The 1971

European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European champion. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, an ...

was a senior-level international competition held at the

Hallenstadion The Hallenstadion (german: , ''Zürich Indoor Stadium'') is a multi-purpose facility located in the quarter of Oerlikon in northern Zürich. It is home to the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL) and has a capacity of 11,200 spectators. Design ...

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on February 2–7. Elite senior-level

figure skaters Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

from European ISU member nations competed for the title of European Champion in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles,

pair skating Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...

, and

ice dancing Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...

. The pair skating event demonstrated the dominance of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

in this discipline.

Irina Rodnina Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina ( rus, Ирина Константиновна Роднина, p=ɪˈrʲinə kənstɐnˈtʲinəvnə rədʲnʲɪˈna; born 12 September 1949) is a Russian politician and retired figure skating, figure skater, who is ...

and

Alexei Ulanov Alexei Nikolaevich Ulanov (russian: Алексей Николаевич Уланов; born 4 November 1947) is a retired pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With Irina Rodnina, he is the 1972 Olympic champion and a four-time (1969–19 ...

took the title in spite of a fall by Ulanov on a double Axel, a side-by-side jump not being attempted by any other team. The ice dance competition was a contrast between the British and Russian styles of dance. British-trained Angelika and

Erich Buck Erich Buck (born 5 January 1949) is a German former ice dancer who competed for West Germany. With his sister Angelika Buck, he is the 1972 European champion, a four-time World medalist, and a six-time West German national champion. Career ...

narrowly lost a 5–4 decision to Liudmila Pakhomova and Alexandr Gorshkov, who as usual were criticized for their unequal balance of skills.

Ondrej Nepela Ondrej Nepela (22 January 1951 – 2 February 1989) was a Slovak figure skater who represented Czechoslovakia. He was the 1972 Olympic champion, a three-time World champion (1971–73), and a five-time European champion (1969–73). Later in h ...

ran away with the men's title following the withdrawal of his two top challengers,

Patrick Péra Patrick Péra (born 17 January 1949 in Lyon) is a French figure skater. He won the bronze medal in men's singles in the 1968 Winter Olympics, became one of the youngest male figure skating Olympic medalists. He won the bronze medal again a ...

and

Gunter Zoller Gunter or Günter may refer to: * Gunter rig, a type of rig used in sailing, especially in small boats * Gunter Annex, Alabama, a United States Air Force installation * Gunter, Texas, city in the United States People Surname * Chris Gunter ( ...

, due to injuries. Nepela's victory was more the result of his strong showing in the

compulsory figures Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly a segment of figure skating, and gave the sport its name. They are the "circular patterns which skaters trace on the ice to demonstrate skill in placing clean turns evenly on round circles". For ...

than for his rather indistinguished free skating. The free skating portion of the competition was won by

Haig Oundjian Haig Bertrand Oundjian (born 16 May 1949) is an English former figure skater. He is the 1971 European bronze medalist and a three-time British national champion. He competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, placing 17th, and at the 197 ...

, who landed triple

toe loop The toe loop jump is the simplest jump in the sport of figure skating. It was invented in the 1920s by American professional figure skater Bruce Mapes. The toe loop is accomplished with a forward approach on the inside edge of the blade; the ska ...

and triple

salchow jump The Salchow jump is an edge jump in figure skating. It was named after its inventor, Ulrich Salchow, in 1909. The Salchow is accomplished with a takeoff from the back inside edge of one foot and a landing on the back outside edge of the opposite ...

s and moved up from 6th after the figures to take the bronze medal. The ladies event was likewise decided by the compulsory figures as

Beatrix Schuba Beatrix "Trixi" Schuba (born 15 April 1951) is an Austrian former competitive figure skater who competed in ladies' singles. She is a six-time Austrian national champion (1967–1972), a two-time European champion ( 1971 and 1972), a two-time ...

dominated that part of the competition. The free skating was won by

Sonja Morgenstern Sonja Morgenstern (born 22 January 1955) is a German figure skating coach and former competitor. Morgenstern was coached by Jutta Müller in Chemnitz and represented the SC Karl-Marx-Stadt club and East Germany ( GDR). In 1966 she won the Sp ...

, who landed a triple salchow jump in her program—at that time it was very rare for women to attempt triple jumps. Morgenstern had placed a distant 8th in the figures. Schuba was heavily criticized for the poor quality of her free skating, which included a fall on a relatively simple double

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

as well as a definite underrotation on her double Axel.

Results

Men

Ladies

Pairs

Ice dancing

References

Sources

* "Europeans", ''Skating'' magazine, Apr 1971

External links

results
{{European Figure Skating Championships European Figure Skating Championships, 1971 European Figure Skating Championships, 1971 European Figure Skating Championships International figure skating competitions hosted by Switzerland Sports competitions in Zürich 20th century in Zürich