Barbara Gorgoń-Flont

Barbara Gorgoń-Flont placed fifth in luge singles at the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics. It was the first Olympics at which luge was contested but Gorgoń-Flont had been an international standout since the 1950s, winning a bronze medal at the 1958 World Championships. She was a five-time Polish Champion – 1952, 1954-55, and 1957 in singles; and 1957 in doubles with Ryszard Pędrak (a mixed team). Gorgoń-Flont also placed second in singles four times at the Polish nationals (1953, 1956, 1958, 1961). She later coached the national luge team from 1969-72.

A 1957 graduate of the Warsaw University of Physical Education, Gorgoń-Flont worked as a physical education teacher, but her passion was painting. She became an accomplished artist, working in oils and doing landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. She became a member of the Warsaw Association of Artists in 1975 and, in 2001, was inducted into the Association of Polish Painters and Graphic Artists. In 2013 she was given the Kalos Kagatos Medal at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow for her contributions outside of sport.