Elena Vodorezova at one time became the brightest debutante at major international figure skating tournaments. At the age of thirteen, she amazed the world with unusually difficult jumps, which even men did not dare to perform. Her career could have been much more successful if it had not been prevented by a serious illness that forced the girl to retire from the sport in the prime of her life. Today, the legendary athlete - the famous coach, the Buyanova-Vodorezova figure skating school is considered one of the most authoritative in the world.
Girl with ponytails
Elena Germanovna was born in Moscow in 1963. As the daughter of a gymnast and basketball player, she could only become an athlete, and at the age of four she began to attend the figure skating section. Galina Vasilkevich became the first coach of Elena Vodorezova. Soon she was transferred to the CSKA special school, where they began to purposefully prepare a promising girl for future victories.
Having won her first competition, Elena came to the attention of the legendary coach who took her to his group. She did not compete for an entire year, training ultra-si elements to shock everyone in 1976. The twelve-year-old girl won the national championship, and then won a major international tournament, where the fourth figure skater of the planet took part.
After such a triumph, the coaches of the national team had no choice but to include Elena Vodorezova in the list of participants in the 1976 European Championship. Here, a thirteen-year-old girl shocked all the specialists, being the first in the world to perform a cascade of double and triple jump, as well as becoming the first girl to take the risk of performing a triple jump in the short program.
She continued to amaze in the free program, easily completing three triple jumps. The admired spectators remembered the girl's fluttering tails during the jumps for a long time, and so they called Elena.
Triumphs and falls
The weak points of Elena Vodorezova were the required figures and choreography, which was natural, given the girl's adolescence. All this had to come with experience, and she promised to grow into the best skater on the planet. Nevertheless, Elena's excellent acrobatics on ice were enough for the first successes.
At the 1978 European Championships, the girl took only fifth place after the short program, and with a light heart, no longer pretending to anything, skated an arbitrary program for her own pleasure.
Here she once again struck everyone with her most difficult jumps, performed without a single mistake. She bypassed all competitors, eventually becoming the third. No longer counting on a medal, Elena Vodorezova packed her things and went to the bus, where her teammates intercepted her and said that she had become the continent's bronze medalist.
In 1979, doctors diagnosed Elena with rheumatoid arthritis. This disease is incurable and has a fatal effect on the mobility of the joints, which means a sentence for any skater.
However, in an incomprehensible way, in two years Elena Vodorezova managed to adapt to her illness and returned to the ice. Having significantly reduced the complexity of the jumping elements, she focused on figures, plasticity, artistry, which helped her to stay at a high level for several more years.
The girl with ponytails won the bronze of the world championship, became the silver medalist of the continental championship. She was about to leave, but she allowed herself to be persuaded to finally represent the country at the 1984 Olympics. This tournament has become a swan song for a great athlete.
Honored coach of Russia
E. Vodorezova did not leave figure skating after leaving the big sport. She took up coaching, raising more than one excellent student.
The most famous pupil of Buyanova-Vodorezova is Adelina Sotnikova, who became the first Russian woman to win the women's championship at the Olympic Games. In addition, the public is familiar with the names of Elena Gedevanishvili and Denis Ten.
Today, the best student of the figure skating school of the famous coach is who competes on equal terms with the best athletes on the planet. Now they are expecting results from her at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.
Personal life of Elena Vodorezova
As a student at the Institute of Physical Education, Elena Germanovna met Sergei Buyanov, a well-known speed skater at one time.
Today he works in the film industry. A few years later, their son Ivan was born.
The legendary Soviet figure skater Lyudmila Belousova, who played in tandem with Oleg Protopopov, died at the age of 82. One of the first to announce this on the social network was the producer of the American TV channel 6ABC Kristen Beatty.
“Lyudmila Belousova died at the age of 81. I was honored to ride the show with her and get advice from her when I performed in pairs, ”Beatty wrote on her Twitter.
Ludmila Belousova-Protopopov has died at age 81. Honored to have skated in a show with her & received advice from her when I did pairs. #RIP
- Kristen Beatty (@Kbskate) September 29, 2017
Some time later, the death of Belousova was confirmed by honored coaches of Russia Tamara Moskvina and Alexey Mishin.
According to Oleg Makarov, bronze medalist in pair skating in 1984, Belousov has been fighting cancer in recent years. “She was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago. She was treated in Switzerland. The last time I saw them was in Lake Placid in August, where they camp every summer. And this information came as a shock to me. Lyudmila is a legend! ”- Makarov told R-Sport.
