On Friday, at the age of 82, the famous Soviet figure skater, two-time Olympic champion in pair skating Lyudmila Belousova.

The death of Lyudmila Belousova was announced by the producer of the 6ABC TV channel Kristen Beatty. “Lyudmila Belousova died at the age of 81. I was honored to skate with her on the show and get advice from her when I performed in pairs, ”wrote Kristen Beatty.

Lyudmila Belousova was born on November 22, 1935 in Ulyanovsk, where she studied different kinds sports. However, it was in figure skating she, by today's standards, came very late - at the age of 16. Nevertheless, Belousova quickly reached high level, and in 1954 she met the figure skater Oleg Protopopov. And this meeting was destined to change the lives of both athletes. And not only personal (in 1957, the couple got married), but also sports.

The Belousova-Protopopov pair really loudly declared themselves in 1962, when, on the eighth attempt, she managed to win the USSR championship. And two years later, at the Games in Innsbruck, Belousova and Protopopov won their first olympic gold... In 1968, already in Grenoble, the Soviet duo confirmed their reputation as the best, again winning Olympic awards of the highest dignity. Besides, Belousova and Protopopov managed to become world champions four times in their careers.

In the early 1970s, after younger couples, by the way, who studied on the example of Belousova and Protopopov, greatly complicated the programs, two-time Olympic champions had to increasingly think about ending their amateur career. It happened in 1972. However, the athletes did not leave figure skating and worked in the Leningrad Ballet on Ice. One of the most scandalous episodes is also associated with this period - in the fall of 1979, Belousova and Protopopov, who were on tour in Switzerland, became defectors, asking the Swiss authorities for political asylum. The couple, who did not stop performing, returned to their homeland only many years later - in 2003. It is noteworthy that two years ago Belousova and Protopopov skated a program in the United States as part of the Evening with Champions show.

Coach Tamara Moskvina, recalling Belousova, told Kommersant that the main achievement of Belousova and Protopopov was that “they were the first couple who turned figure skating into a sport close to art”. “This is their main achievement. Second, they, like two doves, always supported each other in skating, so deeply felt each other and showed their true feelings, that all their programs are colored by this feeling of love, admiration for each other. It is a pity, of course, that our people, who admired them when they performed, won gold medals, will not be able to spend her last journey, ”said Moskvina.

Arnold Kabanov, Vera Mukhina

Yesterday it became known about the death of the two-time Soviet figure skater Olympic champion in pair skating Lyudmila Belousova, who performed in a duet with Oleg Protopopov. She died at the age of 82. The producer of the American television company 6ABC Kristen Beatty wrote about this on her Twitter, referring to the Ice Network. The death of Belousova was also confirmed by honored figure skating coaches Alexei Mishin and Tamara Moskvina.

“Lyudmila Belousova-Protopopova died at the age of 81. I'm proud to skate on shows with her and take her advice, ”Beatty wrote. “I was informed about her death, this is a great loss, especially for me. Because I'm half of mine sports life spent with her and Oleg in the same dressing room, ”Mishin told TASS.

Belousova skated in tandem with Oleg Protopopv, with whom she soon linked her life - they became spouses. The famous couple won gold at Olympic Games in 1964 and also won the 1968 Olympics. In addition, they each have four victories in the European and World Championships in their standings.

Recall that in 1979, Lyudmila and Oleg, unexpectedly for everyone, emigrated to Switzerland, which is why they became enemies of the people in their homeland. V recent times the couple lived and worked in Switzerland and the United States. Despite their age, they continued to go out on the ice and amaze the audience with their brilliant performances.

The legendary Soviet figure skater, two-time Olympic champion in pair skating Lyudmila Belousova, who performed in a duet with Oleg Protopopov, died at the age of 82. This was announced on Twitter by the producer of the American television company 6ABC Kristen Beatty with reference to the Ice Network. The death of Belousova was confirmed by honored figure skating coaches Alexei Mishin and Tamara Moskvina.

Recently, Belousova and her husband Oleg Protopopov, who have Swiss citizenship, have lived and worked in Switzerland and the United States, the R-Sport agency notes.

“Lyudmila Belousova-Protopopova died at the age of 81. I'm proud to skate on shows with her and take her advice, ”Beatty wrote. “I was informed about her death, this is a great loss, especially for me. Because I spent half of my sports life with her and Oleg in the same locker room, ”Mishin told TASS.

President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR) Alexander Gorshkov said that Belousova was an outstanding athlete, her performances paired with a partner are still the standard.

“Lyudmila was a very pleasant, intelligent person, a very pleasant woman to talk to. I, like the whole world, perceived them with Oleg as one whole. They were a unique, amazing couple! For our country, they are pioneers, for the first time for the USSR and Russia they won a gold Olympic medal in pair skating in 1964. And then we won the second a brilliant victory at the 1968 Olympics, ”Gorshkov told R-Sport.

“They have always been not only outstanding athletes, but also creative people - they created their own unique style, their programs are unforgettable and are still the benchmark. They were fanatically devoted to figure skating, devoted their whole lives to it, ”the head of the federation emphasized.

