Jenkins won his first senior national medal, silver, at the 1954 U.S. Championships. His first world medal, bronze, came at the
1955 World Championships. He received the bronze medal at the
1956 Winter Olympics while his brother won the gold. The brothers received financial support from the Broadmoor Hotel in
Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a foundation. In 1957, David Jenkins became the U.S. national champion and won the first of his three consecutive world titles. He performed a triple
Axel jump in a 1957 exhibition, 21 years before that jump was landed for the first time in competition. After taking his fourth consecutive national title, he won the gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Edi Scholdan served as his coach. Following the 1960 Olympics, Jenkins declined to compete at the
1960 World Figure Skating Championships and turned professional, joining the
Ice Follies. ==Competitive highlights==