Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, groups or pairs perform on ice. It was the first ever winter sport to be included in the Olympic games 1908, followed the same year by the arguably more popular sport featuring men donned in hockey equipment. The four disciplines in Olympic figure skating include ladies’ singles, men’s singles, pair skating and ice dance.
Figure Skating is arguably one of the most popular competitions in the Winter Olympics and we can see why. Not only is it beautiful to watch, but it’s also a very technical sport. Thanks to this, figure skaters are some of the most popular athletes in the sporting world, both on the ice and off. With this in mind, here’s a list of some of the best figure skaters of all time:
1. Brian Boitano’
Brian Boitano was an amazing figure skater. Not only did he win a gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary but he was also the first man ever to land a triple axel at the Olympic games. Not only that, but this four-time U.S. national champion also twice stood alone at the top of the world championships in men’s singles. This is why he deserves a place on our list of the top figure skaters of all time.
2. Carol Heiss
Carol Heiss was an American skater who dominated women’s figure skating during the 1950s and 60s. She first competed in the World Championships aged just 13 years old where she placed 14th. Between the years of 1956 and 1960, Heiss was the World Champion of female figure skating. In 1960, Heiss was crowned Olympic champion after becoming the first female to successfully land a double axel jump.
3. Meryl Davis and Charlie White
Lots of people were inspired to get back into figure skating after watching Charlie White and Meryl Davis on Dancing With the Stars. But this isn’t the only reason why they’ve made it onto our list of the best figure skaters of all time. White and Davis appear on this list because they’re one of the longest lasting dance teams to ever come out of the U.S., and they’re the only ever U.S. duo to win an Olympic Gold medal. Davis and White actually won a number of medals during their career, including Olympic gold, silver, team bronze, and two World Championship gold medals.
4. Irina Rodrina
You may find it strange that we’ve included a single pairs skater by herself in this list of the top figure skaters of all time, but if we look at this USSR skater in more detail you’ll understand why. Irina Rodrina won gold in a number of pairs competitions during her career, but they weren’t all with the same partner. In actual fact, she won every competition, she took part in over a period of 11 years.
5. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
We can’t have a list of the best figure skaters of all time without including Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. This outstanding British ice dancing duo were the pair to break the Russian dominance in ice dancing in the 1980s. Their amazing routine – the Bolero – received perfect scores and won them a gold medal.
Which one of the above is your favorite?
