The Soviet Figure Skating Championships () – also known as the USSR Figure Skating Championships – were an annual figure skating competition organized by the Figure Skating Federation of the USSR () to crown the national champions of the Soviet Union. The first Soviet Championships were held in 1924 in Moscow. Competitions were frequently interrupted early on, particularly leading up to and during World War II, while the final Soviet Championships were held in 1991 in Kyiv. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many of the former Soviet republics held their own national figure skating championships.

Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Sergei Chetverukhin and Alexandre Fadeev are tied for winning the most Soviet Championship titles in men's singles (with six each), Julia Katkhanova holds the record in women's singles (also with six), and Tatyana Tolmachova () and Alexander Tolmachev hold the record in pair skating (with ten). Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov hold the record in ice dance (with six), although Pakhomova won an additional three titles with a previous partner.

History The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – more commonly referred to as the USSR or the Soviet Union – was established in 1922 following World War I and the Russian Revolution. The first Soviet Figure Skating Championships were held in 1924 in Moscow, and continued to 1941 with frequent interruptions leading up to World War II. Competitions were held without interruption from 1945 onwards. Ice dance made its debut at the 1946 Soviet Championships. The figure skating competitions at the 1958 Spartakiad of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) served as the 1958 Soviet Championships; the same was true for the 1974 and 1978 Spartakiads of the Peoples of the USSR. The last installment was held in December 1991 in Kyiv, in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991, Russia and the other eleven Soviet republics emerged as independent nations. Numerous Soviet medalists went on to have successful careers competing in the Russian Figure Skating Championships: Alexei Urmanov won four Russian men's titles from 1993 to 1996, Maria Butyrskaya won six women's titles between 1993 and 1999, Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov won four pairs titles between 1993 and 1998, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov won the pairs title in 1996, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov won the ice dance title in 1996, and Anjelika Krylova and Vladimir Fedorov won the ice dance titles in 1993 to 1994. Viktor Petrenko won the men's title at the 1994 Ukrainian Figure Skating Championships, while Julia Vorobieva became a seven-time national champion of Azerbaijan.

Senior medalists

Men's singles +Men's event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1924 Moscow Yuri Zeldovich No other competitors 1925–26 No competitions held 1927 Leningrad Yuri Zeldovich Mikhail Stankevich No other competitors 1928 Leonid Shaposhnikov Mikhail Stankevich No competitions held 1933 Gorky Ivan Bogoyavlensky Mr. V. Dmitriev Mr. Strelkov 1934–36 No competitions held 1937 Moscow Pyotr Chernyshev Petr Orlov Sergei Vasilyev 1938 Leningrad 1939 Gorky Sergei Vasiliev Petr Orlov 1940 No competition held 1941 Moscow Pyotr Chernyshev Sergei Vasiliev Petr Orlov 1942–44 No competitions held 1945 Gorky Sergei Vasiliev Pyotr Chernyshev Boris Podkosi 1946 Tallinn Petr Orlov Sergei Vasiliev Pyotr Chernyshev 1947 Gorky 1948 Moscow Sergei Vasiliev Petr Orlov 1949 Gorky Pyotr Chernyshev Petr Orlov 1950 Kalinin Petr Orlov B. Podkopaev 1951 Tula Petr Orlov Sergei Vasiliev Ivan Mitrushchenkov 1952 Moscow Ivan Mitrushchenkov Valentin Zakharov 1953 Yaroslavl Valentin Zakharov Petr Orlov Ivan Mitrushchenkov 1954 Kirov Oleg Simantovsky Igor Persiantsev 1955 Moscow Igor Persiantsev Valentin Zakharov 1956 Arkhangelsk Lev Mikhaylov Igor Persiantsev 1957 Moscow Valentin Zakharov Oleg Simantovsky 1958 Igor Persiantsev 1959 Igor Persiantsev Oleg Simantovsky 1960 Oleg Simantovsky Igor Persiantsev 1961 Valery Meshkov Alexander Vedenin 1962 Riga Alexander Vedenin Oleg Simantovsky 1963 Moscow Alexander Vedenin Vladimir Kurenbin Valery Meshkov 1964 Kirov Valery Meshkov Sergei Chetverukhin Alexei Mishin 1965 Kyiv Alexander Vedenin Valery Meshkov Sergei Chetverukhin 1966 Gorky Valery Meshkov Sergei Chetverukhin Vladimir Kurenbin 1967 Kuybyshev Sergei Chetverukhin Vladimir Kurenbin Valery Meshkov 1968 Voskresensk Valery Meshkov Vladimir Kurenbin 1969 Leningrad Vladimir Kurenbin Sergey Volkov 1970 Kyiv Sergey Volkov Yuri Ovchinnikov 1971 Riga 1972 Minsk Vladimir Kovalyov Igor Bobrin 1973 Rostov-on-Don Sergei Chetverukhin Yuri Ovchinnikov Sergey Volkov 1974 Sverdlovsk Sergey Volkov Vladimir Kovalyov 1975 Kyiv Yuri Ovchinnikov Sergey Volkov 1976 Volgograd Sergey Volkov Yuri Ovchinnikov Igor Bobrin 1977 Vilnius Vladimir Kovalyov Sergey Volkov 1978 Sverdlovsk Igor Bobrin Vladimir Kovalyov Konstantin Kokora 1979 Zaporizhzhia Konstantin Kokora Igor Bobrin Vladimir Kotin 1980 Kharkiv Igor Bobrin Vladimir Kotin Konstantin Kokora 1981 Odesa Alexandre Fadeev Vladimir Kotin 1982 Riga Vladimir Kotin Alexandre Fadeev 1983 Chelyabinsk Alexandre Fadeev Igor Bobrin Vitali Egorov 1984 Tashkent Vitali Egorov Leonid Kaznakov Viktor Petrenko 1985 Dnipropetrovsk Vladimir Kotin Vitali Egorov Leonid Kaznakov 1986 Leningrad Alexandre Fadeev Viktor Petrenko Vitali Egorov 1987 Vilnius 1988 Yerevan Vladimir Kotin 1989 Kyiv Dmitri Gromov Yuriy Tsymbalyuk 1990 Leningrad Viktor Petrenko Dmitri Gromov 1991 Minsk Viktor Petrenko Vyacheslav Zahorodnyuk Alexei Urmanov 1992 Kyiv Alexei Urmanov Viktor Petrenko

