Oleg Protopopov, Olympic Figure Skater, Dead at 91

Oleg Protopopov, an Olympic figure skater from Russia, died last Tuesday, the Russian Figure Skating Federation announced on Saturday (per PEOPLE). He was 91 years old. The cause of death was not announced, but the Russian Figure Skating Federation said that Protopopov died in his sleep. 

Protopopov was one of Russia’s most decorated figure skaters, winning two Olympic gold medals in the pairs category with his wife Ludmila Belousova. The couple first won gold during the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and again during the 1968 games in Grenoble. They also won the World and European Championships four times from 1965 to 1968 but “eased” out of world competition after placing second and third at consecutive international appearances. 

The couple made their final joint showing in completion in 1972, winning bronze at the Soviet Championship before announcing their retirement. Protopopov and Belousova then worked at the Leningrad State Ballet on Ice (now called the St. Petersburg State Ballet on Ice) before moving to Switzerland. Belousova died at the age of 81 after batting a “long illness.” She and Protopopov had been regularly skating and performing in Switzerland. 

“We mourn the passing of a great ice artist, Oleg Protopopov (Age 91) on October 31st. Oleg and his wife Ludmila were two-time Olympic Champions (1964, 1968), four-time World Champions (1965–1968), and Ice Theatre of New York Past Masters Award Recipients in 1993,” the Ice Theatre of New York Inc. said in a statement. “They contributed to the development of pair skating, including the creation of three death spirals: the backward inside (BiDs), the forward inside (FiDs), and the forward outside (FoDs), which they respectively dubbed the ‘Cosmic spiral,’ ‘Life spiral,’ and ‘Love spiral.’

“So Saddened to hear of the loss of Oleg Protopopov,” one fan wrote. “A true legend in the sport of Figure Skating which he loved so dearly. There are (sic) pairs skating before the Protopopov’s & pairs skating after them & his impact has & will be felt for generations.”