Alexey Ulanov - the famous Soviet figure skater-greenhouse. The peak of his career came at the end of the 60s. It was then that he began to speak with Irina Rodnina, with whom he won all the highest honors in pair figure skating, including the only Olympic gold medal.
Biography: early years
Alexey Nikolaevich Ulanov was born on November 4, 1947 in Moscow. As a child, he was torn between music and figure skating. Mom wanted her son to find himself in music, since in her family almost everyone played different instruments. Ulanova’s great-grandfather masterfully owned the button accordion, and grandmother owned the accordion. Alexey also loved music and later mastered playing the button accordion.
Figure skating came to his life when he was barely seven years old. It was then that parents took Alexei to the Young Pioneers Stadium, located near their home. At first, Ulanov rode alone, later he was paired with his sister.
After school, Ulanov fulfilled his mother’s dream and entered the Gnesinsky School to separate the button accordion. However, he did not abandon figure skating. After the successful completion of the music school, Alex accepted the invitation to transfer to CSKA. It was a tricky move on his part, since speaking for the “army men” was counted as military service. Alexei was just 18 years old then.
Sports career
At that time, the skaters at CSKA were coached by the legendary Stanislav Zhuk. It was he who “separated” Ulanov from his sister and put him in a duet with Irina Rodnina. She was then only 16 years old.
The first joint competition for them was the international Moscow Skates tournament in December 1966. The newly-minted pair did not win it then, since by that time it had been rolling together for only five months. Ulanov and Rodnina “took” this tournament only a year later.
Soon the guys became bronze medalists of the All-Union Championship and thanks to this they entered the national team. The year 1969 was a triumph for Ulanov and Rodnina. They became champions of Europe and the world. Over the next three years, they easily won all the tournaments in which they took part.
A pair of Ulanov-Rodnin was admired not only in the Union, but also far beyond its borders. Stately Alexey and miniature Irina on ice were a single whole and looked surprisingly harmonious. Here are just fans of figure skating and could not imagine what was happening outside the ice.
Few people know that the Soviet team could not have Olympic gold in Sapporo in pair skating. Before the performance, Rodnina threw a tantrum - she flatly did not want to go out on the ice. The reason was jealousy. On the eve of Rodnin, Ulanova was caught in a room with another skater - Lyudmila Smirnova. Aleksey was breathing unevenly for several years and dreamed of playing with her in a pair, but the formidable Stanislav Zhuk did not see any prospect in such a duet.
Rodnina showed sympathy for Ulanov, so for her what she saw was a stab in the back. Then the Beetle with great difficulty solved the problem. To persuade Irina to go out on the ice, he had to attract even senior officials. Ulanov and Rodnina then became Olympic champions. And for this couple, that Olympics was the last tournament.
After the season ended, the Beetle found Rodnina another partner. It was Alexander Zaitsev, whom she later married. Ulanov began to ride with Lyudmila Smirnova.
This couple swept just two seasons. Ulanov and Smirnova in all competitions lost to Zaitseva and Rodnina. The change of partner then came around to Alexei. This news was received with hostility in the USSR Figure Skating Federation. Ulanova and Smirnova were constantly obstructed. Yes, and Stanislav Zhuk avenged. His authority was enough to persuade the judges to underestimate the points of Ulanova and Smirnova. Soon the Beetle called them a pair of hopeless. For this reason, in 1974, Alexei and Lyudmila decided to end the career of skaters.
Life after sports
After leaving sports, Ulanov and Smirnova came to the ballet on ice. They performed in the Leningrad collective "Ballet on Ice" and successfully toured Soviet cities. At the same time, Alexei graduated from the choreography department of the Leningrad Conservatory.
In the early 90s, Ulanov tried himself as a coach. But then perestroika struck, many rollers were closed. At the same time, coaches began to pay very little. During this period, many left Russia in search of a good life. Ulanov, along with his wife, also left their homeland and moved to the States. There they settled down well as children's trainers.
In 2010, Ulanov came to Russia. At home, he continued coaching.
