Ivana was born Ivana Marie Zelnícková on February 20, 1949, in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). Her athletic talents emerged at an early age. Ivana started skiing competitively at the age of six. At 12, she entered a national training program. During her teenage years, Ivana competed in tournaments throughout Europe. In 1967, she became a student at Charles University in Prague. Ivana continued to ski during college and stated she had been selected as an alternate for her country's ski team for the 1972 Olympics; however, her statement has been questioned for its legitimacy. Around this time, she married her first husband, Austrian skier Alfred Winklmayr. Their union only lasted a few years.
Eventually immigrating to Canada, Ivana spent some time working as a ski instructor before starting a modeling career in the 1970s. Her work eventually brought her to New York in 1976. During her time there, she met aspiring real estate mogul Trump.

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