Lyudmila Smirnova

Lyudmila Stanislavovna Smirnova (Russian: Людмила Станиславовна Смирнова; born July 21, 1949 in Leningrad[1]) is a retired pair skater who competed for the Soviet Union. With partner Andrei Suraikin, she is the 1972 Winter Olympic silver medalist. With later partner and former husband Alexei Ulanov, she is a two-time World silver medalist.

Olympic medal record
Figure skating
Representing  Soviet Union
	1972 Sapporo	Pairs

Lyudmila Smirnova
Personal information
Full name	Lyudmila Stanislavovna Smirnova
Country represented	Soviet Union
Born	(1947-11-04) November 4, 1947 Moscow
Former partner	Andrei Suraikin Alexei Ulanov
Former coach	Maya Belenkaya
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union Pairs' Figure skating Olympic Games 1972 Sapporo Pairs World Championships 1974 Munich Pairs 1973 Bratislava Pairs 1972 Calgary Pairs 1971 Lyon Pairs 1970 Ljubljana Pairs European Championships 1974 Zagreb Pairs 1973 Cologne Pairs 1972 Gothenburg Pairs 1971 Zürich Pairs 1970 Leningrad Pairs

Career

Smirnova began figure skating in 1955 and became a member of the USSR National Team in 1968.[1] She trained in Leningrad at Spartak and competed initially with Suraikin.[2] Smirnova and Suraikin were coached by Maya Belenkaya.[3] They were the 2nd strongest Soviet pair behind Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov, and placed second behind them at both the World and European Championships three times (1970–1972).

Smirnova and Ulanov, skating for rival teams, fell in love. The pairs decided to separate—a decision they made before the 1972 Games. Rodnina and Ulanov won the gold, and Smirnova and Suraikin the silver. Thereafter Smirnova began skating with Ulanov.

Smirnova and Ulanov competed for two seasons. They won silver medals at the 1973 World and European Championships. The next season, they won European bronze and World silver medals.

In 1972 Smirnova was awarded the Medal For Labour Heroism.[1]

Personal life

Smirnova and Ulanov married and later divorced after having two children, Nikolai Ulanov and Irina Ulanova.[4] Their daughter, Irina Ulanova, is a former pair skater who skated with Alexander Smirnov,[5] and Maxim Trankov for about three years.[6]

Competitive highlights

Results

(with Suraikin)

Event	1968-1969	1969–1970	1970–1971	1971–1972
Winter Olympic Games				2nd
World Championships		2nd	2nd	2nd
European Championships		2nd	2nd	2nd
Prize of Moscow News		2nd	1st	2nd
Winter Universiade		1st
Soviet Championships	4th	2nd	2nd
USSR Cup	2nd

With Ulanov

Event	1972–1973	1973–1974
World Championships	2nd	2nd
European Championships	2nd	3rd
Soviet Championships	3rd
Prize of Moscow News		1st

References

1. [Panorama of the 1972 Sports Year] (in Russian). Moscow: Fizkultura i sport. 1973. p. 50.
2. Khavin, Boris (1979). [All about the Olympic Games] (in Russian) (2nd ed.). Moscow: Fizkultura i sport. p. 448.
3. Легендарная фигуристка М.П.Беленькая (in Russian). Ledyanaya Fabrika. 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010.
4. Deryagin, Nikolai (17 December 2010). Алексей Уланов: «Талантливый человек в любой момент может предать» [Alexei Ulanov interview]. yagazeta.com (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.
5. http://www.icedinasty.com/Dinasty/Ice_Dinasty_Family.html
6. Izotov, Ilya (29 April 2011). Первый лед Транькова [Trankov's early years on the ice]. Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.

External links

• Smirnova and Suraikin profile
• Smirnova and Ulanov competition results