There is a wise aphorism: “History is the future in reverse.” This expression retains its deep meaning when applied to sports. And indeed. The better we know history figure skating, the more accurately and deeply we will be able to predict the development paths of our sport.
THE ORIGIN OF FIGURE SKATING
Historians look into the very distant past to find the origins of figure skating, to get to know its pioneers. Already in manuscripts of the 12th century. There are reports of primitive bone skates that the inhabitants of ancient London rode on (Fig. 1). This is what the Canterbury monk Stephanius wrote in his “Chronicle of the Noble City of London”: “... whole groups of young people go to play sports on ice. Some, walking as wide as possible, quickly slide... Others, more experienced in playing on ice, tie up the shin bones of some animals and, holding sticks with sharp iron tips in their hands, from time to time they push off against the ice and rush with the same speed, like a bird in the air or a spear launched from a ballista.”
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There are many mentions of bone skates in the Scandinavian epic. Similar skates were found during archaeological excavations in many European countries, for example in Switzerland. Of course, owners of bone skates could not lay the foundations for the future of figure skating. For this, completely different skates had to appear - made of iron. And the first mention of such skates is in the Icelandic saga of Fridtjof, recorded in 1380.
In the Dutch book “The Life of Ludwina” you can even see what the horse with the iron blade was like. In the engraving depicting a group of skaters near the city wall, we see skates of that time. There is no doubt that these are combined skates - a wooden block with iron blades (Fig. 2, top).
The appearance of a new type of skates gave a powerful impetus to the development speed running skating and figure skating itself, which at that time consisted mainly of the ability to draw intricate figures on the ice and at the same time maintain a beautiful pose. This is what attracted many artists. In particular, the great German writer J. W. Goethe was a passionate fan of skates. Even paintings have been preserved that depict the poet gliding on ice in an elegant pose. In general, not a single sport that exists to this day is devoted to so many paintings, engravings, drawings and even caricatures as ice skating and figure skating.
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A noticeable mark on the history of figure skating was left by the 18th century artist Benjamin West from Philadelphia. In 1783 he came to Europe and demonstrated excellent plasticity, grace and courage. It turned out that American skaters are not only not inferior to European ones, but also superior to them in skating technique.
The first textbook on figure skating dates back to that time. The English artillery lieutenant Robert Jones, himself an excellent skating master, published a “Treatise on Skating,” in which he described all the main figures that were then known. There they already understand the technique of performing internal and external arcs, forward-outward spirals, internal and external boats, forward-outward figure eights and many other elements.
FORMATION OF FIGURE SKATING AS A SPORT
It took about a hundred years to basically develop almost all of the current mandatory figures and basic technique for their execution. In any case, the book “The Art of Skating”, published in Glasgow and written by D. Anderson, president of the skating club of this city, and the work of H. Vanderwel and T. Maxwell Whitman from London already contain descriptions of all eights, threes, hooks and other elements without which today’s life is unthinkable figure skating. The pattern of the fact that almost all the compulsory figures were created in Great Britain is explained by the fact that it was here that the first speed skating clubs arose (Edinburgh, 1742) and the first official competition rules were developed.
However, the overseas skaters did not sleep either. In the USA and Canada, numerous figure skating clubs were also organized, new models of skates were developed, and their own school of technology was created. And when to Europe in the 60s. When the best US figure skater Jackson Gaintz arrived in the last century, it turned out that even the most experienced ice masters had something to learn from him.
Here is what N. Panin-Kolomenkin wrote about Heinz’s arrival in Europe: “Back in 1864, the American figure skater Jackson Heinz arrived in Europe, who was destined to become the founder of our modern art form of skating. His style of skating, absolutely exceptional in its beauty and natural lightness, rhythm and musicality of movements, apparently developed quite original... In addition, in the field of technology, it was he who showed for the first time in Europe that the course depends not only on inertia after a push , but that with each rotation of the body associated with extending and bending the knee of the supporting leg, a new forward movement can be obtained. This important principle in connection with the nature of all the techniques of J. Heinz, it turned out to be a factor of invaluable importance. But Heinz’s greatest merit was that, as a true artist, he fully possessed a sense of proportion, which categorically blocked his path to extremes; he understood that the aesthetic side should not be suppressed by the purely sports-technical side, that accuracy, confidence and speed should be combined with beauty, freedom and naturalness, and managed to raise his performance to the level of real art, irresistibly infecting the viewer with its emotionality. Thanks to this, he showed the astonished Europeans completely unexpected possibilities for performing coherent sequences, swift figures and elegant rhythmic dances in the most beautiful settings and the most graceful body movements... The influence of his art was colossal. It served as the impetus that caused a huge qualitative leap forward and led subsequently to education new form manifestations of art - to the international style..."
Heinz also performed in St. Petersburg, and numerous spectators, among whom, of course, were figure skaters, took a lot from what this best figure skater in the world at that time demonstrated to them.
Among the spectators was Alexey Pavlovich Lebedev - that Russian figure skater whose skill invariably aroused respect among the strongest foreign athletes. It was Lebedev who was destined to become the winner of several major tournaments, including the 1890 competition in St. Petersburg, where the strongest athletes in the world gathered. This tournament was held in honor of the 25th anniversary of the skating rink in the Yusupov Garden. It was attended by US champion L. Rubenstein, German champion F. Kaiser, and the best skaters from Sweden, Austria, and Finland. In terms of its composition, it was actually an unofficial world championship. The victory in it went to A. Lebedev, who showed not only calligraphic precision in the performance of the compulsory figures, but also excellent free skating, full of artistic discoveries and amazing everyone with its harmony.
A. Lebedev did not hide the fact that he owes his success to his friendship with famous artists, who, with advice, special vision and understanding of plastic arts, helped create an unusual free program.
The victory at this tournament allowed many sports historians to consider A. Lebedev the first unofficial world champion. The successful completion of the competition in St. Petersburg largely accelerated the creation of the International Skating Union (1892) and the subsequent organization of the first European and world championships. For many foreign experts, the successes of Russian figure skaters in the early 90s. last century came as a complete surprise. But an attentive observer might note the fact that figure skating in Russia has been popular since the time of Peter I. It was the Russian Tsar who, after his trip to Europe, brought home the first samples of skates. It was Peter I, as has been written about this more than once, who came up with new way fastening skates directly to boots and thus created the prototype of today's equipment for skaters.
