The Best Figures Skaters In The World

by Kivi

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12.19.2021

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.

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