15 Most Famous Russian Figure Skaters of All Time

Of all the Olympic sports, Russia is known for dominating one in particular: figure skating. Russian figure skaters are trained to operate like athletic machines before they’re old enough to attend kindergarten. 

While their methods are questionable, Russia’s churned out many memorable figure skating champions. Which ones were the most memorable? Here are the most popular to date.

Date of birth: Oct. 6, 1960

Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Biggest achievement: Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion

Bottom Line: Sergei Ponomarenko and his skating partner and wife Marina Klimova made waves during the 1980s and ’90s as ice dancers. They won four European titles in a row, and they had one of the longest careers at the time, spanning over a decade. Ponomarenko was one of the oldest skating champions, delaying retirement until he was in his early 30s.

Following retirement, he and Klimova were both inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and Ponomarenko remains an ISU technical specialist for Russia. Both of them now coach in San Jose, California, and one of their sons, Anthony Ponomarenko, is now a competitive ice dancer. 

Date of birth: May 23, 1977

Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Biggest achievement: First figure skater to win Olympic gold with a quadruple jump

Bottom Line: Ilia Kulik was 20 when he won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. He was only the second man in the sport’s history to win gold on his first try. He started skating at 5 and was initially more on the clumsy side. But his coach noted Kulik’s refusal to give up and encouraged him to continue lessons.

Kulik went on to win two Russian national championships, followed by a stunning Olympic debut with one of the most challenging programs ever successfully skated at that time. It included a quadruple toe loop and eight triples. Later in life, he became a distinguished choreographer, touring with both “Champions on Ice” and “Stars on Ice.” 

Date of birth: July 1, 1996

Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Biggest achievement: Four-time Russian National Champion

Bottom Line: Adelina Sotnikova isn’t the most famous Russian figure skater, but she had a loyal fanbase throughout the 2010s. She started skating when she was just 4 at a rink near her home in Moscow. Just eight years later, she won gold at the senior-level Russian Nationals.

She was too young to compete on the Junior Grand Prix circuit that season, but she continued working her way up, eventually winning Olympic gold in 2014. She had a string of lingering injuries, eventually retiring due to chronic pain. 

RELATED: Meet Ilia Malinin, the ‘Quad God’ of Figure Skating

Date of birth: March 18, 1980

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Biggest achievement: Only skater to have achieved a Golden Slam

Bottom Line: One of the most memorable Russian figure skaters of all time, Alexei Yagudin is the only skater to have won a Golden Slam – a victory in every major figure skating championship in the same season. This includes the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, Grand Prix assignments and Grand Prix final. He was primed for success from the start, landing all his double jumps by age 10 and five triples before the age of 12. 

He was awarded the Order of Merit by the Russian Federation in 2003 and joined the figure skating Hall of Fame in 2017. Since then, he’s worked as an actor, TV host and sports commentator.