By the way, we can recall the lines from “Eugene Onegin”: “The joyful people of the boys cut the ice sonorously with their skates,” where A. S. Pushkin leaves us living evidence that fun on ice in early XIX V. have already entered the life of the Russian people. The appearance of our first textbook for figure skaters dates back to Pushkin’s times - “ Winter fun and the art of skating." Its author was G. M. de Pauli, a gymnastics teacher at military educational institutions in St. Petersburg.
In 1877, the skating rink in the Yusupov Garden passed from the ownership of the Yacht Club to the ownership of a small circle of true fans of speed skating. It was then that the St. Petersburg Skating Society was born, which was destined to play an outstanding role in the development of figure skating in our country. It was at the Yusupov Garden skating rink that the first world figure skating championship took place in 1896. The winner was the figure skater from Munich, Gilbert Fuchs.
Only men took part in the championship. There were four of them, and among them were two Russian athletes - G. Sanders and N. Paduskov. The women’s turn to compete for the title of world champion came only ten years later, and even then the right to hold their own championship was officially recognized only in 1924. And M. Sayers was proclaimed the first champion in 1906.
The organizer of the championships was then (and retains this right to this day) the International Skating Union.
Pair skating and ice dancing appeared in the program of world championships much later. Only in 1908 was the championship played for the first time among sports couples. That time the World Championship was again held in St. Petersburg. German figure skaters A. Hübler and G. Bürger went down in history as the first owners of gold medals in pairs skating. And the dancers won their awards for the first time only in 1952 in Paris. As one would expect, the English turned out to be the strongest - D. Westwoody L. Dem-mi. After all, it was the figure skaters of Great Britain who were the creators of the new “genre”.
At first, only a few athletes attended world tournaments. It was a kind of behind-the-scenes competition. But the popularity of figure skating grew with fantastic speed, and already in 1908, figure skating competitions were first included in the program of the 4th Summer Olympic Games held in London. Even then, Olympians competed on artificial ice. By the way, the first skating rink with artificial ice was built in England in 1876 according to the design of D. Pictet.
Let us note in passing that in Russia the first indoor skating rink with artificial ice appeared on the eve of the First World War at the former Aquarium Theater in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, the skating rink did not function for long, and the skaters were not able to use it for regular training and major events. international tournaments.
The first Olympic champions in single skating in 1908 were M. Sayers (Great Britain), U. Salchow (Sweden), the sports pair A. Hübler - G. Burger (Germany) and N. Panin-Kolomenkin from Russia. The Russian figure skater, winner of the World and European Championships, was unattainable in competitions for the best execution of the so-called special figures - there were such competitions then. The skaters themselves drew complex patterns for themselves, and then transferred them to the ice with the help of skates. Figures proposed panel of judges The Olympic Games by N. Panin-Kolomenkin were so original, beautiful and complex that they were considered absolutely impossible (Fig. 3). And when the Russian figure skater finally drew them, his well-deserved reward was gold medal- first in history domestic sports at all!
N. Panin successfully performed not only at olympic games. His sports path decorated with many achievements and awards. He won the silver medal at the 1903 World Championships in St. Petersburg, losing to multiple champion Ullrich
Salchow from Sweden. In his track record a bronze medal at the 1903 European Championship in Davos and a silver medal at the 1908 European Championship in Warsaw. He won the awards in a very intense struggle, during which he had to overcome the bias of the referees (as happened at the Olympic Games in London) and the obstacles caused to the Russian champion at home by bureaucratic officials. For this reason, he had to hide his real last name and compete at international competitions under the pseudonym Panin. This pseudonym took root so well that later N.A. Kolomenkin always added it to his surname.
DEVELOPMENT OF FIGURE SKATING IN THE USSR
N.A. Panin-Kolomenkin’s contribution to the development of figure skating is so great that many generations will remember him with gratitude. He created the world's first fundamental textbook, in which he outlined almost all the main technical, production, educational aspects modern workout and figure skating competitions. He designed his own skate model, which, having been modernized, remains in service with skaters to this day. Moreover, it was Panin-Kolomenkin who created and tested the system that is successfully operating to this day sports categories as a basis for improvement. and growth of skill.
The great merit of N. A. Panin-Kolomenkin was the opening of the figure skating department at the Leningrad Institute physical culture named after P.F. Lesgaft, which marked the beginning of the study of this sport and the training of qualified personnel within the framework of higher education.
Prominent specialists and experienced teachers worked within the walls of the institute, creating the scientific and practical base of modern Soviet figure skating. Among them, a special place is occupied by two-time champion countries in pair skating, Professor A. B. Gandelman, a student of N. A. Panin, who has done a lot to preserve and develop the rich scientific and pedagogical traditions of domestic figure skating.
The institute has trained a large group of highly qualified specialist trainers, including different years who successfully worked in the national team of the country: S. A. Zhuk, I. B. Moskvin, T. N. Moskvina, A. N. Mishin and others.
N.A. Panin, in addition to scientific and pedagogical activities, carried out active work on organizing mass figure skating, seeing in it an effective factor in the health of workers and the basis for the growth of higher sports skills.
N.A. Panin-Kolomenkin and his students immediately after the revolution began to create the first sections of this sport. From the mid-20s. Championships in Moscow and Leningrad began to be held regularly.
In Moscow by the end of the 20s. More than 300 people regularly practiced figure skating. Among them were such famous masters as Dynamo players Yu. Zeldovich, K-Likharev, sports couple M. Gaskevich - I. Vonzblein, representatives of the section of the Union of Metalworkers T. Granatkina, Yu. Stankevich, M. Stankevich and others. Healthy competition between the two leading groups of Moscow figure skaters led to rapid growth skill.
Among Leningraders, the active organizers of figure skating groups were athletes K-Tsezar, F. Datlin, well-known since pre-revolutionary times (before the revolution, they repeatedly won the title of champions of Russia, and both were students of N. A. Panin-Kolomenkin), L. Popova. However, in terms of skill, the Leningraders were clearly inferior to their Moscow colleagues, and when in 1928 it was decided to send a team of Soviet figure skaters to Norway, only Muscovites were included in it, and N.A. Panin-Kolomenkin was a judge.
The Moscow Championship was first held in 1923. The champions then were Yu. Zeldovich, A. Bykovskaya and the sports couple N. Bykovskaya - Yu. Zeldovich. Leningraders held their first championship three years later. Among men, I. Bogoyavlensky won, and in pair skating, A. Ergina - I. Bogoyavlensky won. There were no competitions among women.
