Marina Cherkasova
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| Olympic medal record | |||
| Figure skating | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | 1980 Lake Placid | Pairs | |
Marina Cherkasova (Russian: Марина Черкасова, b. November 17, 1964 in the Soviet Union) was a Russian figure skater. She won the silver medal in pair skating with her partner Sergei Shakrai.
Cherkasova and Shakrai trained in Moscow with Stanislav Zhuk. They won the European title in 1979 and the World title in 1980, as well as the silver at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Cherkasova was only 15 years old when she competed at the Olympics.
Their main rivals included fellow Soviets Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev, whom they never defeated, Irina Vorobieva & Igor Lisovsky, Marina Pestova & Stanislav Leonovich, and Veronika Pershina & Marat Akbarov.
When the pair the first skated internationally in 1977, Shakrai was approximately two feet taller than Cherkasova. This height difference facilitated innovation in twist and lift elements. In fact, they became the first pair to perform the split quadruple twist in 1978. Later, the judging standards were changed to value physical harmony between the partners, which handicapped Cherkasova and her partner.
By 1980, the year of their greatest success with the Olympic silver and the World gold, their size difference had become less immense, and it appeared as though they would finally become a physically-matched pair with strong technical elements and artistry. However, by 1981, Cherkasova had grown so tall that Shakrai could no longer effectively lift her; at the same time, they had failed to develop artistically. This caused them to miss the medal podium at the World Championship in Hartford, Connecticut, finishing in fourth place.
Cherkasova and Shakrai continued to train into the 1982 season; however, they performed poorly at the Soviet Nationals, placing behind Irina Vorobieva & Igor Lisovsky, Marina Pestova & Stanislav Leonovich, and Veronika Pershina & Marat Akbarov. This caused Cherkasova and her partner to miss the trip to the World Championships for the first time since their debute in 1977 and, subsequently their partnership dissolved. Marina briefly paired with Rashid Kadyrkaev, a world junior medalist in 1980 and 1981, but continued growth prevented this team from developing. Kadyrkaev later left Cherkasova to skate with Elena Kvitchenko at the invitation of Igor Moskvin in Leningrad.
Contents |
[edit] Competitive highlights
[edit] Olympics Wintergames
- 1980 – 2nd
[edit] World Championships
- 1977 – 4th
- 1978 – 4th
- 1979 – 2nd
- 1980 – 1st
- 1981 – 4th
[edit] European Championships
- 1977 – 3rd
- 1978 – 2nd
- 1979 – 1st
- 1980 – 2nd
- 1981 – 3rd
[edit] Navigation
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|||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cherkasova, Marina |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Марина Черкасова |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Russian figure skater |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 17, 1964 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Soviet Union |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