Great career
As a child, Belousova was fond of many sports, and came to figure skating at a fairly late age - 16 years old. She trained in tandem with Kirill Gulyaev, but he decided to end his career. In 1954, Lyudmila met Oleg Protopopov and moved from Moscow to Leningrad for joint performances. The uniqueness of this couple was that, after working with coaches Igor Moskvin, and then Peter Orlov, they decided to refuse outside help and independently came up with their own programs.
The duet of Belousova and Protopopov in the 60s of the last century dominated pair skating on an uncontested basis. But if at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley their debut turned out to be no mediocre, then in 1964 they won their first big victory - Soviet athletes became Olympic champions at the Games in Innsbruck. Belousova and Protopopov became the first representatives of the USSR to win Olympic gold in pair skating. Four years later, they managed to defend the championship title by winning the Olympics in Grenoble, France.
The title of two-time Olympic champions did not remain the only high-profile victory for athletes. For four years in a row, Belousova and Protopopov became the best at the world and European championships, six times they won the USSR championship. But after the results began to deteriorate, the skaters decided to end their careers. This happened in 1972.
Refusal to return to the USSR and political asylum in Switzerland
In September 1979, during a tour in Switzerland, Belousova and Protopopov were supposed to fly to Leningrad, but refused to return to the USSR. The skaters asked the local authorities for political asylum. As a result, they were stripped of the titles of Honored Masters of Sports, and their names were deleted from all Soviet reference books that talked about the Olympic achievements of the USSR. They settled in the village of Grindelwald, and received citizenship only in 1995.
Belousova and Protopopov worked not only in Switzerland, but also in the United States, and returned to Russia in February 2003 - more than 20 years later. They also attended the Olympic Games in Sochi as guests.
Belousova devoted herself to figure skating to the last. The pair's last documented performance is dated September 2015. Lyudmila and Oleg appeared in front of the American public as part of the annual show "Evening with Champions".
"Their programs are the benchmark for everyone."
The death of an outstanding figure skater came as a shock to many. “This is a huge loss. They were our close friends and students, ”Honored Coach of Russia Tamara Moskvina told R-Sport.
Alexey Mishin also expressed condolences in connection with her death. “The legend of world figure skating is gone. During my life, Lyudmila Belousova was the brightest legend. I am especially sad to realize this, because I spent half of my sporting life, if not all, in the same dressing room with her. The world has lost not only an athlete, but also a person. The name of Lyudmila Belousova will remain in the history of not only figure skating, but the entire Soviet Union and Russia, "Mishin said to the Championship.
For some time, the former head coach of the Russian national hockey team, Vyacheslav Bykov, lived in Switzerland. The specialist talked about how Belousova and Protopopov helped him recover from injuries. “I had the good fortune to know her, we collaborated with them. When I played in Switzerland, I came to them in Grindelwald, they helped me to recover from an injury. Then, when I was already training the team, we used their method of building the training process, skating. We worked quite fruitfully, "Bykov told TASS.
“They are very nice, good-natured and helpful people, now they have goosebumps,” he continued. - I won’t be surprised if they went out on the ice to the last and continued to give lessons. They kept in shape, looked after their health. It is a pity that such people leave, it will be very difficult for Oleg. "
Two-time Olympic champion in 2014 Maxim Trankov noted the contribution of Belousova and Protopopov to figure skating. “Having won in 1964, it was this pair that gave rise to the greatness of the Russian pair skating school, from 1964 to 2006, only Russian pairs won the Games. And 50 years after their victory, Belousova and Protopopov came to Sochi to support us and see how the medals are returning to Russia. I will always remember the moment when they descended to the edge of the ice, legend, and with tears congratulated us on the victory. Then Lyudmila seemed to me a very strong and bright person ... let her stay in our memory like that ... Rest in peace, "the athlete wrote on his Instagram account.
Expressed condolences in connection with the death of the athlete and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR) Alexander Gorshkov called the Belousov-Protopopov duet unique. “Lyudmila was a very pleasant, intelligent person, a very pleasant woman to talk to. I, like the whole world, perceived them with Oleg Protopopov as one whole. They were a unique, amazing couple! For our country, they are pioneers, for the first time for the USSR and Russia they won a gold Olympic medal in pair skating in 1964. And then they won their second brilliant victory at the 1968 Olympics. They have always been not only outstanding athletes, but also creative people. They created their own unique style, their programs are unforgettable and are still the benchmark. They were fanatically devoted to figure skating, devoted their whole lives to it, "Gorshkov told R-Sport.
