Good Lifestyle

If you think figure skating is all about pretty stage costumes, glitter, smiles and ice dancing, you've only seen the skin. Behind that glow are traumas, dramas, and amazing fortitude. This sport is not about spinning. It's about survival on the ice. About pain that changes people. And about moments that are forever inscribed in history.

Oksana Baiul — a performance that ended in legend

Before the decisive performance at the 1994 Olympics, Oksana Bayul collided with figure skater Tanya Shevchenko - the skate cut her leg, her back hurt, she had to be stitched up and given painkillers. But Bayul did not back down. She stepped onto the ice and, as if forgetting about the pain, performed five triple jumps with the grace inherent in her. At the end of the program, her trainer Halyna Zmievska shouted over the side: "Add a cascade!" — and Oksana changed the number on the fly, ending it with a double axel and a toulup. When the music died down, the hall erupted in applause. It was a victory not only over rivals, but over pain and fear.

Nancy Kerrigan - Silver that should have been gold

1994 year. Lillehammer. The audience applauds, but few understand that in front of them is a girl who got out of hell. Seven weeks before the Olympics, Nancy was attacked — right in the middle of training. A blow to the knee with a club should have knocked her out of the game for good. It was a conspiracy by people from Tonya Harding's rival team. But Nancy did not give up. She returned - and won silver. Her performance became a symbol of the fact that even after falling, you can get up and continue dancing.

John Curry is a record that no one has yet broken

1976, Innsbruck. John Curry goes on the ice - and in a few minutes the world sees not just an athlete, but an artist. His "Don Quixote" — not a performance, but a performance. He scored 105.9 points out of a possible 108 — a record that no one has yet broken. In his number, Curry combined strength and grace, proving that figure skating is not only about technique, but also about the soul.

Peggy Fleming is a victory that resurrected a nation

1968 year. Grenoble. Peggy goes out on the ice under the watchful eyes of all America. Seven years before that, the entire US team died in a plane crash. The country lost everything - coaches, athletes, hope. But Peggy brought the gold. She rode easily and gracefully. Her victory was not just a medal - it was the resurrection of a whole sport.

Debi Thomas is a bronze medalist who shone like gold

1988, Calgary. Debi Thomas enters the arena and makes history. She becomes the first black woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. Bronze that shone like gold. Before that, she was already the champion of the USA and the world. Thomas proved that the color of your skin does not determine how high you will fly on the ice.

Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean - "Bolero", which made the world stand still

1984, Sarajevo. Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean come out on the ice and time stops for three minutes. Theirs "Bolero" — pure magic, passion, movement that gives you goosebumps. Twelve perfect grades. After that, ice dancing was never the same. They have become real art.

Midori Ito is a girl who defied gravity

1988 year. A small Japanese woman with great courage does a triple axel for the first time in the history of figure skating - a jump that seemed impossible. Four years later, in Albertville, she repeated it at the Olympics and took silver. Her name forever remained a symbol of courage and strength.