Photo courtesy Fortepan
Historically significant as the final major ISU Championship staged in Europe before a seven-year cancellation of the European and World Championships due to World War II, the 1939 World Figure Skating Championships marked the end of one era. The world's top women competed in Prague, Czechoslovakia on February 11 and 12, 1939 while the men and pairs vied for titles from February 17 to 19, 1939 at the Városligeti Műjégpálya in Budapest, Hungary.
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| British judge Herbert J. Clarke in 1939. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland. |
Let's hop into the time machine and learn a little more about this historically important event!
THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION
Fifteen women vied for the title in Prague. As expected, Megan Taylor unanimously won the school figures, but four different women had second-place ordinals. The British and Swiss judges voted for Daphne Walker, the German for Lydia Veicht, the Czechoslovakian judge for Eva Nyklova and the French judge for Hedy Stenuf... who had previously represented France. These displays of nationalistic judging were so commonplace in the thirties that few even batted an eyelash. Four of the five judges had Taylor first in the free skate. The exception was the Swiss judge, who had Walker in first and Taylor second. Again, the German, Czechoslovakian and French judges bolstered 'their own' skaters. By a comfortable margin, Taylor defended her World title ahead of Stenuf, Walker, Veicht and Nyklova. Nazi Germany's three entries - Emmy Puzinger, Marta Musilek and Anita Wägeler - were cheered on by ten thousand spectators, among them NSDAP politician turned Sturmabteilung (SA) leader Thomas Kozich.
THE PAIRS COMPETITION
Unfortunately, the Nazi flag flew high at the Városligeti Műjégpálya in Budapest as Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier, Ilse and Erik Pausin and Inge Koch and Günther Noack swept the podium in the pairs competition, making up for a poor showing by the nation's three entries in the women's competition.
It was the first and (to date) only time that three pairs representing Germany snatched all three medals in the discipline at the World Championships. Like the cheese, the Yugoslavian judge stood alone in placing the Pausins ahead of their longtime rivals, Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier. All six other judges had the siblings in second place.
Disappointingly, Hungarian siblings Piroska and Attila Szekrényessy finished just off the podium in fourth at the World Championships for the third time... this time in their home country by only eight ordinal placings.
THE MEN'S COMPETITION
Without a single non-European entry, the men's event in Budapest was very much a rematch of Henry Graham Sharp, Freddie Tomlins and Horst Faber, the medallists from the 1939 European Championships in Davos. Four judges had twenty-one-year-old Sharp of Bournemouth first in the school figures, and he took the lead with 216.6 points. However, the German judge had Faber first, Sharp second and Tomlins sixth.
The free skate was decisively won by Tomlins, with Sharp second, Faber third and Edi Rada fourth. The final result was so close that Sharp announced, "You've won it, Freddie!" to his friendly rival. Later on, Sharp learned that he was in fact the winner. Faber took the bronze and Rada finished fourth. Though Elemér Terták had fewer ordinal placings, Herbert Alward's higher point total earned him fifth place. Sharp's victory was the UK's first win ever in the men's event... a feat that wasn't duplicated until John Curry struck gold in 1976.
Henry Graham Sharp later recalled how he and Freddie Tomlins went souvenir shopping in Budapest prior to the free skate: "We found a tea-shop and stuffed ourselves with cream cakes. After this we had quite a number of pints of lager... I think it must have been all for the best because actually the nervous strain of many months of training was beginning to tell on us, and this break-out acted as a sort of tonic."
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 Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the 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.
Program for the women's event in Prague
THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION
:Left: Daphne Walker in Prague. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland. Right: Megan Taylor in Prague.
Before leaving for Prague, Megan Taylor gave an exhibition at the Empire Pool at Wembley in London during the intermission of a hockey game. A.C.A. Wade recalled, "Afterwards, in Mr. David's (the Press Manager) office, Megan, who was carrying a magnificent bouquet of red carnations, was surrounded by a group of admirers and pressmen. Asked what she thought of her chances of winning the World title, Megan was modest and refused to prophesy. When I wished her success, she rewarded me with a buttonhole of carnations, and I jocularly remarked: 'Now, this will be sure to bring you luck, Megan, so go ahead and win. We are all backing you.'" Cecilia Colledge joined Taylor on the long trek to Prague but, suffering from an inflamed Achilles tendon, was forced to withdraw before the competition started. Hedy Stenuf opted to continue, despite being quite sick, but Hanne Niernberger and Angela Anderes caught the flu and didn't compete.
Fifteen women vied for the title in Prague. As expected, Megan Taylor unanimously won the school figures, but four different women had second-place ordinals. The British and Swiss judges voted for Daphne Walker, the German for Lydia Veicht, the Czechoslovakian judge for Eva Nyklova and the French judge for Hedy Stenuf... who had previously represented France. These displays of nationalistic judging were so commonplace in the thirties that few even batted an eyelash. Four of the five judges had Taylor first in the free skate. The exception was the Swiss judge, who had Walker in first and Taylor second. Again, the German, Czechoslovakian and French judges bolstered 'their own' skaters. By a comfortable margin, Taylor defended her World title ahead of Stenuf, Walker, Veicht and Nyklova. Nazi Germany's three entries - Emmy Puzinger, Marta Musilek and Anita Wägeler - were cheered on by ten thousand spectators, among them NSDAP politician turned Sturmabteilung (SA) leader Thomas Kozich.
THE PAIRS COMPETITION
Top: Ilse and Erik Pausin in Budapest. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland. Bottom: Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier. Photo courtesy Julia C. Schulze.
Unfortunately, the Nazi flag flew high at the Városligeti Műjégpálya in Budapest as Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier, Ilse and Erik Pausin and Inge Koch and Günther Noack swept the podium in the pairs competition, making up for a poor showing by the nation's three entries in the women's competition.
 |
| Inge Koch and Günther Noack. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland. |
It was the first and (to date) only time that three pairs representing Germany snatched all three medals in the discipline at the World Championships. Like the cheese, the Yugoslavian judge stood alone in placing the Pausins ahead of their longtime rivals, Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier. All six other judges had the siblings in second place.
Disappointingly, Hungarian siblings Piroska and Attila Szekrényessy finished just off the podium in fourth at the World Championships for the third time... this time in their home country by only eight ordinal placings.
Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier
Henry Graham Sharp in Budapest. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.
Without a single non-European entry, the men's event in Budapest was very much a rematch of Henry Graham Sharp, Freddie Tomlins and Horst Faber, the medallists from the 1939 European Championships in Davos. Four judges had twenty-one-year-old Sharp of Bournemouth first in the school figures, and he took the lead with 216.6 points. However, the German judge had Faber first, Sharp second and Tomlins sixth.
Freddie Tomlins. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.
The free skate was decisively won by Tomlins, with Sharp second, Faber third and Edi Rada fourth. The final result was so close that Sharp announced, "You've won it, Freddie!" to his friendly rival. Later on, Sharp learned that he was in fact the winner. Faber took the bronze and Rada finished fourth. Though Elemér Terták had fewer ordinal placings, Herbert Alward's higher point total earned him fifth place. Sharp's victory was the UK's first win ever in the men's event... a feat that wasn't duplicated until John Curry struck gold in 1976.
Henry Graham Sharp later recalled how he and Freddie Tomlins went souvenir shopping in Budapest prior to the free skate: "We found a tea-shop and stuffed ourselves with cream cakes. After this we had quite a number of pints of lager... I think it must have been all for the best because actually the nervous strain of many months of training was beginning to tell on us, and this break-out acted as a sort of tonic."
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 Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the 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.