The World Figure Skating Championships 2015 kicks off in Shanghai today. On the occasion, ELLE remembers the most prominent representatives of this sport in singles.
Yulia Lipnitskaya
PHOTO Hearst Shkulev Media Archives
The youngest winner in the history of Olympic figure skating, Yulia Lipnitskaya, became the main sensation in Sochi-2014. The 15-year-old figure skater, who, among other venerable pros, won the team competition, was applauded by President V.V. Putin, the stars of Russian figure skating and all Western media without exception. “With her incredibly light triple jumps, acrobatic spins and champion temperament, Yulia Lipnitskaya led Russia to the first gold medal in the Sochi Olympics,” writes The Washington Post. In addition, Steven Spielberg himself wrote her a touching letter, stunned by her skating to the music from his film "Schindler's List."
“She wowed judges and spectators with her combination of skating elegance and exceptional flexibility,” sings The Guardian's praises to Yule.
Exceptional flexibility, phenomenal spins, but most importantly - the subtlety of performance and special drama, which no one expected from a 15-year-old girl, allow us to speak of her as one of the most talented skaters in history.
Katharina Witt is a legendary figure skater, the most famous and titled, Olympic champion in single skating (1984, 1988), four-time world champion, six-time European champion (1983-1988 in a row), eight-time champion of the GDR. The outstanding single athlete became a legend of the 80s - it was she who for the first time in the history of the world championships in 1981 performed the most difficult jump - the triple flip. Witt's career was so impeccable that after leaving amateur sports, the girl became a participant and producer of ice shows and worked for a long time under a contract with an American ice ballet troupe. In addition, Katarina was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time - men's magazines often offered her to participate in candid photo shoots, which she often did not neglect.
Ukrainian Oksana Baiul is a true legend of women's single skating, Olympic champion in 1994, who performed one of the best short programs in the history of figure skating (to the music of Tchaikovsky). The insane popularity of the Soviet girl in the United States, where she emigrated after a resounding success, was also associated with a number of scandals and curiosities around her name. So, at the Nations Cup in November 1992, 14-year-old Oksana fell on a jump, but was phenomenally able to beat the fall with dance moves, and then performed a triple salchow. In January 1993, as a debutante at the European Championship in the original dance, she made a mistake in the jump sequence and then found herself skating with an unlaced boot. The girl stopped the performance and turned to the judges - after the meeting, they allowed the entire program to be re-performed.
But the most dramatic moment of her sports life was the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994. Losing to the beauty and favorite of America Nancy Carrigan, Baiul, among other things, was attacked by a skater from Germany - with a damaged back and lower leg, with stitches and painkillers Oksana performed a free program, completing five triple jumps. 5 out of 9 judges preferred her, leaving the clear favorite Carrigan in second place. Later, American TV channels broadcast the controversial moment, emphasizing the biased decision of the German judge Jan Hoffmann.
After completing her amateur career, Oksana moved to live in the United States, performed as a professional, and also underwent treatment in rehab for alcoholism and mental health problems.
An energetic volcano, an incredible figure skater who became a sensation in the 90s and a real star, 5-time European champion (1991-1995) and 9-time champion of France, Suria Bonali, however, never became a world champion. There have always been many controversies and even scandals around her name - on the one hand, she performed a number of technically complex elements that are not subject to anyone else in the world (for example, a back somersault, which was considered a prohibited element; quadruple sheepskin coat), on the other hand, mandatory for a curly Skating elements such as a triple sheepskin coat performed with obvious undercool. The record technique compensated for the quality of sliding - Suria Bonali was adored by the whole world, and her fans sincerely believed that the judges underestimated the skater. In addition, Bonali went down in history as the only skater who refused to climb the podium due to disagreement with the ratings.
The main star of American figure skating in singles, Michelle Kwan was considered an unattainable athlete for a decade.
An American of Chinese descent became a two-time Olympic medalist (although sensationally each time she did not take 1st place), a five-time world champion (second only to Sonya Henie's record) and a nine-time US champion. She is the only woman in figure skating to re-win the lost world title three times (1998, 2000, 2003). Even after the end of her career, Michelle is incredibly popular and receives multimillion-dollar contracts.