“They own several variants of such an element as todes. The news is very sad, we are very sorry about what happened, ”Gorshkov added in a comment to TASS.

The famous choreographer, silver medalist of the Olympic Games in ice dancing Ilya Averbukh, who knew the skaters personally, in a commentary to REN TV called Belousova and Protopopov “a reference couple” and “a symbol of great love for life”.

According to Averbukh, new generations of skaters rely on their skating. “Now it's scary to imagine what state Oleg is in, because they are one whole - two people who have devoted themselves entirely to figure skating. They are not just champions of champions, they have so many titles, the main thing is that they are the couple on which the whole development of figure skating is based. Any skater dreams of such a title. They were so honored, ”he said.

“I am happy that I know them personally and have worked. They performed in one of my ice shows. And I have this performance in my head forever, ”added Averbukh.

Lyudmila Belousova was born on November 22, 1935 in Ulyanovsk, later moved to Moscow with her parents. Since childhood she was engaged different kinds sports, from the age of 16 she began to engage in figure skating. Her first partner was Kirill Gulyaev, but he left the sport, and Belousova began performing in singles until in 1954 she met Oleg Protopopov.

Belousova and Protopopov won gold at the 1964 Games in Innsbruck and the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble. They also have four victories at the World Championships and four golds at the European Championships.

On February 25, 2003, for the first time in more than 20 years, Belousova flew with Protopopov to Russia at the invitation of Vyacheslav Fetisov. In November 2005, the couple visited Russia at the invitation of the St. Petersburg Figure Skating Federation. They attended the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, gave interviews.

In September 2015, 79-year-old Lyudmila Belousova and 83-year-old Oleg Protopopov performed on ice in the United States in the Evening with Champions program.

It is impossible to tell about the famous figure skater Lyudmila Belousova apart from the other half - her husband and partner on the ice Oleg Protopopov. The legends of Soviet figure skating became the first athletes who brought the country Olympic gold in pair skating. 4 years after the triumphant 1964 Olympics, the "artists on the ice" - as the skaters were called for their amazing artistry and synchronicity - won the second gold.

They were extolled, loved and idolized. Therefore, for millions of Soviet fans of the couple, the escape of the favorites from the country and the request for political asylum in one of the capitalist countries came as a shock, dividing the citizens into two camps. The only thing that united the split society was the assessment of the achievements of Belousova and Protopopov: their performances and performances were called the pinnacle of skill.

Childhood and youth

The future figure skating legend was born in 1935 in Ulyanovsk. There is very little information about the family of Lyudmila Belousova. The Belousovs moved to the capital when their daughter was a child.

The fragile girl's love for sports was born in her childhood. At first, Luda became interested in gymnastics, then tennis, which was briefly replaced by speed skating.

In Moscow, a 16-year-old girl watched the Austrian comedy and musical film Spring on Ice and suddenly realized that figure skating is her dream, and the film is a clue of fate.

In the early 1950s, the first artificial skating rink in the country of the Soviets appeared in the capital. 16-year-old Lyudmila Belousova enrolled in the children's group, and after 3 years she moved to the senior one, training on a voluntary basis newcomers in the park. Dzerzhinsky.

At the same time, Belousova first performed on the ice in pair skating: Kirill Gulyaev became the figure skater's partner. Soon he left the sport, but this circumstance did not stop Lyudmila: the girl continued to skate in singles.

Figure skating

For the current masters of ice dancing, it is considered the norm for the first time to go to the rink at the age of 5-6 years. The Russian star won Olympic gold at the age of 15, and Lyudmila Belousova and her permanent partner Oleg Protopopov at this age only took their first steps as figure skaters.

The couple met in 1954 at a seminar in the capital. Protopopov is an employee of the Baltic Fleet, a resident of Leningrad who survived the blockade. Belousova is a student at a Moscow university, where she studied to be a railway engineer. After talking, the young people found out that they share a common hobby - figure skating. We went to the rink and realized that they were a couple.

Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov on ice

Lyudmila Belousova transferred to a specialized university in a city on the Neva and in December 1954, under the guidance of coach Igor Moskvin, the athletes put on the first number. The couple had to develop their skills in a short time: they learned in a year what colleagues learned in 3-4.

The technique was lame: at first international tournaments in 1958 Belousova and Protopopov fell repeatedly and made annoying mistakes. But the athletes studied rapidly and after 2 years went to the Olympics: they performed on the ice of the Californian Squaw Valley and brought home 9th place.

The age of the skaters was inexorably approaching 30. Colleagues and mentors believed that Lyudmila Belousova and her partner had reached the ceiling of possibilities and would no longer surprise the fans. But the couple had other plans.

In 1962, the skaters won their first triumph: they were in the lead in the union championship and became silver medalists of two foreign championships - Europe and the world.

Two years later, Soviet athletes unexpectedly bypassed the strongest opponents from Germany, Marika Kilius and Hans Boimler, in the compulsory program. In the same triumphant 1964, Lyudmila Belousova and her partner became Olympic champions in the Austrian Innsbruck.

