In April 1972, Zaitsev was recommended by Stanislav Zhuk to Irina Rodnina as a potential partner. She was already a four-time World champion and 1972 Olympic gold medalist with her previous partner Alexei Ulanov, who had left her to skate with Lyudmila Smirnova. Zaitsev was three years younger than Rodnina and was much less seasoned but learned quickly. He was from Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) while she was from Moscow.
Rodnina / Zaitsev's music stopped during their short program at the 1973 World Championships, possibly due to a Czech worker acting in retaliation for the suppression of the Prague Spring.[2][3] Known for intense concentration, they finished the program in silence, earning a standing ovation and a gold medal upon completion,[4] ahead of Smirnova / Ulanov, whom they again defeated in 1974.
In 1974, Rodnina / Zaitsev left Zhuk, with whom the working relationship had become strained,[3] to train with Tatiana Tarasova. They won six consecutive World titles together, as well as seven European gold medals, and won their first Olympic title together in 1976. Rodnina / Zaitsev did not compete during the 1978–79 season because she was pregnant with their son, who was born on February 23, 1979.[3] They returned in 1980 to capture their second Olympic title together and Rodnina's third. They then retired from competitive skating.
After retiring from competition, Zaitsev became a coach and for a time was involved in the administration of the sport.
Personal life
Rodnina and Zaitsev were married in April 1975. Their son, also named Alexander, was born in 1979. The pair later divorced.
^Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. . Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
^Srebnitskaya, Daria (September 10, 2009). [Rodnina – an era]. russianews.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on January 19, 2003. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
^ abcPushkina, Oksana (October 3, 2004). Ирина Константиновна Роднина [Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina]. peoples.ru (in Russian). from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
alexander, zaitsev, pair, skater, other, people, with, same, name, alexander, zaitsev, alexander, gennadyevich, zaitsev, russian, Александр, Геннадьевич, Зайцев, born, june, 1952, leningrad, retired, pair, skater, represented, soviet, union, with, partner, iri. For other people with the same name see Alexander Zaitsev Alexander Gennadyevich Zaitsev Russian Aleksandr Gennadevich Zajcev born 16 June 1952 in Leningrad is a retired pair skater who represented the Soviet Union With partner Irina Rodnina he is a two time 1976 1980 Olympic champion six time World champion and seven time European champion They were coached by Stanislav Zhuk and later Tatiana Tarasova in Moscow Alexander ZaitsevPersonal informationFull nameAlexander Gennadyevich ZaitsevCountry representedSoviet UnionBorn 1952 06 16 16 June 1952 age 70 Leningrad RSFSR Soviet UnionHeight5 ft 10 in 1 78 m 1 Former partnerIrina RodninaFormer coachTatiana Tarasova Stanislav ZhukRetired1980Medal record Figure skating PairsRepresenting the Soviet UnionOlympic Games1980 Lake Placid Pairs1976 Innsbruck PairsWorld Championships1978 Ottawa Pairs1977 Tokyo Pairs1976 Gothenburg Pairs1975 Colorado Springs Pairs1974 Munich Pairs1973 Bratislava PairsEuropean Championships1980 Gothenburg Pairs1978 Strasbourg Pairs1977 Helsinki Pairs1976 Geneva Pairs1975 Copenhagen Pairs1974 Zagreb Pairs1973 Cologne PairsFrom 1973 to 1980 they won every event they entered and are to date the most decorated pair team of all time Contents 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 Results 4 See also 5 References 6 External links 7 NavigationCareer EditIn April 1972 Zaitsev was recommended by Stanislav Zhuk to Irina Rodnina as a potential partner She was already a four time World champion and 1972 Olympic gold medalist with her previous partner Alexei Ulanov who had left her to skate with Lyudmila Smirnova Zaitsev was three years younger than Rodnina and was much less seasoned but learned quickly He was from Leningrad Saint Petersburg while she was from Moscow Rodnina Zaitsev s music stopped during their short program at the 1973 World Championships possibly due to a Czech worker acting in retaliation for the suppression of the Prague Spring 2 3 Known for intense concentration they finished the program in silence earning a standing ovation and a gold medal upon completion 4 ahead of Smirnova Ulanov whom they again defeated in 1974 In 1974 Rodnina Zaitsev left Zhuk with whom the working relationship had become strained 3 to train with Tatiana Tarasova They won six consecutive World titles together as well as seven European gold medals and won their first Olympic title together in 1976 Rodnina Zaitsev did not compete during the 1978 79 season because she was pregnant with their son who was born on February 23 1979 3 They returned in 1980 to capture their second Olympic title together and Rodnina s third They then retired from competitive skating After retiring from competition Zaitsev became a coach and for a time was involved in the administration of the sport Personal life EditRodnina and Zaitsev were married in April 1975 Their son also named Alexander was born in 1979 The pair later divorced Results Edit Pairs with Irina Rodnina Event 1972 73 1973 74 1974 75 1975 76 1976 77 1977 78 1978 79 1979 80Winter Olympics 1st 1stWorld Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1stEuropean Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1stSoviet Championships 1st 1st 1st 1stPrize of Moscow News 1stSee also EditUSSR at the Winter OlympicsReferences Edit Evans Hilary Gjerde Arild Heijmans Jeroen Mallon Bill et al Alexander Zaitsev Olympics at Sports Reference com Sports Reference LLC Archived from the original on 2020 04 17 Srebnitskaya Daria September 10 2009 Rodnina eto epoha Rodnina an era russianews ru in Russian Archived from the original on January 19 2003 Retrieved May 6 2011 a b c Pushkina Oksana October 3 2004 Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina peoples ru in Russian Archived from the original on 6 June 2011 Retrieved April 23 2011 Encyclopaedia Britannica Irina RodninaExternal links EditRodnina and Zaitsev pair profileNavigation Edit Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alexander Zaitsev pair skater amp oldid 1086907294, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
