Ondrej Nepela (22 January 1951 – 2 February 1989) was a
Slovak figure skater
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 ...
who represented
Czechoslovakia. He was the
1972 Olympic champion, a three-time
World
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
champion (1971–73), and a five-time
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
champion (1969–73). Later in his career, he performed professionally and became a coach.
Early life
Nepela was born on 22 January 1951 in
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...
,
Czechoslovakia.
[ His mother, a housewife and seamstress, and father, a chauffeur, were from central Slovakia.][
]
Career
Nepela became interested in skating after watching the 1958 European Championships on television[ — ]Karol Divín
Karol "Karcsi" Emil Divín (born Karol Finster; 22 February 1936 – 6 April 2022) was a Slovak figure skater who represented Czechoslovakia. He was the 1960 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time European champion (1958–59), and a two-time Wor ...
won the men's title for Czechoslovakia. In February 1958, his mother brought the seven-year-old to a Bratislava ice rink.[ After two weeks, she approached Hilda Múdra to complain that her son was being ignored by the instructors and Múdra agreed to teach him.][ She described him as a diligent and punctual student.][ Nepela trained at the Slovan Bratislava club.][
]
Competitive career
At age 13, Nepela was assigned to his first major international event — the 1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebra ...
. After placing 22nd in Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a po ...
, Austria, he debuted at the World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
and finished 17th.
In the 1965–66 season, Nepela stepped onto his first ISU Championship podium, winning the bronze medal at the 1966 European Championships in Bratislava. He then reached the top ten at the 1966 World Championships in Davos
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Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alpine resort town and a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos R ...
, Switzerland. Over the next two seasons, Nepela won two more European bronze medals and placed eighth at his second Olympics, in Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
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, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint-A ...
, France.
In the 1968–69 season, he won gold at the 1969 European Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the ...
, West Germany, and stood on his first World podium as the silver medalist at the 1969 World Championships in 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 ...
. The following year, he defended his European title at the 1970 European Championships in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, Soviet Union, before winning another silver medal at the 1970 World Championships, held in Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other Ljubljana#Name, historical names) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city ...
, Yugoslavia.
In 1971, Nepela won his third European title in Zurich, Switzerland and then captured his first World title at the 1971 World Championships in Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
, France. After becoming the European champion for the fourth consecutive year in Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a ...
(Sweden), Nepela traveled to Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
, Japan to compete at his third Olympics. Placing first in the compulsory figures and fourth in the free skate, he finished first overall ahead of the Soviet Union's Sergei Chetverukhin
Sergei Alexandrovich Chetverukhin (russian: Серге́й Александрович Четверухин; born 12 January 1946) is a former Soviet figure skater. He is the 1972 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World medalist, and a four-ti ...
and won the gold medal at the 1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...
, became one of the youngest male figure skating Olympic champions.
Nepela wanted to retire from competition after the 1971–72 season, but agreed to continue one more year because the 1973 World Championships were to be held in Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...
. After winning his third World title in his hometown, he ended his amateur career.[ Múdra was his coach throughout his career.][
]
Professional career, coaching, and awards
From 1973 to 1986, Nepela toured as a soloist with Holiday on Ice
Holiday on Ice is an ice show currently owned by Medusa Music Group GmbH, a subsidiary of CTS EVENTIM, Europe's largest ticket distributor, with its headquarters in Bremen, Germany.
History
Holiday on Ice originated in the United States in Decem ...
.[ He then established himself as a coach in Germany, coaching Claudia Leistner to her European title in 1989.][
In 1972, Nepela was awarded the title of Merited Master of Sport of the USSR.][ Since 1993, the Slovak Figure Skating Association has held a competition each autumn called the ]Ondrej Nepela Memorial
The Nepela Memorial ( sk, Memoriál Ondreja Nepelu), formerly known as the Ondrej Nepela Trophy in 2013–15 & 2017 and the Ondrej Nepela Memorial, is an annual senior-level international figure skating competition. Named after 1972 Olympic champ ...
. In December 2000, the Slovak Republic
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
named him Slovak athlete of the 20th century. Múdra accepted the award on his behalf.[
]
Later years and personal life
In 1988, Nepela began to develop health problems and had two teeth removed.[ He died in Mannheim in February 1989, at the age of 38.][ The medical report from Mannheim hospital named cancer of the lymph nodes as the cause of death.][ His death is often attributed to ]AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
.
In 2000, Toller Cranston
Toller Shalitoe Montague Cranston, CM (April 20, 1949 – January 24, 2015) was a Canadian figure skater and painter. He won the 1971–1976 Canadian national championships, the 1974 World bronze medal and the 1976 Olympic bronze medal. ...
stated in his autobiography that he had a brief relationship with Nepela at the 1973 World Championships.[
]
Results
References
External links
*
*
*
Ondrej Nepela Memorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nepela, Ondrej
1951 births
1989 deaths
Czechoslovak male single skaters
Figure skaters at the 1964 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 1972 Winter Olympics
LGBT sportspeople from Slovakia
LGBT people from Slovakia
LGBT people from Czechoslovakia
AIDS-related deaths in Germany
Deaths from cancer in Germany
Olympic figure skaters of Czechoslovakia
Olympic gold medalists for Czechoslovakia
Olympic medalists in figure skating
Figure skaters from Bratislava
Slovak figure skating coaches
Slovak male single skaters
Slovak expatriates in Germany
Gay sportsmen
LGBT figure skaters
World Figure Skating Championships medalists
European Figure Skating Championships medalists
Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR
Medalists at the 1972 Winter Olympics
Universiade medalists in figure skating
Universiade gold medalists for Czechoslovakia
Competitors at the 1970 Winter Universiade
20th-century LGBT people