth Manley, who was also from Ottawa, to teach him. In January 1991, Elizabeth agreed and taught him how to skate.

Elizabeth Manley also starred in a 1992 TV movie called The Trial of Red Riding Hood. This movie was made by the CBC. It later showed on the Disney Channel.

In 2014, Elizabeth Manley was honored by being added to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal Life and Advocacy

Elizabeth Manley married television producer David N. Rosen in June 2019.

Elizabeth is a spokesperson for mental health issues. She has openly shared her own experiences with depression. She is also a spokesperson for Ovarian Cancer Canada's Winners Walk of Hope. Her mother passed away from ovarian cancer in 2008. Her father passed away from Alzheimer's disease in 2010.

Skating Results

See Also

• Petra Burka
• Karen Magnussen
• Kaetlyn Osmond
• Joannie Rochette
• Barbara Ann Scott