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The Best Figures Skaters In The World

 

Today we'll take a quick look at the best figures skaters in the world! All of the accomplished skaters listed in this table won the compulsory figures at the World Figure Skating Championships. The skaters with a * beside their name also won the overall title.

Year

Men's

Women's

1896

Gilbert Fuchs*

(none)

1897

Gustav Hügel*

(none)

1898

Gustav Hügel

(none)

1899

Ulrich Salchow

(none)

1900

Ulrich Salchow

(none)

1901

Ulrich Salchow*

(none)

1902

Ulrich Salchow*

(none)

1903

Ulrich Salchow*

(none)

1904

Ulrich Salchow*

(none)

1905

Ulrich Salchow*

(none)

1906

Gilbert Fuchs*

Madge Syers*

1907

Ulrich Salchow*

Madge Syers*

1908

Ulrich Salchow*

Lili Kronberger*

1909

Ulrich Salchow*

Lili Kronberger*

1910

Ulrich Salchow*

Lili Kronberger*

1911

Ulrich Salchow*

Lili Kronberger*

1912

Fritz Kachler*

Zsófia Méray-Horváth*

1913

Fritz Kachler*

Zsófia Méray-Horváth*

1914

Fritz Kachler

Zsófia Méray-Horváth*

1922

Fritz Kachler

Herma Szabo*

1923

Fritz Kachler*

Herma Szabo*

1924

Gillis Grafström*

Herma Szabo*

1925

Fritz Kachler

Herma Szabo*

1926

Willy Böckl*

Herma Szabo*

1927

Willy Böckl*

Sonja Henie*

1928

Willy Böckl*

Sonja Henie*

1929

Gillis Grafström*

Sonja Henie*

1930

Karl Schäfer*

Sonja Henie*

1931

Karl Schäfer*

Sonja Henie*

1932

Karl Schäfer*

Sonja Henie*

1933

Karl Schäfer*

Sonja Henie*

1934

Karl Schäfer*

Sonja Henie*

1935

Karl Schäfer*

Sonja Henie*

1936

Karl Schäfer*

Sonja Henie*

1937

Felix Kaspar*

Cecilia Colledge*

1938

Felix Kaspar*

Megan Taylor*

1939

Henry Graham Sharp*

Megan Taylor*

1947

Hans Gerschwiler*

Barbara Ann Scott*

1948

Dick Button*

Barbara Ann Scott*

1949

Dick Button*

Ája Zanová*

1950

Dick Button*

Ája Zanová*

1951

Dick Button*

Jeannette Altwegg*

1952

Dick Button*

Jacqueline du Bief*

1953

Jimmy Grogan

Tenley Albright*

1954

Hayes Alan Jenkins*

Tenley Albright

1955

Hayes Alan Jenkins*

Tenley Albright*

1956

Hayes Alan Jenkins*

Carol Heiss*

1957

David Jenkins*

Carol Heiss*

1958

Tim Brown

Carol Heiss*

1959

Tim Brown

Carol Heiss*

1960

Alain Giletti*

Carol Heiss*

1962

Karol Divín

Sjoukje Dijkstra*

1963

Manfred Schnelldorfer

Sjoukje Dijkstra*

1964

Manfred Schnelldorfer*

Sjoukje Dijkstra*

1965

Alain Calmat*

Petra Burka*

1966

Emmerich Danzer*

Peggy Fleming*

1967

Wolfgang Schwarz

Peggy Fleming*

1968

Tim Wood

Peggy Fleming*

1969

Tim Wood*

Trixi Schuba

1970

Ondrej Nepela

Trixi Schuba

1971

Ondrej Nepela*

Trixi Schuba*

1972

Ondrej Nepela*

Trixi Schuba*

1973

Ondrej Nepela*

Karen Magnussen*

1974

Jan Hoffmann*

Karin Iten

1975

Sergei Volkov*

Dianne de Leeuw*

1976

Vladimir Kovalev

Isabel de Navarre

1977

Vladimir Kovalev*

Anett Pötzsch

1978

Vladimir Kovalev

Anett Pötzsch*

1979

Jan Hoffmann

Anett Pötzsch

1980

Jan Hoffmann*

Anett Pötzsch*

1981

Jean-Christophe Simond

Claudia Kristofics-Binder

1982

Jean-Christophe Simond

Claudia Kristofics-Binder

1983

Jean-Christophe Simond

Rosalynn Sumners*

1984

Scott Hamilton*

Katarina Witt*

1985

Alexandr Fadeev*

Kira Ivanova

1986

Alexandr Fadeev

Kira Ivanova

1987

Alexandr Fadeev

Kira Ivanova

1988

Alexandr Fadeev

Katarina Witt*

1989

Alexandr Fadeev

Claudia Leistner

1990

Richard Zander

Jill Trenary*


So what does this table reveal? I think the most significant thing is that after the short program was introduced in 1973 and figures were devalued to thirty percent, there is a noticeable increase in skaters who won the school figures but not the overall World title. With twelve wins, Ulrich Salchow holds the record for winning the men's figures at the World Championships the most times. The women's record-holder is Sonja Henie, with ten. 

Ulrich Salchow

In her outstanding article from "Skating" magazine in 1991, Susan A. Johnson points out, "In 80 years of Men's Championships, only six times (in 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1989, and 1990) did a winner of the figures who completed the competition not become an overall medallist. And in the 70 years which the Ladies' Championships were contested, only four times (in 1974, 1976, 1986 and 1987) did the winner of the figures fail to win a medal."

Richard Zander, an American-born skater who represented West Germany, holds the unfortunate record of being the winner of the figures at the World Championships to place the lowest in the overall standings. He finished seventh overall at the 1990 World Championships in Halifax, the last ISU Championship to include figures. The women's figure winner with the lowest overall finish was another West German, Isabel de Navarre. She finished sixth overall in 1976.

Trixi Schuba

One of the most interesting things about this list, however, concerns Trixi Schuba. The 1972 Olympic Gold Medallist earned the nickname 'the human scribe' for her uncanny accuracy in the school figures, and much was made of her two World title wins being based solely on her success in the first phase of the competition. When she won in 1971 and 1972, she placed only seventh and ninth in free skating. What's quite fascinating is the fact she won the figures in 1969 and 1970 as well, actually placing a spot higher in the free skating in 1969 than she did when she won her first World title. She lost both of those World titles because the winner both years, East Germany's Gaby Seyfert, finished in second place in the figures. The winner of the free skating competitions in 1971 and 1972, Janet Lynn, finished fifth and third in figures those years.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on FacebookTwitterPinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.