PersonJewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Irving Jaffee

American speed skater who won the 5,000 m and 10,000 m Olympic titles at Lake Placid 1932 and became the first Jewish athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal.

United States

Underwood & Underwood / The Boston Globe / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic Domain (U.S.)

Biography

Irving Warren Jaffee was born in New York City on 15 September 1906. He represented the United States in speed skating at the 1928 and 1932 Olympic Winter Games. After his controversial 1928 10,000 m race was cancelled, he returned in 1932 to win official Olympic gold medals in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m. He died in San Diego on 20 March 1981. American speed skater who won the 5,000 m and 10,000 m Olympic titles at Lake Placid 1932 and became the first Jewish athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal. In Jewish World Records, Irving Jaffee is connected to the record “First Jewish Athlete to Win a Winter Olympic Gold Medal,” based on the stored achievement of First Jewish Winter Olympic gold medalist; 2 gold medals at Lake Placid 1932.

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Records held by Irving Jaffee

Irving Jaffee, American Jewish Olympic speed skater, in 1928

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Sports · Olympic GamesFirst

First Jewish Athlete to Win a Winter Olympic Gold Medal

Record holder

Irving Jaffee

Record value

4 February 1932

American speed skater Irving Jaffee became the first Jewish athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal on 4 February 1932. His record was set at the third Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, where he won the gold medal in the men's 5,000-metre speed-skating event. Official Olympic sources and Team USA medal histories confirm Jaffee as the winner of the race.

Country represented: United States
Achievement location: Lake Placid, New York, United States
Achievement date: 4 February 1932

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