The

World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. ...

is an annual

figure skating competition A figure skating competition is a judged sports competition in figure skating. Types of figure skating competitions International International competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) are governed by the union's rules. ...

sanctioned by the

International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, N ...

in which

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 ...

compete for the title of World Champion. The competition took place on 13 February in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was assumed that only men would compete in the event, and just four skaters participated. However, one of them was a woman, Madge Syers-Cave. After the competition, the winner,

Ulrich Salchow Karl Emil Julius Ulrich Salchow (7 August 1877 – 19 April 1949) was a Danish-born Swedish figure skater, who dominated the sport in the first decade of the 20th century. Salchow won the World Figure Skating Championships ten times, from ...

, delighted with Syers, presented her with the gold medal he had just won. At the time, the International Skating Union rules did not specify that only men are allowed to participate. In the following year, rules were changed and separate championships for females and males were introduced. However, it was several years before the ladies' event first took place in 1906. The 1902 championships were the first to hold a pairs competition alongside the singles. The title of "world champions" and medals were not awarded, since the only pair to enter were

Madge Syers Florence Madeline "Madge" Syers (''née'' Cave, 16 September 1881 – 9 September 1917) was a British figure skater. She became the first woman to compete at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1902 by entering what was previously an all ...

/ Edgar Syers of

Results

Men

Judges: * W. F. Adams * J. H. Thompson * Hermann Wendt * Dr. Piotr von Weryho * Ivar Westergren

References

Sources

* Result List provided by the ISU {{ISU Championships Figure skating World Figure Skating Championships World Figure Skating Championships, 1902

International sports competitions in London International figure skating competitions hosted by the United Kingdom