The national championships in those years were held irregularly, with long breaks. The years 1924, 1927, 1928, 1933 were marked by all-union tournaments, and only then the championships became a permanent phenomenon, especially after the All-Union Section (later the federation) of figure skating was created in 1936. The first winners of the All-Union tournament in 1924 were! Muscovites Yu. Zeldovich and N. Bykovskaya - Yu. Zeldovich. Women's singles did not compete for the championship.
In those years, such stars as R. and A. Gandelsman, P. Chernyshev, P. Orlov, R. Novozhilova, S. Glyazer, K-Likharev, T. Granatkina (Tolmacheva), were rising on the horizon of Soviet figure skating. who then, already in the post-war period, becoming coaches and teachers, made a colossal contribution to the development of Soviet figure skating.
To show in what directions figure skating was developing at that time, what passions sometimes raged in the stands and ice rinks, we present a small excerpt from the book by N. A. Panin-Kolomenkin “Figure Skating”, published in 1938 publishing house "Physical Culture and Sports":
“The long-term struggle between two currents in our pair skating is not without interest. Under the influence of foreign illustrations depicting the tricks of professionals in pair skating, we found imitators. But all these lifts of a woman with a partner on herself, spinning upside down, etc. numbers are not very difficult - and do not at all require the woman to have any skating ability - her role here is purely passive; a steady-footed skater can successfully do all this even with an inanimate object instead of a partner. In 1929, stunt enthusiasts were able to stand out thanks to the novelty of stunt figures that gave an eye-catching picture. But a year later, an opposite trend entered the fight against them, working in a different direction - along the line of purely figure skating and having big advantage at a more or less similar level of general skating technique for both partners, allowing for the best possible uniformity and commonality of execution. In stuntmen, on the contrary, the woman is always weaker than the partner, and at the moment of separate skating this is evident. Nevertheless, at first the struggle was quite equal and therefore interesting, and until 1933 the success was variable, but since 1934 the anti-trick fighters took the leading place.” Echoes of the struggle between these trends can be observed in one way or another throughout the history of figure skating, including in recent years. The struggle for harmony, and not only in pair skating, continues tirelessly, and it is pleasant to note that it is Soviet figure skaters who set the example here. In the pre- and post-war years, a sufficiently strong foundation was laid in our country to begin the struggle in the international arena. By the beginning of the 50s. the country's best skaters, who performed successfully in the 30s and 40s, became coaches. Full of creative ideas and energy, they were filled with the desire to prepare their students so that they could successfully compete for the highest titles at the European, World Championships and Olympic Games. Among them, it should be noted such skillful educators as T. A. Tolmacheva and P. P. Orlov - multiple champions Soviet Union. The groups of young athletes that formed around them became leaders.
The State Central Institute of Physical Culture also produced such excellent coaches as T. A. Tarasova, N. I. Dubova, E. G. Pliner, and at the Moscow Regional Institute of Physical Culture - the coach of the first world champion Sergei Volkov, V. N. Kudryavtsev. Important role GITIS graduate, ex-national champion E. A. Chaikovskaya (Osipova) played a role in raising the level of aesthetic content of figure skating.
The first to achieve success were the students of Pyotr Petrovich Orlov, who for many years took a “course of science” with Panin-Kolomenkin. For three years - from 1958 to 1960 - Nina and Stanislav Zhuk performed brilliantly at European championships, winning silver medals. Their appearance on the international horizon was stunning, and the complexity of the programs amazed all specialists. Unfortunately, the young skaters performed for a relatively short time, but this led to the rapid birth of a new coach - Stanislav Zhuk, who headed the Soviet pair skating school for many years.
In 1964 and 1968 Soviet figure skaters conquered the Olympic peaks of Innsbruck and Grenoble, and in 1969 I. Rodnina and A. Ulanov, students of S. A. Zhuk, became leaders in pair skating. For four years, they collected the entire harvest of gold medals at the European and World Championships and consolidated their success with an excellent victory at the Olympic Games in Sapporo (1972).
Then A. began acting as I. Rodnina’s partner. Zaitsev (if Rodnina is a student of the Moscow figure skating school, then Zaitsev grew up on Leningrad ice). Together they became Olympic champions twice - in 1976 in Innsbruck and in 1980 (after a child was born in their family) in Lake Placid. In those same years, they won the title of European champions seven times and world champions six times. S. Zhuk led them to victories for two years, and from the autumn of 1974 until the end sports career I. Rodnina and A. Zaitsev were trained by T. A. Tarasova.
The distinctive features of the style of I. Rodnina and her partners were high athleticism, the richness of the programs with complex elements: jumps, unique step patterns, lifts, twists, rotations. All this was organically intertwined in programs that emphasized the cheerfulness, optimism, and open character of Soviet figure skaters. This is what brought them the laurels of winners.
Representatives of Soviet pair skating were the first to reach the world podium. There were years when five or six of our couples could fight for the right to be considered the strongest. T. Zhuk and A. Gorelik, T. Moskvina and A. Mishin, L. Smirnova and A. Suraikin, L. Smirnova and A. Ulanov, G. Karelina and G. Proskurin, and later M. Cherkasova and S. Shakhrai, I. Vorobyova, first with A. Vlasov, then with I. Lisovsky, M. Pestova and S. Leonovich, finally, E. Valova and O. Vasiliev... What a magnificent list of champions and prize-winners of the largest international tournaments! No country can now boast of such achievements!
In recent years, only the American couple T. Babilonia - R. Gardner and S. Bass - T. Thierbach from the GDR managed to displace, and even then not for long, our athletes on the world and European podium.
If we talk about the Soviet school of pair skating as a whole, it is distinguished by a variety of styles, appeal to non-standard solutions, and a constant desire to create a memorable stage image.
As is usually the case in the history of any sport, the emergence of champions causes overall growth sporting achievements. And in Soviet figure skating, following the best sports pairs, representatives of other types began to rapidly progress. First of all, dancers. They entered the international arena later than everyone else and were sharply behind in skill. But it only took them three or four years to reach the podium. The first to do this were the students of the former USSR champion in singles skating, choreographer E. Tchaikovskaya - L. Pakhomova and A. Gorshkov. In 1969 they became prize-winners of the European and World Championships, and in 1970 - champions.
L. Pakhomova and A. Gorshkov, together with their coach, had to wage a difficult struggle to strengthen the position of the Soviet dance school. And in 1976 they achieved the most remarkable victory, winning - the first in history! - title of Olympic champion in ice dancing.
