Article

Robert Paul

Published Online July 3, 2011

Last Edited March 4, 2015

Robert Paul, figure skater (b at Toronto 2 June 1937).
Wagner, Barbara and Paul, Bob, figure skaters
Pairs figure skaters Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul defeated the German team to capture Olympic gold at Squaw Valley on 19 Feb 1960. They became the first non-European duo in Olympic history to win the event (courtesy Canada Sports Hall of Fame/ X981.755.1.15).

Robert Paul, figure skater (b at Toronto 2 June 1937). A specialist in pairs skating, Paul started skating with Barbara Wagner in 1952, and in 1954 they placed 3rd in the North American championships. In 1957, over 16 days, they won the Canadian, North American and world championships and held them for the next 3 years. They won the gold medal at the 1960 Squaw Valley, Calif, Olympics, the first non-Europeans to win the pairs event. After 1960 they continued to skate together on the professional circuit. The partnership was dissolved in 1964, and Paul became a skating choreographer and coach in the US.