Oleg Protopopov

Oleg Alekseyevich Protopopov (; 16 July 1932 – 31 October 2023) was a Russian pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With his wife Ludmila Belousova he was a two-time Olympic champion (1964, 1968) and four-time World champion (1965–1968). Belousova and Protopopov began the forty-year Soviet/Russian gold medal streak in pair skating, the longest in Olympic sports history, from 1964 to 2006. They won their first World and European gold medals in 1965, becoming the first Soviet/Russian pair to win those titles.

Belousova and Protopopov became Olympic champions for the second time at the 1968 Winter Olympics. At 32 and 35 years old, respectively, they were among the oldest champions in figure skating. The following season, they won the silver medal at the European Championships and bronze at the World Championships as Irina Rodnina began her reign with her first partner, Alexei Ulanov. Those were the pair's final appearances at major international competitions but they continued to compete within the Soviet Union until 1972.

In total, Belousova and Protopopov won two Olympic titles and won medals eight times at both the World and European Championships, including four consecutive World and European gold medals. After retiring from competition, they continued to skate together in shows for many years. Figure skating historian James R. Hines states that the Protopopovs "changed dramatically the direction of pair skating, making it more balletic". Eager to keep skating, the couple decided not to have children.

Belousova died on 29 September 2017, at the age of 81. Oleg Protopopov died on 31 October 2023, at the age of 91. They were buried in Saint Petersburg on 11 September 2024.

Competitive highlights (with Bogoyavlenskaya) Event 1953 Soviet Championships 2nd

(with Belousova) Event 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 Winter Olympic Games 9th 1st World Championships 13th 8th 2nd 2nd 2nd European Championships 10th 7th 4th 2nd 2nd 2nd Soviet Championships 3rd 4th 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st

Event 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 Winter Olympic Games 1st World Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 3rd European Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd Soviet Championships 1st 1st 1st 2nd 4th 6th 3rd Prize of Moscow News 3rd 1st 2nd