Maria Jelinek is a Canadian pair skater. She competed with her brother Otto Jelinek

Otto Jelinek

Otto John Jelinek, PC is a businessman, former figure skater, and Canadian politician. Jelinek's family fled to Canada from Czechoslovakia in 1948 at the beginning of the Cold War.-Figure skating career:...

. They are the 1962 World Champions

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

, the 1961 North American national champions

North American Figure Skating Championships

The North American Figure Skating Championships were a former elite figure skating competition for skaters from the United States and Canada. It was a biennial competition held between 1923 and 1971, with locations alternating between the two countries.Although the event was classified as an...

, and 1961-1962 Canadian national champions

Canadian Figure Skating Championships

The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has...

. They represented Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics

Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics

Canada competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States. Canada has competed at every Winter Olympic Games.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Cross-country skiing:Men- Figure skating:MenWomenPairs...

, where they placed 4th.

The pair were the first to perform lifts with several rotations, and also performed side-by-side double jumps. Maria was tall for a pair skater, at 5' 7 1/2".

The Jelinek family fled to Canada from Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 in 1948 at the beginning of the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

. While competing, the pair were warned not to return to Czechoslovakia for events, but chose to do so despite political and personal concerns. They won their World title in the original home city of Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

. The Jelineks retired from competition later in 1962, and toured professionally with Ice Capades

Ice Capades

The Ice Capades was a traveling entertainment show featuring theatrical performances involving ice skating. Shows often featured former Olympicand National Champion figure skaters who had retired from amateur competition....

.

The Jelineks were inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...

 in 1962 and into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame

Skate Canada Hall of Fame

The Skate Canada Hall of Fame is the sports hall of fame for figure skating in Canada. It was established in 1990. The members are inducted into one of four categories that best represents the inductee's contributions to skating in Canada: athletes, coaches, builders, and...

 in 1994.

Maria currently resides in Oakville, Ontario.

Results

with Otto Jelinek

Otto Jelinek

Otto John Jelinek, PC is a businessman, former figure skater, and Canadian politician. Jelinek's family fled to Canada from Czechoslovakia in 1948 at the beginning of the Cold War.-Figure skating career:...

Event	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962
Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...						4th
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...			3rd	3rd	4th	2nd		1st
North American Championships North American Figure Skating Championships The North American Figure Skating Championships were a former elite figure skating competition for skaters from the United States and Canada. It was a biennial competition held between 1923 and 1971, with locations alternating between the two countries.Although the event was classified as an...			2nd				1st
Canadian Championships Canadian Figure Skating Championships The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has...	1st J.	2nd	2nd	2nd		2nd	1st	1st

• J = Junior level