The victorious baton was picked up by I. Moiseeva and A. Minenkov, students of T. Tarasova, and then N. Linichuk and G. Karponosov, students of E. Tchaikovskaya, took the lead. Both couples won the titles of world and European champions twice. N. Linichuk and G. Karponosov also became Olympic champions in Lake Placid.
In recent years, the palm has passed to the founders of ice dancing, the Englishmen D. Torvill and K-Dean. But in 1983, when the British did not compete at the European Championships due to injury, N. Bestemyanova and A. Bukin, students of T. Tarasova, climbed to the top step of the podium. And the silver medalists were O. Volozhinskaya and A. Svinin, trained by E. Tchaikovskaya.
Our best dance duets are invariably characterized by the brilliant use of choreography, the ability to combine achievements in the field of plasticity with skating techniques, a non-standard approach to solving production problems, and precise consideration of the individuality of the performers.
The most difficult struggle always takes place in men's competitions. Today they have mastered the most complex technical techniques, and the process of complicating programs continues. When at the beginning of the century Salchow, Lutz, Rittberger, Axel Paulsen invented their jumps and figure skaters, in gratitude for this, left their names forever in the names of the elements, no one imagined that someday all jumps would be performed in three revolutions. Indeed, today, to win, you already need three-turn axels, salhows, lutzes, loops, toe loops, flips, and preferably in a full range. And even in combinations with other jumps. Four rotation jumps are required.
But that's not all. A skater must look harmonious, musical, flexible on the ice - in a word, have all the qualities inherent in artistic athletes.
Soviet singles skaters had to catch up with their foreign rivals for a long time. In the 50-60s. in the USA, Canada, France, Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, a brilliant galaxy of masters has grown up single skating. R. Button, A. Jenkins, D. Jenkins, T. Wood (USA), D. Jackson (Canada), K. Divine (Czechoslovakia), A. Calma and A. Giletti (France), M. Schnelldorfer (Germany) , E. Danzer, B. Schwartz. (Austria) and many others won the hearts of spectators and specialists. They were joined by skaters of new generations: O. Nepela (Czechoslovakia), J. "Hoffman (GDR), D. Curry, R. Cousins (Great Britain), C. Tickner, S. Hamilton (USA), N. Schramm ( Germany). Soviet masters also took an honorable place among them. And the pioneer was S. Chetverukhin, a student of T. Tolmacheva, and then S. Zhuk. It was he who managed to become the first among our singles skaters. silver medalist World Championships, European Championships and Olympic Games (Sapporo). Chetverukhin had in his arsenal many elements of the highest complexity, but at the same time he remained musical, flexible, and knew how to fight to the end.
The next generation of Soviet singles skaters managed to conquer highest awards. At the European Championships-75, V. Kovalev, who was trained by T. Tolmacheva and E. Tchaikovskaya, managed to do this for the first time. And a month later, at the World Championships, S. Volkov, a student of V. Kudryavtsev, came out ahead. In 1977 and 1979 V. Kovalev, under the leadership of E. Tchaikovskaya, became the world champion. But after that, Soviet singles skaters managed to win a gold medal at the European Championships only once - in 1981. This was done by I. Bobrin, with whom the famous figure skater Yu. Ovchinnikov began working with him.
The Soviet school of men's single skating continues the best traditions born in the pre-revolutionary years and requiring high and harmonious performing skills. But we must take into account that the best singles skaters in a number of countries are always away. has a special character, the ability to fight several very strong opponents at once.
It is no coincidence that for many years in a row, male champions did not stay on the podium for a long time, and exceptions only confirmed the rule.
We had to wait the longest for awards in the women's singles. Only with the entry of S. Zhuk’s student E. Vodorezova into the international arena did things move forward. During 1976-1983 Vodorezova reached the European podium several times, despite the fact that illness forced her to miss several tournaments. And in 1983 E. Vodorezova won for the first time bronze award World Championship.
In women's skating, progress is not observed as clearly as in other types. And although the champions and prize-winners of recent years are A. Pötsch, K-Errat, K-Witt (GDR), D. Hemell, L. Fratien, E. Zajac (USA), D. Billman (Switzerland), D. Lurz (Germany) ) and other figure skaters - had a fairly impressive arsenal of various complex jumps and other elements, the struggle each time was not particularly sharp and interesting and was usually accompanied by mistakes that reduced the impression of the athletes’ performances.
Does this mean it will always be like this? Of course not. This is evidenced by the entire history of world and domestic figure skating.
The latest performances of Soviet figure skaters were also marked by new creative achievements. At the Olympic Games in Sarai-vo-84, T. Moskvina’s students Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev became champions in pair skating, and bronze medals were won by Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov, whom I. Moskvin prepared for the start. Soviet dancers also received two sets of medals. Silver - Natalya Bestemyanova and Andrey Bukin (coach T. Tarasova), bronze - Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko (coach N. Dubova). For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, a bronze medal was won by the Soviet single skater K-Ivanova, trained by two-time world champion V. Kovalev.
The record for the number of medals won was set by our masters at the 1985 World Championships, which was held in Tokyo. The champions were E. Valova and O. Vasiliev, N. Bestemyanova and A. Bukin, the singles athlete A. Fadeev, the silver medalists were L. Selezneva and O. Makarov, M. Klimova and S. Pono-marenko, K. Ivanova.
Concluding a brief historical review of the development of figure skating, we must once again emphasize that every major master different generations possesses those grains of precious experience that are absolutely necessary for the success of both current and future masters. Studying this experience is mandatory for everyone who strives for progress, for the development of our sport, who dreams of making a contribution to it. ,
Figure skating-- a winter sport in which athletes skate on ice while performing additional elements, most often accompanied by music. In official competitions, as a rule, four sets of medals are played out: in women's single skating, in men's single skating, in pair skating, and in ice dancing. Figure skating is included in the program of the Winter Olympic Games.
At the beginning
The most ancient skates were discovered on the banks of the Southern Bug, near Odessa, dating back to the Bronze Age. These skates were made from the phalanx of the front legs of horses.
It is believed that the birthplace of figure skating is Holland. It was there, in the 13th - 14th centuries, that the first iron skates appeared. The appearance of a new type of skates gave a powerful impetus to the development of figure skating, which at that time consisted of the ability to draw intricate figures on the ice and at the same time maintain a beautiful pose.
All mandatory figures were created in Great Britain. This is explained by the fact that it was here that the first skating clubs arose (Edinburgh, 1742). At the same time, the first official rules of the competition were developed.
In 1882, the first international competition in Europe took place in Vienna. The Viennese won a convincing victory.
