Sergei Shakhrai

Sergei Semyonovich Shakhrai (; born 28 June 1958) is a Russian retired pair skater. With partner Marina Cherkasova, he is the 1980 Olympic silver medalist, 1980 World champion, and 1979 European champion.

Career Cherkasova and Shakhrai trained in Moscow with Stanislav Zhuk. Their main rivals included fellow Soviets Irina Rodnina / Alexander Zaitsev, whom they never defeated, Irina Vorobieva / Igor Lisovsky, Marina Pestova / Stanislav Leonovich, and Veronika Pershina / Marat Akbarov.

Cherkasova and Shakhrai were 12 and 18 respectively when they were paired together. Initially, there was a height difference between the pair, with Cherkasova only tall. Their height difference facilitated innovation in twist and lift elements; they became the first pair to perform a triple jump (the toe loop) at the Prize of Moscow News on 9 December 1977 and the quadruple twist lift in 1977. According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, their twist lift was possible due to their "enormous differences in their height and weight", By 1980 Cherkasova had grown . The change affected their technical elements, however, the pair managed to win silver at 1980 Europeans, silver at the 1980 Olympics, and gold at Worlds.

External sources

Cherkasova and Shakhrai's free skate at the 1977 World Championship

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