Lyudmila Alekseyevna Pakhomova (russian: Людмила Алексеевна Пахомова; 31 December 1946 – 17 May 1986) was an
ice dancer
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 ...
who competed for 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 ...
. With her husband
Alexandr Gorshkov, she was the
1976 Olympic champion, one of the
oldest female figure skating Olympic champions.
They are six-time
World Champions (1970-74, 1976), as well as six-time
European champions (1970-71, 1973-76), which makes them the most decorated of all-time at both events in the pair discipline.
Life and career
Pakhomova was the daughter of
Alexei Pakhomov, an aviation general.
[ She began figure skating at age seven, when her grandmother brought her to ]Children and Youth Sports School
A sports school (russian: Детско-Юношеская Спортивная Школа, ДЮСШ) is a type of educational institution for children that originated in the Soviet Union. Sports schools were the basis of the powerful system of ph ...
by the Young Pioneers Stadium The Young Pioneers Stadium () was a sports complex built in the Soviet Union, intended exclusively for children and youth training, the largest in Europe of this kind. It was located in Moscow. First built at the location in 1926 was a football stad ...
in Moscow.[ Her first ]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 ...
partner was the nine-years-older Viktor Ryzhkin, formerly her coach,[ with whom she trained at ]CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
under Stanislav Zhuk
Stanislav Alekseyevich Zhuk (russian: Станислав Алексеевич Жук, ; 25 January 1935 – 1 November 1998) was a pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With his wife Nina, he won three silver medals at the European Figur ...
.[ They won three Soviet national titles and placed 10th at the 1966 World Championships. They were the first Soviet ice dancers to compete at Worlds.][
After her partnership with Ryzhkin ended, Pakhomova invited Alexandr Gorshkov to skate with her.][ He was only a couple of months older and also trained at CSKA Moscow. Since he had much less experience, some experts were skeptical of her choice.][ Despite the initial experience gap, Gorshkov said that Pakhomova was a strong personality who was determined they would become champions.][
]
Pakhomova/Gorshkov began training in May 1966, under coach Elena Tchaikovskaya, and made their international debut in December of the same year.[ They competed for ]Dynamo
file:DynamoElectricMachinesEndViewPartlySection USP284110.png, "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, )
A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator (electric), commutator. Dynamos were the f ...
.[ After teaming up, a personal relationship developed between the duo and Gorshkov proposed marriage; Pakhomova responded that they would marry only if they became World champions.][
Pakhomova/Gorshkov performed in the ice dancing demonstration event at the ]1968 Winter Olympics
The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...
– the event determined if ice dancing would be added as an official Olympic sport and was successful.[ They won their first World title in 1970 and married later that year.][ The duo repeated as World champions in ]1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
, 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
, 1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
, and 1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
. In 1974, Pakhomova/Gorshkov and Tchaikovskaya created the Tango Romantica, which the ISU would later adopt as a compulsory dance
The compulsory dance (CD), now called the pattern dance, is a part of the figure skating segment of ice dance competitions in which all the competing couples perform the same standardized steps and holds to the music of a specified tempo and ge ...
.[
Following the 1975 European Championships, Gorshkov began feeling ill and underwent a lung operation, with their coach Elena Tchaikovskaya donating blood.][ They flew to ]Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
for the 1975 World Championships, unsure about their participation.[ During the first practice session, Gorshkov had trouble breathing and needed to be given oxygen – they withdrew from the event.][ In the Soviet Union, rumors circulated that Gorshkov had died on the flight to the United States and the chairman of the Soviet Sports Committee called him to check if he was still alive.][
Pakhomova/Gorshkov returned to competition the following season. Ice dancing debuted as an official Olympic sport at the ]1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a ...
in Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
, Austria, and Pakhomova/Gorshkov became the first Olympic champions in the discipline. They won their sixth World title in 1976 in Gothenburg, Sweden. They retired from competition later that year.[ In 1977, they had a daughter, Yulia Gorshkova.][
Pakhomova began coaching at CSKA. Her students included 1980 and 1981 World Junior champions ]Elena Batanova
Elena Borisovna Batanova (russian: Елена Борисовна Батанова) is a former competitive ice dancer for the Soviet Union. She is a two-time (1980, 1981) World Junior champion with partner Alexei Soloviev. On the senior level, ...