The very first edition of the rules for figure skating, published in England, dates back to 1772. The English artillery lieutenant Robert Jones published a “Treatise on Skating”, in which he described all the main figures that were then known.
Appearance of elements
At the beginning of the 20th century, Salchow, Lutz, Rittberger, Axel Paulsen invented their elements, and skaters, in gratitude for this, left their names in the names of the elements.
Women's single skating formed later. Officially, this happened at the end of January 1906 in Davos (Switzerland). The compulsory figures for women and men were similar, but the women's free skating immediately attracted attention with its high artistry, plasticity and musicality of movements.
Official championships peace among women began in 1924. Since 1930, the World Figure Skating Championships for women and men have been held jointly on the same dates. Soon pair (mixed) skating also appeared. The international pair skating championship was first played in 1908 in St. Petersburg, and the winners were German skaters. The fourth type of figure skating - ice dancing - was born much later in England. Only in 1952 in Paris did the dancers compete for their awards for the first time; the British were the strongest.
Synchronized skating competitions have gained the most popularity in recent years. This sport has become widespread in Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, England, and France.
Since 1983, annual synchronized skating championships began to be held in Canada. And in 1988, these competitions were held jointly with competitions in the main types of figure skating. Pairs skating competitions first took place in Canada in 1914 and were held regularly until 1964, resuming in 1981. The leaders in this type of figure skating are Canadian and American teams.
First time at the Olympics
The popularity of figure skating grew, and already in 1908, figure skating competitions were first included in the program of the Olympic Games in London.
The first Olympic champions in single skating in 1908 were M. Sayers (Great Britain), U. Salchow (Sweden), Panin-Kolomenkin (Russia) and the sports pair A. Hübler - G. Burger (Germany). Figure skating was also included in the program of the Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp (1920), and subsequently it was presented at all Winter Olympic Games.
Outstanding success in Olympic competitions achieved by Gillis Grafström (Sweden), who won 3 gold and 1 silver medal, three times Olympic champions-- Sonya Henie (Norway) and Irina Rodnina (USSR). At the White Olympics in St. Moritz (1948), American figure skater Dick Button literally created a revolution. It was from him that jumps of several revolutions and other acrobatic elements were “registered” in figure skating. Button literally flew over the skating rink. His reward was an Olympic gold medal in single skating.
The Olympic championship was played in singles (men's and women's) and pair skating. In 1976 Olympic program Ice dancing was included.
Figure skating in pre-revolutionary Russia
Figure skating in Russia has been known since the time of Peter I. The Russian Tsar brought the first samples of skates from Europe. It was Peter I who came up with a new way of attaching skates - directly to boots and thus created a “protomodel” of today’s equipment for skaters. The name "skates" arose because the front of the wooden "runners" was usually decorated with a horse's head.
In 1838, the first textbook for figure skaters, “Winter Fun and the Art of Skating,” was published in St. Petersburg. Its author was G.M. Pauli is a gymnastics teacher at military educational institutions in St. Petersburg.
A surge of interest in figure skating occurred after the European tour American figure skater Jackson Gaines. He showed unexpected possibilities for performing swift figures in the most graceful body movements.
Russian figure skating, as a separate sport, originated in 1865. Then a public skating rink was opened in the Yusupov Garden on Sadovaya Street. This skating rink was the most comfortable in Russia and from the very first days it became a center for training figure skaters. On March 5, 1878, the first competition of Russian figure skaters took place there.
In 1881, the Skating Society included about 30 people. One of the most famous sports and public figures was the Honorary Member of this society, Vecheslav Izmailovich Sreznevsky.
In 1908, at the London Olympics, the outstanding Russian singles skater Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin won the gold medal.
Figure skating is a sport that captivates the viewer with its beauty. But how much effort and time does an athlete need to devote to make complex and dangerous tricks on ice look so easy and airy!
When you watch the performances of professional figure skaters, their jumps, amazing pirouettes and magical movements are simply breathtaking. But did you know that figure skating is a speed skating sport that is one of the most difficult sports to coordinate? After all, the main essence of skating is to move a skater or a pair of skaters across slippery ice with the simultaneous performance of various elements to the music.
History of figure skating
Archaeological finds indicate that people first began skating back in the Bronze Age. And the first skates were the phalanges of the limbs of large animals. It was only in the 12th-13th centuries that iron skates began to be made for the first time in Holland. At the same time, figure skating began to develop not only as a popular entertainment, but also as a sport. Although there were tasks for figure skaters, compared to modern programs, primitive - they should have simply drawn various figures on the ice, while maintaining a beautiful position of the upper body.
In the 18th century, the first figure skating club appeared in Edinburgh. The rules for holding competitions and a list of figures required for execution, which were described in the “Treatise on Skating,” were also developed there. It was published in 1772 by Lieutenant of Artillery Robert Jones.
Subsequently, figure skating began to actively develop in countries such as Canada and the USA, where new sports associations were created, skate models were improved, and the sport grew and developed. own school technology.
The first figure skating competitions took place in 1882 in Vienna and only men took part in them. And women’s participation in competitions became allowed only 10 years later. The first official world championship among women's singles was held in Switzerland only in 1906.
In 1924, figure skating was included in the program of the Winter Olympic Games and to this day is one of the most popular winter species sports
Species
In figure skating, it is customary to distinguish 5 main areas:
- women's singles skating
- men's singles skating
- pair figure skating
- group synchronized skating
- sports dancing
Women's and men's singles skating
An athlete in single skating demonstrates mastery of the basic elements - steps, rotations, spirals, jumps. The level of a skater is determined by the quantity, quality and complexity of the elements performed. An important indicator When assessing an athlete, one also considers a sense of rhythm, plasticity, grace and artistry.
The competition is carried out in two stages. The first stage is a short compulsory program, the second is a free program.
Pairs figure skating
In this type of skating, special elements are added to the main components, such as lifts, throws, twists, todes, parallel and joint rotations. In pair skating, the ability of partners to synchronously and efficiently perform all movements in order to show unity of action comes to the fore.
As in single skating, pair competitions take place in two stages.
Synchronized figure skating
This sport is the youngest among the areas of figure skating. The team can consist of both women and men. Typically the team consists of 16 to 20 people. The technique for performing the elements is the same as for single skating. The group must synchronously and beautifully complete several mandatory elements, such as a line, a circle, intersections, a wheel, and blocks. Jumps of more than one revolution, lifts, spirals and crossings are prohibited.
Sports dancing
The main emphasis in this direction of figure skating is on dance movements. There are practically no ejections and jumps here, and prolonged separation of partners is not allowed.
