Ronald Joseph (born October 9, 1944) was an American figure skater.
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Skating career
Ronald and his younger sister Vivian Joseph began skating together as children, attended Highland Park High School,[1] and competed for the Broadmoor Skating Club of Colorado.
He was an excellent all-around athlete. Joseph attended Northwestern University on a track scholarship, and placed 3rd in the long jump at the 1964 Big Ten Championships.
In 1957 they competed in the Midwest Skating Championship, and finished in 2nd place.
A plane crash in 1961 claimed the lives of the entire U.S. World Figure Skating Team en route to the world championships in Czechoslovakia, and the Josephs were thrust into the spotlight.
They became 1961 U.S. Junior National Champions, and finished in the top three in the U.S. Championships from 1962-65 (3rd in 1962, 2nd in 1963, and 1964, and first in 1965). They also won the North American Championships in 1965.
They did well at three World Championships, finishing 3rd in 1963, 4th in 1964, and 2nd in 1965.
Olympics; Bronze Medal awarded, and then taken away
They competed in the pairs figure skating event at the 1964 Winter Olympic Games.
They finished in 4th place. But in 1966 the silver medal-winning team of Hans-Jurgen Baumler and Marika Kilius of Germany were stripped of their medals, after they were alleged to have signed a professional contract prior to the 1964 Winter Olympics. The Josephs were then moved up to 3rd place, and awarded bronze medals.
In 1987, however, the Germans were officially reinstated by the IOC, and the original results were restored. The Josephs, who had held the bronze medal for over 20 years, were moved back to 4th place. The USOC does not recognize them as medalists.
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