Ludmila Belousova

Lyudmila Belousova Evgenevna behaves. Protopopowa (Russian Людмила Евгеньевна Белоусова - Протопопова; born November 22, 1935 in Ulyanovsk ) is a Russian figure skater who started in pair skating for the Soviet Union.

In 1953, Lyudmila Belousova met, a graduate of the Energetic Institute of Railway Engineers, in a staged in Moscow competition on Oleg Protopopov, who had studied at the heart -PH in Leningrad sport. On 28 August 1954, she completed her first pair of running common. Your coach Igor Moskvin was first, then Peter Orlov. Then they trained independently in Woskressensk in Moscow, where they were supported by Stanislav Zhuk, the Protopopov knew from Leningrad. In 1957 they married.

His debut at the World and European Championships, the couple had in 1958. Were you at that time the second best Soviet figure skating pair after Nina and Stanislav Zhuk, behind which they were from 1957 to 1959 and 1961 Soviet runner-up. 1960 in Squaw Valley, they contested their first Olympic games and they finished in ninth place.

In 1962 were Belousova and Protopopov for the first time Soviet champion. They defended the title until 1968 except for the year 1965. As reigning Soviet champion in 1962 they won their first major international medals. In Geneva, they were runners- up behind Marika Kilius and Hans -Jürgen Baumler and Prague Vice World Champion behind the Canadians Maria and Otto Jelinek. Both at the European Championships in 1963 and 1964, as well as at the World Championships in 1963 and 1964, she won the silver medal behind Kilius and Baumler. At the Olympic Games 1964 in Innsbruck, however, they managed to defeat the favored Germans. It was the first Olympic gold for the Soviet Union in figure skating. In 1965 Belousova and Protopopov in Moscow for the first time European champion and in Colorado Springs for the first time world champion. It was the first title for the Soviet Union in World and European Championships in figure skating. The couple was able to defend world title in 1966 in Davos, 1967 in Vienna and 1968 in Geneva and defend the European title in 1966 in Bratislava, 1967 in Ljubljana and in 1968 in Västerås. In 1968 she defended at the Olympic Games in Grenoble also their Olympic title, whilst simultaneously pointing their fellow countrymen Tatyana Zhuk and Alexander Gorelik on the silver medal. They had arrived at the height of her career.

In 1969, she denied her last World Cup and European Championship. Both times they had to face the competition from their own country to admit defeat. At the European Championships, it still was enough to silver behind Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov, at the World Championships, they were also displaced by Tamara Moskvina and Alexei Mishin on the bronze medal. In the years 1970 and 1971 Belousova and Protopopov were still in the Soviet Championships, but did not make it more up to the podium, in 1972 they were once again a third party. They bribed by their elegance, but were not nominated for the 1972 Olympic Games in Sapporo, because the taste was now changed sides on the embodied by Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov athletic running style and the Association said that Protopopov and Belousova are too old.

From 1972 came Belousova and Protopopov as soloists of Eisballets in Leningrad. In 1979 she asked during a tour in Switzerland for asylum. They now live in Grindelwald and have Swiss citizenship since 1995.

Although both have now passed the age of 70, they occur as before. In 2003, she followed an invitation of the Russian Sports Minister Vyacheslav Fetisov and visited on 25 February 2003 after more than 20 years back her Russian homeland.

Results

Pair of running

( with Oleg Protopopov )

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