Part One of a Nottingham-based preview (bygones) ahead of the upcoming, XXV Winter Olympics.

Later this week, the eyes of the sporting world will descend upon Milan-Cortina, in Northeast Italy, the venue(s) of the XXV Winter Olympics (runs from Friday 6 February – Sunday 22 February 2026).

Primarily taking place in the majestic, Milan (a past home of one, Herbert Kilpin), the 2026 Olympics will also see events in the neighbouring Cortina (Cortina d’Ampezzo, the heart of the southern Dolomitic Alps), as well as the Valtellina (Lombardy) and Fiemme (Trentino) Valleys.

Here in Nottingham, there has been past connections to the Winter Olympics (first held in France a little over a century ago, 1924), connections that go beyond that stunning Bolero (Read about Jayne Torvill’s DNA journey) which claimed gold medal for the now Dame Jayne Christensen (Torvill) and Sir Christopher Dean.

In fact, in the same year in which Nottingham royalty ascended to greatness, another athlete was participating in the same games, the now 60-year-old, SUSAN ANN JACKSON-WAGNER, who resides in East Tennessee, USA.

Susan Jackson was born in Nottingham in the mid-1960s, taking to the ice in the early Seventies, little realising not only the potential she had, but also what she’d go on to achieve.

In an interview shy of eight years ago at time of writing, for WBIR10, a local television station in Knoxville, Tennessee (8 February 2018), and at the time, a teacher herself, the Nottingham-born Olympian said of those beginnings: “We had a string of Olympians at that time.

“John Curry in 1976, Robin Cousins in 1980, Torvill & Dean in 1984 (all won Olympic Gold), and I actually grew up in the same home-town rink as them in Nottingham, England.

“So, I had a lot of influence around me.

“I placed second in the primary championships in England, and I didn’t like being second, and I went on to win like the junior championship, the intermediate championship, the senior championship.”

As her on-talent continued to shine, so her name began to be recognised, ultimately leading to her appearing at the 1984 Winter Olympics herself, in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia; but there were other competitions also for Jackson-Wagner.

Through 1983 to 1986 she medalled in the British National Championships, claiming bronze in ’83, when she finished behind Karen Wood and Alison Southwood, before taking back-to-back gold herself in ’84 and ’85.

In the 1986 competition, Jackson-Wagner would add a silver to her impressive collection, finishing behind a certain Joanne Conway (six-time British champion, two-time Olympian); there was also appearances at the 1984 World Championships in Ottawa, Canada, and at the 1986 European Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jackson-Wagner, and other figure skaters in the 1980s, they had to contend with the East German legend, Katarina Witt who, throughout that decade, won two Olympic gold, four World Championship gold, and six European Championship gold – certainly a force to be reckoned with.

At the ’84 Games, in the now former Yugoslavia, Jackson would finish in seventeenth place in the Ladies figure skating competition with Witt (gold), Rosalynn Summers (USA, silver), and Kira Ivanova (Soviet Union, bronze).

(WATCH FULL WBIR10 INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN JACKSON-WAGNER HERE)

The feeling of appearing at a global tournament for your country never leaves you, neither does the connection you have with your coach, someone that is with you 24/7 as you prepare for such occasions.

Continuing in her WBIR10 interview, Jackson-Wagner added: “The feeling inside you of being so proud to represent your country at the Olympics, the chance of that are so slim.

“It’s almost like a thousand to one shot that so few people get to do that.

“You just burst with pride.”

As for her coach, Jackson-Wagner fell under the tutelage of the late Swiss master, Arnold Gerschwiler OBE, one who’s impressive resume included champions British skaters, John Curry and Valda Osborn.

In discussing her current role as an ice coach, in her Tennessee home, Jackson-Wagner looked fondly on the relationship she had with her own, stating: “I would really love that my students think as fondly as me as I think of my coach (Arnold Gerchwiler).

“That he taught me so much more in life lessons than just figure skating, and it brings me no greater joy than students coming back and wanting to meet with me, wanting to have a coffee with me, when they’re long out of the sport.

“That’s the biggest payback for me.”

The 2026 Winter Olympics takes place in Milan-Cortina between 6-22 February, with the figure skating competitions running between the 6-19 February, at the Milano Ice Skating Arena (Forum di Milano).

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @Nat_Ice_Centre Nottingham born skater Susan Jackson in 1984.