Willy Böckl (27 January 1893 – 22 April 1975) was an Austrianfigure skater. He won the World Figure Skating Championships four times and captured two silver medals at the Winter Olympics, and he also won six European Championship titles.[1] After the end of World War I, beginning in 1922, he won the European championships six times, except for 1924, when he did not compete. Also in 1922, he came in third place at the World Championships. He came in second place at the 1923 and 1924 World Championships, and then between 1925 and 1928, won the next four Worlds. He earned two silver medals at the Olympics in 1924 and 1928, both behind Swedish skater Gillis Grafström. He defeated Grafström in the free skating portion at the 1924 Olympics.[2]
The invention of the inside Axel jump (an Axel jump taking off from an inside edge rather than the normal outside edge) has been credited to Böckl and called the "Böckl jump".[1][3]
After retiring from skating, he moved to the United States and became a coach at the Skating Club of New York.[1] In 1937, he published an illustrated instructional book, Willy Boeckl on Figure Skating, which included descriptions of compulsory figures and free skating, but also included chapters on pair skating, ice dance, and carnival (ice show) skating.[4][5] He published a second book in 1940, How to Judge Figure Skating, which was primarily about judging compulsory figures.[6]
He announced a retirement from coaching in 1944 to work as president of a tire company.[8] Boeckl continued to be involved in skating and lead an ice show tour in Europe in 1953.[9] After retiring, Boeckl moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Following the death of his wife, he returned to Austria, where he died in 1975.[3] He was elected into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1977.[5]