/ Alexei Soloviev and European medalists Natalia Annenko / Genrikh Sretenski
Genrikh Genrikhovich Sretenski (russian: Генрих Генрихович Сретенский, born July 23, 1962) is convicted sex felon and a former Russian ice dancer who competed for the Soviet Union. With partner Natalia Annenko, Sretenski ...
.[ She coached ]Igor Shpilband
Igor Yuryevich Shpilband (russian: Игорь Юрьевич Шпильбанд, born July 14, 1964) is an American ice dancing coach and former competitor for the Soviet Union. He is the 1983 World Junior champion with former partner Tatiana G ...
for eight years (age 12 to 20).[ He and partner Tatiana Gladkova became the 1983 World Junior champions.
In late 1979, Pakhomova began having health problems which were eventually diagnosed as ]leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
, but she continued to go out onto the ice even after her cancer made it very difficult.[ Her husband said she did not want to change anything in her life and it was not in her nature to give up.][ Pakhomova died at the age of 39 on 17 May 1986 and was interred in the ]Vagankovo Cemetery
Vagankovo Cemetery (russian: Ваганьковское кладбище, Vagan'kovskoye kladbishche), established in 1771, is located in the Presnya district of Moscow. It started in the aftermath of the Moscow plague riot of 1771 outside the cit ...
in Moscow.[
A ]minor planet
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
, 3231 Mila, discovered by Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravlyova
Lyudmila Vasilyevna Zhuravleva (russian: Людмила Васильевна Журавлёва, uk, Людмила Василівна Журавльова, Ljudmyla Vasylivna Žuravljova; born 22 May 1946) is a Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian ast ...
in 1972, is named after her.[ Pakhomova was posthumously inducted into the ]World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored. It is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, ...
in 1988, along with Gorshkov.
Programs
Pakhomova and Gorshkov's programs included:
* La cumparsita
* Tango Romantica
/ref>
* Waltz from Masquerade (Khachaturian), Masquerade by Aram Khachaturian
Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenian ...
* 1985: Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
; Shine, Shine, My Star (Гори, Гори, Моя Звезда); Mexican dance
* Ozornye Chastushki (Озорные частушки) by Rodion Shchedrin
Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin ( rus, Родион Константинович Щедрин, , rədʲɪˈon kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ɕːɪˈdrʲin; born 16 December 1932) is a Soviet and Russian composer and pianist, winner of USSR State ...
* Vdol po Piterskoy (Вдоль по Питерской)
* The Nightingale (Соловей) and Svetit Mesyats (Светит месяц) by Alexander Alyabyev
Alexander Aleksandrovich Alyabyev (russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Аля́бьев; ), also rendered as Alabiev or Alabieff, was a Russian composer known as one of the fathers of the Russian art song. He wrote seven ...
* Works by Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...
and Stanisław Moniuszko
Stanisław Moniuszko (; May 5, 1819 – June 4, 1872) was a Polish composer, conductor and teacher. He wrote many popular art songs and operas, and his music is filled with patriotic folk themes of the peoples of the former Polish–Lithuania ...
Results
With Gorshkov
With Ryzhkin
References
External links
*
*
Navigation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakhomova, Lyudmila
Russian female ice dancers
Soviet female ice dancers
Olympic figure skaters of the Soviet Union
Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union
Dynamo sports society athletes
Figure skaters at the 1976 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters from Moscow
1946 births
1986 deaths
Deaths from leukemia
Burials at Vagankovo Cemetery
Olympic medalists in figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships medalists
European Figure Skating Championships medalists
Soviet figure skating coaches
Female sports coaches
Medalists at the 1976 Winter Olympics