In this type of figure skating, it is important to choose the right skater costumes, music, and come up with an attractive image for the couple. Ice dancing is one of the most spectacular and beautiful areas. Modern competitions involve a couple performing a short compulsory dance, as well as a free dance.
Features of figure skating
Figure skating is a difficult and traumatic sport. To achieve professional goals, you should start training at the age of 4-5 years. However, in each individual case there are deviations from the norm.
You should also know that even if you have learned to ride in mature age, you also have a chance to compete. There are non-qualifying championships for those who for some reason cannot participate in the qualifications.
But even if competitions do not interest you, in any case, figure skating can become a favorite hobby that brings joy and health. After all, this sport gives not only speed of reaction, grace and posture, but also a lot of positive emotions.
There is so much beauty, so much charm in figure skating! Skating is extremely expressive, emotional; The images created by figure skaters are in many ways akin to the images of art, primarily ballet.
The history of figure skating is very long, it is worth knowing for all fans of this sport.
The most ancient skates were discovered on the banks of the Southern Bug, near Odessa, dating back to the Bronze Age. Such skates were apparently made from the phalanx of the front legs of horses. Similar bone skates were found during archaeological excavations in many European countries. Of course, owners of bone skates could not lay the foundations for the future of figure skating. For this, completely different skates had to appear - made of iron.
It is believed that the birthplace of figure skating is Holland. It was there, in the XIII - XIY centuries, that the first iron skates appeared. The appearance of a new type of skates gave a powerful impetus to the development of figure skating, which at that time consisted of the ability to draw intricate figures on the ice and at the same time maintain a beautiful pose.
The first figure skating clubs appeared in the 18th century in the British Empire in Edinburgh (1742). It was there that a list of figures required to be performed in competitions was developed, as well as the first official competition rules.
From Europe, figure skating came to the USA and Canada, where it developed enormously. Numerous figure skating clubs were created here, new models of skates were developed, and their own school of technology was created. By the middle of the 19th century, almost all modern compulsory figures and the basic technical techniques for their execution were already known in figure skating.
At that time, figure skating was performed in a prim “English” style. American Jackson Gaintz, a dancer and speed skater, combined both and got his own style of skating: riding to music, dance moves and “spinning tops” on the ice. The skates, attached with straps to the shoes, could not withstand such loads, then he was one of the first to screw them tightly to the boots. However, this style was not accepted in Puritan America, and in the 1860s he went on tour to Europe.
At the First Skating Congress in 1871, figure skating was recognized as a sport.
In 1882, the first official figure skating competition in Europe took place in Vienna.
But the approach to competitions changed after the best skaters from all over the world were invited to competitions in St. Petersburg in 1890, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the skating rink in the Yusupov Garden. The competition acquired the status of an “unofficial world championship”; the winner of these competitions in all types of the program was an honorary member of the “St. Petersburg Society of Skating Amateurs” Alexey Pavlovich Lebedev. 
The following year, in 1891, the first European Championships in men's single skating took place in Hamburg (German figure skater Oskar Uhlig won).
But the demonstration of the international scope and potential of figure skating, shown at the competitions in St. Petersburg, did not give rest. Therefore, already in 1892, the International Skating Union (ISU) was created, which was supposed to lead the organization of international competitions.
Four years later, in 1896, the first world figure skating championship took place in St. Petersburg (winner - Gilbert Fuchs, German Empire).
The first figure skating competitions were held only among men singles (women figure skaters received the opportunity to participate in the world championships only 10 years later). Official women's world championships began in 1924.
Soon pair (mixed) skating also appeared. The international championship in pair skating was first played in 1908. in St. Petersburg. At first, only a few athletes attended world tournaments. But the popularity of figure skating grew, and already in 1908, figure skating competitions were first included in the program of the 4th Summer Olympic Games held in London.
Even then, Olympians competed on artificial ice. By the way, the first artificial ice skating rink was built in England in 1876 according to the design of D. Pictet.
The first Olympic champions in single skating in 1908 were M. Sayers (Great Britain), U. Salchow (Sweden), N. Panin-Kolomenkin (Russia) and the sports pair A. Hübler - G. Burger (Germany). Figure skating was included in the program of the VII Summer Olympic Games in 1920, and subsequently it was presented at all Winter Olympic Games. The Olympic championship was played in singles (men's and women's) and pair skating.
In 1976, ice dancing was included in the Olympic program. The first figure skating competitions were held with the advantage of Scandinavian and English athletes, later figure skaters from Austria and the USA began to perform successfully. In pair skating and sports dancing, the Russian school is a leader in the international arena.
Gillis Grafström (Sweden), who won 3 gold and 1 silver medal, and three-time Olympic champions Sonya Henie (Norway) and Irina Rodnina and Alexey Ulanov (Russia) achieved outstanding success in Olympic competitions.
Figure skating in Russia
Figure skating in Russia has been popular since the time of Peter I. The Russian Tsar brought home the first samples of skates to Europe. It was Peter who came up with a new way of attaching skates - directly to boots, and thus created the prototype of today's equipment for skaters. The name "skates" probably arose because the front of the wooden "runners" was usually decorated with a horse's head. A surge in interest in figure skating occurred after the European tour American figure skater Jackson Gainz. He showed unexpected possibilities for performing the most rapid figures in the most graceful body movements.
Historians unanimously recognize him as the founder of the modern international style of figure skating.
Russian skating itself originated in 1865. Then a public skating rink was opened in Yusupov Garden on Sadovaya Street, which from the very first days became a center for training figure skaters. The skating rink was the most comfortable in Russia. On March 5, 1978, the first competition of Russian figure skaters took place there. One of the most famous sports and public figures was Honorary Member of this society V.I. Sreznevsky.
Myself good athlete(he performed and was among the judges at international competitions), he did a lot to improve technique and build the theory of figure skating.
In February 1890, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Yusupov skating rink, it was decided to organize sports competition, inviting the strongest skaters from Europe and America.
In terms of its composition, this was actually the first unofficial world championship.
Of the 8 participants who competed for 3 days for the title of the best figure skater in the world, the strongest in all sections of skating was A.P. Lebedev - a wonderful Russian athlete, who in our country is called the “grandfather of Russian figure skating”
In 1926, figure skating sections were created in Leningrad and Moscow, and new skating rinks appeared. After the creation of the domestic Figure Skating Federation in 1936, USSR championships began to be held regularly.
The names of Zeldovich, Bogoyavlensky, Chernyshev, Petrov, Oborin, Kuznetsova and other athletes were known throughout the country.