The programs of Belousova and Protopopov in the second half of the 1960s were called benchmark by sports observers and connoisseurs of figure skating. In the numbers, many of which the couple staged on their own, the skaters achieved incredible synchronization and amazing fluidity of movement. Their performances were mesmerizing, seemed like magic.

In 1968, in Grenoble, at the third Olympics, Lyudmila Belousova, with her constant partner, were in the lead in two programs and brought the second gold from France. This was followed by a victory at the World Championship, where the judges without hesitation gave the Soviet athletes the highest scores.

Sunset sports career began in 1969: young Soviet skaters pushed the masters off the pedestal. At the World Championships, Lyudmila Belousova with a partner won bronze, and in 1970 twice Olympic champions were not included in the national team, taking 4th place in two types of programs.

In the early 1970s, the couple left amateur sports, but did not leave the rink: the couple worked in ice ballet, put on programs and shows, and prepared a shift.

In the fall of 1979, the tutors, together with the ballet ward, went on tour to Switzerland. After the speech, unexpectedly for everyone, the spouses asked for political asylum and became defectors, as they were called in their homeland. They explained the act by the impossibility of developing in the Union. Both could not imagine life without sports, and at home they blocked the path to return to the big ice.

In the USSR, they were crossed out from everywhere: they were branded in the newspapers, calling them traitors, their titles were taken away and names were deleted from all reference books. Colleagues who met with Belousova and Protopopov at tournaments in Europe were forbidden to talk to "traitors to the motherland."

In Switzerland, 43-year-old Belousova and 47-year-old Protopopov continued to go to the skating rink, participated in ice shows, and taught young people. The defectors settled in Grindelwald, but they were given citizenship only 15 years later, in the mid-1990s.

Lyudmila Belousova and her husband came to Russia 20 years later, in the winter of 2003. But the couple did not want to return to their homeland. In 2014, the legends of Soviet figure skating arrived in Sochi and became guests of honor of the Olympics.

Personal life

Friends of the couple assured that the couple complemented each other both in life and on the ice. They married in 1957 and lived as one for 60 years. Temperamental and "explosive" Protopopov and quiet Mila, masterly "extinguishing" the angry outbursts of her husband.

Lyudmila Belousova admitted to reporters that she never exchanged gifts with her husband, because each of them is a gift for the other half.

The athletes never had children: it was a mutual decision. Long sports biography- skaters went out on the ice until 2015 - demanded the abandonment of everything that interfered with the profession.

V last time Lyudmila Evgenievna went out with her husband on the ice at 79 years old: the couple performed in America at the "Evening with Champions".

Death

Lyudmila Belousova was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. For a year and a half, the woman struggled with the disease, but in September 2017 the disease won: the figure skating legend died at 82 in Grindelwald.

Belousova's body was cremated. Oleg Alekseevich, not wanting to part with his half, keeps an urn with her ashes in the house.

Awards and achievements

• Winter Olympics: gold (1964, 1968)
• World Championships:
• gold (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968)
• silver (1962, 1963, 1964), bronze (1969)
• European Championships:
• gold (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968),
• silver (1962, 1963, 1964, 1969);
• USSR Championships:
• gold (1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968)
• silver (1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1969)
• bronze (1953, 1954, 1955)

Lyudmila Belousova, two-time Olympic figure skating champion, has passed away. She was 81 years old. This was announced by coach Alexei Mishin.

Lyudmila Belousova cause of death

The reason for the death of the two-time Olympic figure skating champion of the Soviet era has not been named. V last years she and her husband and permanent partner Oleg Protopopov ice lived in Switzerland. According to updated reports from other sources, in particular from the words of Oleg Makarov, bronze medalist of the 1984 Olympic Games in pair skating, Lyudmila Belousova was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago.

Alexey Mishin, who knew Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov closely, spoke about the death of the great figure skater.

Lyudmila Belousova, biography

She was born on November 22, 1935 in Ulyanovsk. She performed in tandem with Oleg Protopopov. They won the Olympic Games in Innsbruck (1964) and Grenoble (1968), 4 World and European Championships.

She started to play sports in Moscow. By today's standards, Belousova came to figure skating late at the age of 16. In 1954 she began to skate together with Oleg Protopopov. They got married in 1957. To the first Olympic medals they walked long and hard, and they trained on their own.

At the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, unexpectedly for everyone, they bypassed the Germans. It was the first Olympic gold of the Soviet national team in figure skating... At the 1968 Olympics, they repeated their success.

Belousova and Protopopov became the era in figure skating.

After the Olympics, there was a recession. After several unsuccessful performances at the USSR championships, they left big sport in ballet on ice.

In 1979, they went on a tour to Switzerland with the Leningrad Ballet on Ice, where they asked for political asylum and did not return to the USSR. This was received very negatively. Athletes were stripped of their titles, they were forbidden to write and show on television. After that, Belousova and Protopopov visited Russia only three times.

They live in Grindelwald, Switzerland.