Before Yulia Lipnitskaya, Tara Lipinski was the youngest female athlete in the Olympic Games. At the time of participation in the Winter Olympics, she was not yet sixteen years old. Champion of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, world champion in 1997, champion of the USA in 1997, Tara Lepinski became an absolute sensation, beating even the titled Michelle Kwan at the Olympics. The effect of her performance was comparable to the emotions from the rental of Yulia Lipnitskaya - the girl-child turned out to be more convincing than more experienced athletes.
Today, the American admits that she is rooting with all her heart for the teenager from Russia Yulia Lipnitskaya - according to Tara, contrary to everyone's opinion, at the age of 15, stress and tension are no easier to experience than at a more mature age.
The legend and pride of figure skating.
Irina Rodnina was born on September 12, 1949 in Moscow in the family of a career soldier.
The "Snow Maiden" put on her first skates at the age of three or four, and when she grew up a little, her parents assigned her to the famous figure skating school, which was located in a children's park in the Dzerzhinsky district of Moscow. Most of the Soviet figure skating masters of the fifties began their sports career there. Then, from the children's figure skating school, Irina moved to the CSKA skaters section, having withstood a serious competition.
At thirteen and a half years old, the girl received the first sports category. She was noticed by Stanislav Zhuk, newly appointed senior coach of CSKA skaters. He took her to him and picked up the first adult partner - Alexei Ulanov.
They were a beautiful, memorable couple: a small, well-built Rodnina and a prominent, tall Ulanov. They first appeared in 1967 at demonstration performances. Stanislav Zhuk gradually accustomed the judges to their existence, and two years later the first victory came.
In 1969, Rodnina and Ulanov became world and European champions for the first time. And they won the European Championship without a coach!
Since that memorable year, Rodnina has not missed a single European and World Championship. And she always won. Until 1972 with Ulanov.
In 1972, Rodnina unexpectedly chose not an experienced skater as his partner, but a little-known Alexander Zaitsev.
Rodnina became for Zaitsev both a tireless partner and a caring sister at the same time. She gave no respite to him or herself. Before Zaitsev was a sample of the Great Sportswoman. And they overcame all the barriers. The new pair dug deeper and brought out new figure skating treasures in front of amazed spectators.
With the help of Alexander Zaitsev, Rodnina won another, very important victory for herself - a moral one. Their duet won gold over and over again, while Smirnova and Ulanov most often came out second. Yes, and the sympathy of the audience was invariably on the side of Irina and Alexander. Especially after, in 1973, athletes managed to withstand a difficult test at the World Championships in Bratislava:
“Rodnina and Zaitsev got off to an excellent start with their very complex free program. This was their first joint performance at the world championships, and both skaters, as well as their coach Stanislav Zhuk, were very worried before the start.
Despite this, every movement of Irina and Alexander testified to confidence, to excellent knowledge of the subject. And just at that moment, when the couple approached the middle, extremely emotional, saturated with complex elements part of the program, the music suddenly disappeared (later it turned out that there was a short circuit in the radio room).
The dead silence in the hall can deafen anyone. Moreover, a skater for whom music is not just a part of his sports program, it is a part of himself, a part of his life on the ice in front of many thousands of people. And now there is no music, and it is not clear what to do next ... Rodnina and Zaitsev did not stop for a moment ... At first, the audience was perplexed. Then they started to applaud. "
Two years after the Olimriad, they became husband and wife. In honor of the newlyweds, the orchestra played "Kalinka" at the wedding. No one needed to decipher the meaning of this symbolic gift. And soon Irina gave birth to a son.
After the birth of Sasha, Irina had to start all over again for the third time, to restore her sports form, synchronization of movements, high pace and unique style.
Rodnina's last performance took place in 1980, then she became a ten-time world champion and a three-time Olympic champion, setting a kind of record.
Leaving the big sport, Rodnina could not find herself for a long time. She tried to work as a coach, confirming her diploma of higher education, then as a senior teacher at the Institute of Physical Education. But all these years she did not have a feeling of stability, all the time something was missing.
Their son did not repeat the path of his parents, Alexander Zaitsev Jr. chose another career, began to play hockey.
Rodnina's family life was not very successful in the future. She broke up with her husband. At thirty-five, she falls in love and decides to start a new family. As Irina herself recalls, it was an amazingly beautiful and short period in her life. She had to change a lot then: her work, the country, and even herself. It was her husband who suggested that Rodnina try to work in another country, and she easily succumbed to persuasion, because in her heart she always felt like a gambling person.