The post-war years were not the best for Soviet figure skating. Few could seriously engage in figure skating in the sections of the Dynamo and Spartak societies. The rest skated on the yard skating rinks, and even more often - from the flooded slides on skates, screwed with ropes to felt boots, and even on one skate, because then skates were rare.
In the 50s Soviet athletes began to compete in international competitions. In 1956, the country's best skaters competed at the European Championships in Paris. Soviet figure skaters won the country's first silver medals in Bratislava in 1958. But the real triumph of the Soviet school of figure skaters was the Olympic gold of Belousova and Protopopov at the IX Olympic Games in 1964.
Many of the athletes became coaches known throughout the world. Students of Zhuk, Mishin, Tarasova, Moskvina and Tchaikovskaya won the lion's share of medals at the largest tournaments of the last two decades.
The school of domestic figure skating gave the world such names as: I. Rodnina and A. Zaitsev,L. Pakhomova and A. Gorshkov, N. Linichuk and G. Karpanosov, N. Bestemyanova and A. Bukin, E. Gordeeva and S. Grinkov, R. Kostomarov and T. Navka, E. Berezhnaya and A. Sikhorulidze, I. Averbukh and I. Lobacheva, T. Tatmyanina and M. Marinin, A. Urmanov, E. Platov, E. Plushenko, A. Yagudin, M. Usova, O. Grishchuk, I. Slutskaya, M. Butyrskaya and others.
At the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014, our champion skaters:
Adelina Sotnikova,Evgeniy Plushenko, Yulia Lipnitskaya, Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov,Ksenia Stolbova and Fyodor Klimov,Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitry Solovyov,Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov.
Historians look very far into the past to find the origins of figure skating. The most ancient skates were discovered on the banks of the Southern Bug, near Odessa, dating back to the Bronze Age. Such skates were apparently made from the phalanx of the front legs of horses. Similar bone skates were found during archaeological excavations in many European countries. Of course, owners of bone skates could not lay the foundations for the future of figure skating. For this, completely different skates had to appear - made of iron.
It is believed that the birthplace of figure skating is Holland.. It's there in the 13th - 14th centuries the first iron skates appeared. The appearance of a new type of skates gave a powerful impetus to the development of figure skating, which at that time consisted of the ability to draw intricate figures on the ice and at the same time maintain a beautiful pose.
The most The first edition of the rules for figure skating, published in England, dates back to 1772. English artillery lieutenant Robert Jones published A Treatise on Skating, in which he described all the main figures that were then known. The fact that all the compulsory figures were created in Great Britain is explained by the fact that it was here that the first speed skating clubs arose (Edinburgh, 1742) and the first official rules of the competition were developed.
And in 1882 The first international competition in Europe took place in Vienna. The Viennese won a great victory.
Representatives of the Austrian school, figure skaters from Norway, Sweden, Germany, England and the USA contributed to the development of figure skating as a sport.
A figure skater from America played a big role in the development of figure skating in Europe and, in particular, in Russia Jackson Gaintz. His tours of European skating rinks aroused the admiration of fans of this sport. Historians unanimously recognize him as the founder of the modern international style of figure skating. In February 1890 In honor of the 25th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Yusupov skating rink, it was decided to organize a sports competition, inviting the strongest skaters from Europe and America.
In terms of its composition, this was actually the first unofficial world championship. Of the 8 participants who competed for 3 days for the title of the best figure skater in the world, the strongest in all sections of skating was A.P. Lebedev is a wonderful Russian athlete.
The successful completion of the competition in St. Petersburg greatly accelerated the organization of the first European and world championships and the creation of the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1892. At the same time, at the ISU Congress, the rules for holding international competitions were approved, and the procedure for the European Championship was determined.
The ISU approved the rules for holding international competitions and determined the procedure for the European Championship.
In 1896 ISU decided to hold world championships. In honor of recognition of the special merits of Russia as the venue Petersburg was chosen as the first official world championship. Only 4 participants took to the ice: silver medalist of the European Championships, Austrian G. Hugel, bronze medalist of the European Championships, German G. Fuchs, and Russian figure skaters G. Sanders and N. Poduskov. The winner was the figure skater from Munich G. Fuchs.
This is how men's single skating took shape as a sport, approved at the first speed skating congress in America, and then in Europe by the Vienna Skating Society (1871).
At the beginning of the century Salchow, Lutz, Rittberger, Axel Paulsen invented their own jumps, and the skaters, in gratitude for this, left their names in the names of the elements.
Women's single skating was formed later. Officially this happened at the end of January 1906. in Davos (Switzerland). Mandatory exercises for women and men were similar, but the women's free skating immediately attracted attention with its high artistry, plasticity and musicality of movements. Official women's world championships began in 1924. Since 1930 The World Figure Skating Championships for women and men are held jointly on the same dates.
Soon pair (mixed) skating also appeared. The international championship in pair skating was first played in 1908. in St. Petersburg. German figure skaters went down in history as the first owners of gold medals in pairs skating.
The third type of figure skating - ice dancing - was born much later in England. Only in 1952 In Paris, the dancers competed for their awards for the first time; the English were the strongest.
Synchronized skating competitions have gained the most popularity in recent years. This sport has become widespread in Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, England, and France. Since 1983 In Canada, the annual Canadian Synchronized Skating Championships began to be held. And in 1988 these competitions were held in conjunction with competitions in the main types of figure skating. Fours competitions, where pair skating representatives perform, also attract a significant number of spectators. In Canada, such performances took place for the first time in 1914. and were held regularly until 1964, and they resumed in 1981. At the ISU Congress 1991 The issue of holding international competitions under the auspices of the ISU began to be considered. The following year a positive decision was made. Currently, the leaders in this type of figure skating are Canadian and American teams.
We can say that single skating is the basis of various types of figure skating.
At first, only a few athletes attended world tournaments. But the popularity of figure skating grew, and already in 1908. Figure skating competitions were included for the first time in the program of the 1st Summer Olympic Games held in London. Even then, Olympians competed on artificial ice. By the way, the first artificial ice skating rink was built in England in 1876. designed by D. Pictet.
The first Olympic champions in single skating in 1908. became M. Sayers (Great Britain), U. Salchow (Sweden), P. Kolomenkin (Russia) and the sports pair A. Hübler - G. Burger (Germany).
