150 years ago was born Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin - the first Russian Olympic champion in figure skating

 

On January 8, 1872, in the village of Khrenovoye, Voronezh Province, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Kolomenkin was born, who performed at international competitions under the pseudonym Panin - the first Olympic champion in figure skating in the discipline of "special figures" in the history of Russia.

The village of Khrenovoye in the 18th century became famous for the fact that it was here that Count Alexei Orlov founded the famous stud farm, where an Arab horse was brought, bought for huge money at that time, named Smetanny (Smetanka). From him later went the world-famous breed of Orel trotters. Horseradish, then and now, was closely associated with agriculture. The father of the future champion worked at the plant of agricultural machines. But the son chose a different path for himself.

Nikolai Alexandrovich Panin-Kolomenkin inscribed his name in the history of Russian

sports, becoming a 6-time champion of Russia (1901-1905, 1907) in figure skating, a 12-time champion of Russia in pistol shooting (1906-1917), an 11-time champion of Russia in shooting from a combat revolver (1907-1917). Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1940). The first Olympic champion in the history of Russia.

From early childhood, Nikolai began to practice on homemade wooden skates with an iron runner. Later, his mother Evgeniya Vladimirovna brought him a couple of real skates. In 1882, together with his mother and sisters, Nikolai moved to St. Petersburg, where he continued figure skating. Under the patronage of his stepfather, the novice figure skater received a letter of recommendation from the chairman of the St. Petersburg Society of Skating Amateurs Vyacheslav Sreznevsky (later the head of the Russian Olympic Committee), and this recommendation opened the way for the young man to the Yusupov Garden, where fans of speed skating were engaged in the rink.

It was there that the meeting took place, which changed the life of the young man. On the ice of the pond, he met Alexei Lebedev, one of the organizers of the circle of athletes at the skating rink of the St. Petersburg River Yacht Club. A tall thin man easily and gracefully glided on the ice, involuntarily attracting the attention of the audience. Later, in his book The Art of Ice Skating, Panin-Kolomenkin described his style as follows: "His movements on the ice were distinguished by amazing plasticity. He really is the founder of the original Russian school of figure skating, which is based on the desire for cheerful, dynamic and graceful performance of not only arbitrary, but also mandatory skating. "

Usually Lebedev liked to train alone. He made an exception only for Nicholas, who eventually became his favorite student. He taught him many secrets of skill: accuracy and ease of movements on ice, artistry and dynamism of sliding.

Friendship with Lebedev Panin-Kolomenkin carried through the years. Thanks to the extensive library of world sports literature of his mentor, Nikolai in 1910 created in his textbook a unique section on the history of figure skating...

In 1893, Nikolai entered the University of St. Petersburg, at the Department of Natural Sciences of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, from which he graduated in 1898. Kolomenkin's anatomy course was taught by Pyotr Frantsevich Lesgaft, after whom the National State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Health in St. Petersburg is named today. The range of hobbies of Nikolai Kolomenkin was quite wide, covering several sports. In parallel with figure skating, he was engaged in cycling, athletics, rowing, swimming, skiing, played football and hockey.

Since at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. participation in sports competitions was considered an occupation unworthy of an official, then, in order not to cause gossip, Nikolai decided to take a pseudonym, under which he entered the history of Russian and world figure skating - Panin.

In 1896, the first ever official World Figure Skating Championships were held in St. Petersburg. It is not by chance that the International Skating Union entrusted the holding of this historic event to the capital of Russia. By that time, the "St. Petersburg Society of Ice Skating Amateurs" had been operating in the city on the Neva River for ten years, the chairman of which was Vyacheslav Izmailovich Sreznevsky. Due to his high prestige, Sreznevsky managed to "invite" many major international competitions to St. Petersburg. In 1911, Sreznevsky became the first chairman of the National Olympic Committee in the history of Russia. Therefore, we can safely say that it was speed skating and figure skating that marked the beginning of the Olympic movement in Russia.

In St. Petersburg at the end of the XIX century lived and trained Georgy Sanders (he won a bronze medal at the first world championships) - an outstanding figure skater, the author of special figures (a competitive sport in figure skating, which brought Russia the first Olympic gold medal in its history). At the end of his sports career, Sanders became an international sports referee, the author of several editions of the rules of figure skating, an honorary member of the International Skating Union. It was Sanders who prepared Nikolai Alexandrovich Panin-Kolomenkin to perform in the special figures competition at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, but more on this later.

