Coach Of Skating Champions Dies

Carlo Fassi, who coached Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill to Olympic golds, died of a heart attack Thursday after being stricken at the World Figure Skating Championships. He was 67.

Fassi was rushed to the main regional hospital from the Malley sports center after complaining of indigestion, said U.S. skating spokeswoman Heather Linhart. His wife, Christa, who coached with him, and one of their sons were with him.

Fassi was in Lausanne coaching U.S. bronze medalist Nicole Bobek, a contender at this year’s world championships, and Romanian skater Cornel Gheorge.

Another of Fassi’s students, Olympic champion Robin Cousins, stood in for Fassi when Bobek practiced late Thursday afternoon, and will coach her through the women’s competition Friday and Saturday.

“What I heard was that his last words were to Christa asking her to please be with me for my competition,” Bobek said, after running through the short program on the practice rink. “I know he’s here with all of us. I just can’t see him.”

Fassi was European champion in 1953 and 1954.

Under his tutelage, Fleming took the Olympic gold in 1968, Hamill and John Curry separately in 1976 and Cousins in 1980.