At the 1928 Winter Olympics in St Moritz, as driver of the first five-man team, 16-year-old Billy Fiske became the youngest gold medallist in any winter sport, a record not eclipsed until 1992 by ski jumper Toni Nieminen. Fiske competed again at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, where he carried the United States flag at the Opening Ceremony, and took another gold in the four-man event. Fiske was invited, but declined to lead the bobsled team in the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. It is believed by some that this decision was due to his disagreeing with the politics in Germany at the time, which may also explain his later decision to be one of the first Americans to actively participate in the Second World War. He travelled to the United Kingdom and joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, claiming Canadian citizenship in order to be permitted to enlist. He participated as a pilot in the Battle of Britain until he was killed in action in August 1940. He was aged just 29.