Figure SkatingLists about the beautiful, technically grueling sports of figure skating and ice dancing and the talented athletes who compete in them all around the world.
Updated June 15, 2019 6.8K votes 1.8K voters 71.4K views
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List of the greatest figure skating pairs of all time. These are the figure skating pairs who have delighted audiences and fans with their grace and artistry, leaving a lasting imprint on the sport and setting the bar for future pair skaters. Although they’ve all retired from the sport, they live on as the greatest figure skating pairs the sport has ever seen.
Can pair skating be any more romantic than when a husband and wife skate their way to victory together, enchanting audiences along the way? Perhaps the quintessential example is skating pair Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov. They not only captured four champion titles at the World Figure Skating Championships — they also earned two gold medals in the Winter Olympic Games. But the couple had a fluidity and flair that many find more memorable than their medal count, a combined energy that ended too soon when Grinkov tragically passed away at the age of 28.
Of course, not all of the greatest figure skating pairs were romantically involved. Some, in fact, had a different sort of intimacy, like Kitty Carruthers and Peter Carruthers, a sister and brother team. Together they won the top spot at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships four times and became Olympic medalists in 1984 when they earned the silver in the pair skating competition.
This list contains all of the greats from the history of pair skating. Both fans of figure skating and those individuals with only casual interest in the sport will probably recognize these names, especially since many competed (and medaled) in the Olympics. No matter their medal counts, however, they’ve all left their mark on the sport, earning them a spot on this list of the greatest figure skating pairs of all time.
Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev earned multiple gold medals at the Winter Olympic Games, the World Figure Skating Championships, and the European Figure Skating Championships.
Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo medaled many times in their career together, including three times at the Winter Olympic Games (gold, 2010, and bronze, 2002 and 2006).
Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov earned four World Champion titles and two Olympic gold medals (1988 and 1994).
Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov won the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships four times and at the Winter Olympic Games twice.
Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev earned multiple gold medals at the Winter Olympic Games, the World Figure Skating Championships, and the European Figure Skating Championships.
