Skating through 100 years of Olympic success

28 October, 2008, 23:11

It is 100 years since Russia won its first ever Olympic gold medal. On October 29, 1908, a young man named Nikolay Panin-Kolomenkin triumphed in the figure skating competition at the London Olympics. It was a performance that was to change the course of ice skating forever.

When he showed the judges the pattern he planned to execute on the ice, they said it couldn’t be done.

They were wrong. His response was that of a champion. His performance on the ice on the big occasion was ahead of its time.

Nikolay got the highest honours in the special figures event and his main opponent at the time decided to pull out of the competition after seeing the Russian’s precision.

Russian Figure Skating Federation President, Valentin Piseev, says "it’s nice to remember what happened 100 years ago.

“Naturally, the first gold medal was unexpected for the athlete himself as well as for the whole country. After the competition Panin said that he was leaving London feeling like he had fulfilled his duty. If you would think of all the victories of Soviet and Russian figure skaters – this is the most important thing – to fulfill your duty,” Piseev said.

Click here for a full transcription of RT’s interview with Valentin Piseev, President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation

Competitive figure skating soon became popular in Russia, largely due to Panin’s efforts.  Soon after his success in London, competitions were regularly staged beyond the big cities of Moscow and St Petersburg.

Panin coached many champions but still wasn’t completely satisfied. Back then, the judges were looking for speed, technique, precision and beautiful skating.

But Panin talked about skaters creating an artistic image through their performance, with the whole programme accompanied by music. In fact, exactly what we see today.

Former Olympic champion, Aleksandr Gorshkov, says Panin’s influence in the sport remains “immense”.

“For example, the first figure skating text book that I used to learn how to skate a long time ago, was written by Panin-Kolomenkov. It was published in 1956. Figure skating today is very different from what it was not only 100 years ago, but even 20-30 years ago. Nonetheless, the basics that are described in his text book are relevant even today,” Gorshkov said.

The precision technique combined with flexibility and elegance was vital in forming his coaching skills.

Nikolay Panin once predicted that the development of figure skating would lead to a harmony of athletic ability and artistic expression.

These words are just as true today as they will be in the future.