Women's singles +Women's event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1924 Moscow No women's competitors No competitions held 1928 Leningrad M. Petrova M. Matselis No other competitors No competitions held 1933 Gorky Tatiana Granatkina Tatyana Molchanova No other competitors 1934–36 No competitions held 1937 Moscow Tatiana Granatkina Evgenia Alekseeva (née Oborina) No other competitors 1938 Leningrad Evgenia Alekseeva (née Oborina) Nina Leplinskaya 1939 Gorky Julia Katkhanova (née Nikolaeva) 1940 No competition held 1941 Moscow Evgenia Alekseeva (née Oborina) Vaike Paduri (née Kaljuvee) Julia Katkhanova (née Nikolaeva) 1942–44 No competitions held 1945 Gorky Vaike Paduri (née Kaljuvee) Jelena Vasiljeva Lidia Sokolova 1946 Tallinn Evgenia Alekseeva (née Oborina) Vaike Paduri (née Kaljuvee) Julia Katkhanova (née Nikolaeva) 1947 Gorky Julia Katkhanova (née Nikolaeva) Tatiana Granatkina 1948 Moscow Julia Alexeeva 1949 Gorky Evgenia Alekseeva (née Oborina) Nonna Kartavenko 1950 Kalinin Nonna Kartavenko Maya Belenkaya 1951 Tula 1952 Moscow 1953 Yaroslavl Nonna Kartavenko Maya Belenkaya Marina Granatkina 1954 Kirov Maya Belenkaya Evgenia Bogdanova 1955 Moscow Tatiana Likhareva Elena Osipova 1956 Arkhangelsk Evgenia Bogdanova Tatiana Likhareva Tatiana Medvedeva 1957 Moscow Elena Osipova Evgenia Bogdanov Tatiana Likhareva 1958 Tatiana Likhareva Elena Osipova 1959 Irina Ershova 1960 Tatyana Nemtsova Tamara Bratus Tatiana Likhareva 1961 Irina Grishkova 1962 Riga Tamara Bratus (Moskvina) Irina Liuliakova Svetlana Tarasova 1963 Moscow Tatyana Zhuk Tatyana Nemtsova 1964 Kirov Tatyana Nemtsova Tatyana Loginova 1965 Kyiv Elena Slepova Elena Shcheglova 1966 Gorky Galina Grzhibovskaya Tatiana Moskovskaya 1967 Kuybyshev Elena Shcheglova Elena Alexandrova 1968 Voskresensk Galina Grzhibovskaya Elena Shcheglova 1969 Leningrad Elena Shcheglova Galina Grzhibovskaya 1970 Kyiv Elena Alexandrova Elena Shcheglova Alla Korneva 1971 Riga Marina Titova Elena Alexandrova Elena Kotova 1972 Minsk Tatiana Oleneva 1973 Rostov-on-Don Tatiana Oleneva Marina Sanaya Liudmila Bakonina 1974 Sverdlovsk Liudmila Bakonina Tatiana Rachkova Elena Lytkina 1975 Kyiv 1976 Volgograd Elena Vodorezova Natalia Strelkova Liudmila Bakonina 1977 Vilnius Liudmila Bakonina Marina Kulbitskaya 1978 Sverdlovsk Liudmila Bakonina Marina Ignatova Zhanna Ilyina 1979 Zaporizhzhia Kira Ivanova Natalia Strelkova Marina Ignatova 1980 Kharkiv Elena Vodorezova Alla Fomicheva 1981 Odesa Kira Ivanova Alla Fomicheva Marina Serova 1982 Riga Elena Vodorezova Anna Antonova Anna Kondrashova 1983 Chelyabinsk Anna Kondrashova Anna Antonova 1984 Tashkent Natalia Lebedeva Marina Serova 1985 Dnipropetrovsk Anna Kondrashova Kira Ivanova Natalia Lebedeva 1986 Leningrad 1987 Vilnius Natalia Skrabnevskaya 1988 Yerevan Natalia Gorbenko 1989 Kyiv Natalia Gorbenko Natalia Lebedeva Anna Lozovik 1990 Leningrad Natalia Lebedeva Natalia Skrabnevskaya Larissa Zamotina 1991 Minsk Julia Vorobieva Natalia Gorbenko 1992 Kyiv Tatiana Rachkova Maria Butyrskaya

