Former Olympian gold medalists prove they still have their showstopping skills in old age
In sports, there are people who truly stand out for their skills, talent, and personality. These are the people who inspire awe and wonder. They serve as role models which sports enthusiasts look up to.
In figure skating, Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov are two distinguished names.
As two-time Olympic gold medalists and four-time World Champions in pair skating, the couple are well-known for their presence and grace on ice.
When they graced the audience of An Evening With Champions, everyone got super excited.
Ludmilla was 79 while her husband was 83 then. Despite their age, their skills and moves were still sharp. It felt like nothing changed.
The couple appeared wearing matching red outfits.
Even though they were several years older, they still looked wonderful. Their posture was on point and they looked strong and fit.
The couple’s moves were graceful. The way they extended their arms and swayed to the music was like magic. Each step, turn, and spin was simply captivating.
One viewer said:
“I will say it was wonderful treat to see them skate at their ages. Maybe there were no jumps or lifts but who cares. That was great classic skating at its best. Something for younger skaters to pay attention to. You do always have to be crazy jumping to create a moment that people will remember.”
Ludmila and Oleg first skated casually in 1954.
At that time, most people assumed that they were already a pair because they were so well-matched. What they didn’t know was that the pair spent a lot of time and effort to achieve their artistic superiority.
The pair’s journey towards stardom wasn’t easy.
They got their very first major international gold medal from the 1964 Winter Olympics. It was extra special because it’s considered as the very first Olympic pairs gold for the Soviet Union. It started the country’s 40-year gold medal streak in the pair skating.
The couple’s first European and World gold medals were won in 1965. They were the first Russian pair to bag those titles.
They skated to different elite titles within the Soviet Union until around 1972. By 1979, they continued their career in America. There, they skated in the Ice Capades and Button’s World Professional Championships.
The couple earned the respect of tons of champions in the industry.
They have nothing but good things to say about Oleg and Ludmilla. Two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion Dick Button shared how he remembers the couple.
He said:
“They are a vision of classical skating personified, skating at its very best. The Protopopovs started a generation of style on ice, which was carried on by skaters like John Curry and Janet Lynn.”
Two-time European champion and 1984 Olympic bronze medalist in pairs Larisa Selezneva also shared something good about them.
“A lot of the pairs they skated against, they were very athletic (but) the Protopopovs had such elegance and extension, the elegance of husband and wife, woman and man skating together; they were amazing, beautiful skaters.”
Even though the couple could no longer perform together, their fellow skaters and fans would never be able to forget how awesome they were on ice.
In 2014, Ludmilla started experiencing stomach problems. Later on, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. They had to fly back to Switzerland to get treatment and do their performance for An Evening With Champions.
The couple continued their training regime even during Ludmilla’s bouts of chemotherapy treatment. Eventually, they had to stop because of her declining health. She died in September 2017 at the age of 81.
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