Figure skating was included in the program of the 1920 Summer Olympic Games, and subsequently it was presented at all Winter Olympic Games. The Olympic championship was played in singles (men's and women's) and pair skating. In 1976 Ice dancing was included in the Olympic program. The first figure skating competitions were held with the advantage of Scandinavian and English athletes, later figure skaters from Austria and the USA began to perform successfully. In pair skating and sports dancing, the Russian school is a leader in the international arena.
Gillis Grafström (Sweden), who won 3 gold and 1 silver medal, and three-time Olympic champions Sonja Henie (Norway) and Irina Rodnina (Russia) achieved outstanding success in Olympic competitions.
Figure skating in Russia has been popular since the times Peter I. The Russian Tsar brought home the first samples of skates to Europe. It was Peter who came up with a new way of attaching skates - directly to boots, and thus created the prototype of today's equipment for skaters. The name "skates" probably arose because the front of the wooden "runners" was usually decorated with a horse's head. In 1938 The first textbook for figure skaters, “Winter Fun and the Art of Skating,” was published in St. Petersburg. Its author was G.M. Pauli is a gymnastics teacher at military educational institutions in St. Petersburg. A surge of interest in figure skating occurred after the European tour of American figure skater Jackson Gaines. He showed unexpected possibilities for performing the most rapid figures in the most graceful body movements.
Russian skating itself originated in 1865. Then a public skating rink was opened in Yusupov Garden on Sadovaya Street, which from the very first days became a center for training figure skaters. The skating rink was the most comfortable in Russia. It shows March 5, 1978. The first competition of Russian figure skaters took place. The “Society of Skating Lovers,” organized in St. Petersburg in 1881, included about 30 people. One of the most famous sports and public figures was the Honorary Member of this society, Vyacheslav Izmailovich Sreznevsky. A good athlete himself (he performed and was among the judges at international competitions), he did a lot to improve technique and build the theory of figure skating.
An honorary member and prominent figure of the St. Petersburg “Society of Skating Lovers” was Alexey Pavlovich Lebedev, who in our country is called the “grandfather of Russian figure skating.” It was he who became the first champion of the unofficial world championship, held in St. Petersburg in 1890. Despite the fact that he learned the skill from books, he amazed the judges and spectators with his sliding technique in all three numbers of the program. Lebedev was awarded three gold medals. Since 1896 he began to engage in pedagogical work and became the first coach and teacher of N.A. Kolomenkin.
Another idol of sports youth at the end of the last century is Alexander Nikitich Panshin. He was the first Russian champion to win this title in 1897-1900. The unique athlete also won international competitions. But he began his figure skating career at the age of 39! February 9, 1896 The first World Figure Skating Championships took place in St. Petersburg. He became a kind of stimulus in the development of educational work at the Yusupov Garden skating rink. It was continued by N.A. Panin - Kolomenkin. He participated in the first Russian figure skating championships and won the title of Russian champion in 1901-1903. At the 1908 Olympic Games. becomes the first in London Olympic champion Russia.
N.A. Panin-Kolomenkin and his students immediately after the revolution began to create sections for figure skating. In 1920 The first competitions were organized at the skating rink of the Semyonovsky Parade Ground hippodrome. From the mid-20s. Championships in Moscow and Leningrad began to be held regularly. In March 1924 The USSR championship took place. The program included competitions for men's singles and pairs. The performances took place to the accompaniment of a brass band; in severe frosts, the pipes froze and fell silent; only the drum sounded, to the sound of which the performances took place. The national championships in those years were not held regularly; they became permanent after 1936. a section (later a federation) of figure skating was created.
Immediately after the war, figure skating schools began to open in Moscow, Leningrad, and Sverdlovsk. In 1955 the first post-war international competitions figure skaters, in which representatives of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, Poland and the USSR took part. A year later, the strongest skaters of the USSR took part in the European Championships, which took place in Paris, for the first time since the war. The following year, the anniversary European Championship was held in Czechoslovakia. Soviet team took part in all types of figure skating for the first time.
Currently, we can say that our figure skating school is leading in the international arena. Proof of this is the unconditional victory of Russian figure skaters at the European Championships and the 1999 World Championships. At the World Championships in Helsinki (1999), representatives of our country won all the gold medals. Of the twelve prizes, half went to Russia.
Modern figure skating includes four independent types: single skating (men's and women's), pair skating, ice dancing and synchronized skating. Despite the fact that they all have a lot in common, they are first united by skating with figures to music on the ice rink standard size, each type is unique. It is no coincidence that competitions are held in each of its types separately from each other. And the rules of the competition are drawn up International Union skaters for each type of figure skating separately.
Single skating is divided into:
1) compulsory program,
2) short program,
3) free skating.
Compulsory figures are called “school”, this emphasizes that they are the ABC of skating. Now in single skating there is a tendency to increase the role and importance of free skating, where the fullest development of a skater’s capabilities occurs.
Soviet singles skaters had to catch up with their foreign rivals. In the 50-60s. In the USA, Canada, France, Austria, Germany, Czechoslovakia, a brilliant galaxy of singles skating masters has grown up. For many years, our position at all international forums in single skating left much to be desired.
And the pioneer in men's single skating was S. Chetverukhin. It was he who managed to become the first among our singles skaters to become a silver medalist at the World, European and Olympic Games (Sapporo 1972). The next generation managed to win the highest awards. At the European Championships - '75. V. Kovalev managed to do this for the first time. A month later, S. Volkov took the lead at the World Championships. In 1977 and 1979 V. Kovalev became world champion. At the 1976 Olympic Games. he won silver, and a year later at the World Championships in Tokyo, Kovalev proved that he was the strongest in single skating.
By the end of the 70s. on sports arena one of the talented athletes I. Bobrin comes out. In 1981 he becomes the European champion for the first time. At the 1981 World Championships. in the USA, he honorably defended the title of the strongest skater in Europe, taking third place.
In 1988 The USSR champion and the 1985 world champion performed at the Olympic Games. A. Fadeev, who took fourth place, and singles player from Odessa V. Petrenko, who brought the Soviet team bronze medal. Big victory V. Petrenko brought the CIS team a gold medal at the XYI Winter Olympic Games in Albertville in 1992. For the first time in the history of domestic single skating (after Panin-Kolomenkin), a representative of our team climbed to the highest step of the podium. In 1994 second gold Olympic medal brought at the XYII Games Russian team A. Urmanov.
And in 1998 appeared in men's figure skating new leader I. Kulik, who won gold at the last Winter Olympic Games in Nagano.
A. Yagudin - winner of the World Championships in Helsinki in 1999. - is considered an outstanding Russian figure skater with great promise.