Pairs +Pairs' event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1924 Moscow No other competitors No competitions held 1927 Leningrad 1928 No competitions held 1933 Gorky 1934–36 No competitions held 1937 Moscow & (tied) No silver medals awarded 1938 Leningrad 1939 Gorky 1940 No competition held 1941 Moscow 1942–44 No competitions held 1945 Gorky 1946 Tallinn 1947 Gorky 1948 Moscow 1949 Gorky 1950 Kalinin 1951 Tula 1952 Moscow 1953 Yaroslavl 1954 Kirov 1955 Moscow & (tied) 1956 Arkhangelsk 1957 Moscow 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 Riga 1963 Moscow 1964 Kirov 1965 Kyiv 1966 Gorky 1967 Kuybyshev 1968 Voskresensk 1969 Leningrad 1970 Kyiv 1971 Riga 1972 Minsk 1973 Rostov-on-Don 1974 Sverdlovsk 1975 Kyiv 1976 Volgograd 1977 Vilnius 1978 Sverdlovsk 1979 Zaporizhzhia 1980 Kharkiv 1981 Odesa 1982 Riga 1983 Chelyabinsk 1984 Tashkent 1985 Dnipropetrovsk 1986 Leningrad 1987 Vilnius 1988 Yerevan 1989 Kyiv 1990 Leningrad 1991 Minsk 1992 Kyiv

Ice dance +Ice dance event medalists Year Location Gold Silver Bronze 1946 Tallinn No other competitors 1947 Gorky 1948 Moscow 1949 Gorky No other competitors 1950 Kalinin 1951 Tula 1952 Moscow No ice dance competition 1953 Yaroslavl 1954–58 No ice dance competitions 1959 Moscow No ice dance competitions 1963 Moscow No other competitors 1964 Kirov 1965 Kyiv 1966 Gorky 1967 Kuybyshev 1968 Voskresensk 1969 Leningrad 1970 Kyiv 1971 Riga 1972 Minsk 1973 Rostov-on-Don 1974 Sverdlovsk 1975 Kyiv 1976 Volgograd 1977 Vilnius 1978 Sverdlovsk 1979 Zaporizhzhia 1980 Kharkiv 1981 Odesa 1982 Riga 1983 Chelyabinsk 1984 Leningrad 1985 Dnipropetrovsk 1986 Leningrad 1987 Vilnius 1988 Yerevan 1989 Kyiv 1990 Leningrad 1991 Minsk 1992 Kyiv

Records

+ Discipline Most championship titles Skater(s) Years Men's singles 6 ;1973 1983; Women's singles 6 Pairs 10 ;1941; Ice dance 6 ; 9 ;;

Notes

References

External links Back In The USSR, Part Three: Ice Dancing's Humble Beginnings In The Soviet Union at Skate Guard