Catherine Machado was the first Hispanic athlete to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics. Skating singles, she won the US Juniors in 1954 and then placed third in the US Championships in both 1955 and 1956, finishing 10th at the 1955 World Championship, and improving to sixth in 1956. Growing up in California, she had never before seen snow when she competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics. Machado turned professional after the 1956 Winter Olympics, joining the Ice Capades and touring the world. She also appeared at the Lido in Paris and Las Vegas. After marrying John Gray, Machado settled in her native California and taught skating for over 40 years at the Culver Ice Arena. She was inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2005.
United States