Rodnina left for the USA and began to work as a coach. Soon she was again left alone with two children, and she had the opportunity to try the fate of a single mother.
Three-time Olympic champion, ten-time winner of world championships, and now State Duma deputy Irina Rodnina in an interview with Izvestia spoke about how she managed to achieve outstanding achievements in figure skating, and shared her impressions of lighting the Olympic flame in Sochi.
- Irina Konstantinovna, what is your greatest achievement in life?
- For me, as for any person, the most important thing in life is children. I am happy that I have a daughter and a son. As for sports, this is a part of my life, a huge segment of it. And of course, all achievements, all positive and negative emotions will forever remain in your memory. But children are still different. This is everything for me. True, they do not forget to present surprises almost every day. But it's good ( smiles).
- Which of the qualities helped you to become an outstanding athlete the most?
- You know, I will say without false modesty, I am very obedient and obedient. And these traits are very much appreciated by trainers. Stanislav Zhuk (an outstanding Soviet figure skating coach - Izvestia) appreciated me very much for this. And directly in the competition, other qualities begin to appear that determine the maximum level of an athlete.
— You have achieved all possible and impossible successes in life and nevertheless continue to work actively. Not tired?
- Vice versa! The main thing for me is to keep myself in good shape, to maintain an interest in life, to strive to solve new problems. If a person wakes up every day in a good mood and with new plans, this is very cool. I am an optimist by nature, and it helps me a lot.
- Athletes of the past and present. This is a whole topic. Who of today's athletes do you have a sense of respect for?
- You're right. Each generation has its own guidelines and priorities. This applies not only to sports, but also to music, cinema and in general all areas of society. Currently, I am watching with interest the active athletes, but it cannot be said that there is one or one who would make me immensely admire. My generation is nevertheless closer to me, and today's - for today's youth.
- You yourself mentioned the range of emotions that you experienced during your career. And there were moments when you wanted to give up everything and leave the ice oval forever?
- I can't say that often, but such thoughts have arisen from time to time. Thank God, I coped with them, despite the hellish stress both physically and psychologically. Sooner or later, any person is faced with similar sensations, and not only in sports. In the evening, you can come home with the idea of writing a letter of resignation in the morning, and in the morning she will either disappear by herself, or you will chase her away. In such situations, accumulated fatigue, unfavorable weather, local failure, resentment are most often affected. Anything. It is important that these thoughts do not attack too often and pass quickly. But this already largely depends on ourselves.
— How did you feel when the music suddenly fell silent during the free skate at the 1973 World Championships in Bratislava?
- In the first seconds, we did not understand anything. And thank God that at that moment I was next to the coach. He managed to give us an assignment - to continue the performance. We, of course, did everything. For us, the words of the coach are the law. And the law is undeniable. Even in training, the golden rule applies - you must complete all tasks to the end, regardless of whether you fell or some other failure occurred. And so we did it. Everything happened so quickly that I did not have time to get confused or scared.
— You have three Olympic gold medals in your home collection. Is there a difference between the first and the last medal?
- Of course. Well, first of all, the competition is never the same and, accordingly, the emotions are also different. Each start is special in its own way. There are a lot of episodes about which we do not speak out loud and no one will ever know about them. The first medal gave confidence, made it clear that all this hard work was not in vain, which means that you need to win again and again.
- Your name is inscribed in the history of the Olympic Games, not only as an outstanding athlete, but also as a person who was honored with the honorable duty of bringing the torch to the Olympic bowl.
- It was an indescribable feeling. I’m ready to repeat this even a thousand times. And you know, the excitement was comparable to what I experienced standing on the Olympic podium. Vladik (Vladislav Tretyak) and I were very worried before the ceremony itself. After all, this ancient ritual is always shrouded in mystery. I am very grateful to fate and for these moments of life.
— Do you think for the current generation you are now a legendary sportswoman or a person from the world of big politics?
- It depends. Some people perceive me as a skater who finished her performances ( smiles), others as politics. This depends on the representatives of one generation or another. One thing I can say. I gave all the best and give all the best always and in everything. Be it training, competitions, master classes to transfer your experience to young athletes and novice coaches. The same is in politics. I try to do everything to be as useful to society as possible. After all, they entrusted me with such a post because in this life I achieved everything myself, and achieved everything with work. I have not stolen anything in this life, and I am proud of the achievements that glorified my country first of all, and now allowed me to do something for its good. And believe me, I say this without pathos. I think so, I live by it.
Happy Birthday!
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