Lyudmila Smirnova

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Olympic medal record
Figure skating
Competitor for Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
Silver 1972 Sapporo Pairs

Lyudmila Smirnova (Russian: Людмила Станиславовна Смирнова; b. July 21, 1949 in Leningrad[1]) was a Russian figure skater. She won the silver medal in pair skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics with Andrei Suraikin.

Smirnova began figure skating in 1955 and became a member of the USSR National Team in 1968.[1] She trained in Leningrad at Spartak and was first paired with Suraikin.[2] They were the 2nd strongest Soviet pair behind Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov, and placed second behind them at both the World and European Championships three times (1970-1972).

Smirnova and Ulanov, skating for rival teams, fell in love. The pairs decided to separate--a decision they made before the 1972 Games. Rodnina and Ulanov won the gold, and Smirnova and Suraikin the silver. Thereafter Smirnova began skating with Ulanov. They competed for 2 years, enjoying modest success at Worlds and Europeans (always finishing behind Rodnina and then-partner Alexander Zaitsev. Smirnova retired from competitive skating in 1974.

In 1972 Smirnova was awarded the Medal For Labour Heroism.[1]

Contents

[edit] Competitive highlights

with Suraikin, 1970-1972; with Ulanov, 1973-1974

[edit] 1972 Winter Olympics

  • 2nd

[edit] World Championships

  • 1970 – 2nd
  • 1971 – 2nd
  • 1972 – 2nd
  • 1973 – 2nd
  • 1974 – 2nd

[edit] European Championships

  • 1970 – 2nd
  • 1971 – 2nd
  • 1972 – 2nd
  • 1973 – 2nd
  • 1974 – 3rd

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c (1973) Panorama of the 1972 Sports Year (in Russian). Moscow: Fizkultura i sport, p. 50. 
  2. ^ Boris Khavin (1979). All about Olympic Games., 2nd ed. (in Russian), Moscow: Fizkultura i sport, p. 448. 

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Smirnova, Lyudmila
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smirnova, Liudmila; Людмила Смирнова
SHORT DESCRIPTION Russian figure skater
DATE OF BIRTH July 21, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Soviet Union
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
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