In 1901, Nikolai Panin applied for participation in the All-Russian Championship in the "art of skating". He successfully completed all the tasks, received a large gold medal and the title of the best figure skater in Russia.

In 1903, in connection with the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the committee of the International Skating Union instructed the St. Petersburg Society of Ice Skaters to hold the World Championships, where Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin had to compete with the best skaters of the planet, among whom were the world champion Swede Ulrich Salchow, the former world champion German Gilbert Fuchs, the Austrian champion Max Bogach and the German champion Ernst Lassan. Ulrich Salchow then took the first place, the second - Nikolai Panin.

Five years later, Panin's level of training was much higher. When in February 1908 in St. Petersburg competitions were held with the participation of the leading figure skaters of the world, Nikolai managed to snatch the victory from the hands of Ulrich Salkhov, who by that time had already become a seven-time world champion. The eminent figure skater was beside himself from the fact that he lost to the "upstart" from Russia.

In the same 1908, figure skating for the first time in history was included in the program of the Olympics. 21 skaters arrived in the capital of England to demonstrate their skills in four disciplines: in men's and women's single skating, in special figures and in pair skating. Athletes represented six countries: Argentina, Great Britain, Sweden, Russia, Germany and the United States.

Performances in men's single skating began on October 16 (28). Despite the fact that the representative of Russia was able to flawlessly fulfill all the mandatory figures, the judges awarded him only second place, preferring Ulrich Salkhov, whose behavior was, to put it mildly, defiant after the performance of each figure by Panin. The referees even had to give the Swede a warning. It is possible that personal connections helped the Swede win in single skating. Judge Grenadier, who represented Great Britain, was of Swedish descent, and Judge Hügel was a long-time friend of Ulrich. In protest against unfair refereeing, Panin withdrew his candidacy without performing the free program.

The next day, October 17 (29), the participants of the Games performed special figures, and Salchow, realizing that it was impossible to beat Panin in this form, refused to participate in advance. Seeing the drawing of the program, which was set in front of him by an athlete from Russia, the judges were surprised. They could not believe that it was possible to perform figures of such complexity. But the impeccable sliding of the Russian figure skater dispelled their doubts: the final line from his skate merged with the initial one, so that, without seeing his performance, it was difficult to imagine from what point the athlete began his program. After an impeccable "skating", with exceptional mathematical accuracy, the judges unanimously gave Panin the first place, setting a record score in the history of compulsory figures (219 points out of 240 possible, that is, 91.3% of the maximum). This allowed the Russian to win an Olympic gold medal (the other two prize-winners in this sport were Cumming and Hall-Say).

"Panin was far ahead of his rivals, both in the difficulty of the pieces and the beauty and ease of their execution. He carved a series of the most perfect drawings on the ice with almost mathematical precision," said the official report of the 1908 Summer Olympics, which were held at Prince's Skating Club in central London. At these competitions in competitions for the demonstration of special figures, the 36-year-old Russian won a gold medal, becoming the first Olympic champion in the history of Russia.

Four years later, Nikolai Panin again participated in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, but competed in pistol shooting competitions. Individually, he finished eighth and team-based fourth. This was the first time a Russian athlete participated in the second consecutive Olympics, but in a different sport. In the history of russian sports, Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin remains the only athlete who competed in winter (figure skating) and summer (shooting) sports in the framework of only the Summer Olympic Games.

In the following years, Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin switched to coaching and pedagogical work. From 1915 to 1917 he was secretary of the Russian Olympic Committee. In 1919-1930 he worked in the financial bodies of the Petrograd (Leningrad) province and the region, was an instructor in sports of the organization Of Education in Detsky (Tsarskoye) Selo. From 1933 he headed the School of Masters of Figure Skating at the Lesgaft Institute of Physical Education. From 1936 to 1938 he headed the Higher Coaching School of Figure Skating at the Lesgaft Institute. During the Great Patriotic War, Nikolai Alexandrovich was an instructor for training fighters of partisan detachments. In February 1942 he was evacuated from besieged Leningrad, where he returned in 1945 and worked at the Research Institute of Physical Culture.

Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin is the author of several textbooks on figure skating. For fundamental scientific achievements and pedagogical activity, he was awarded the title of Associate Professor and the degree of Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences in 1938. Among the students of Nikolai Alexandrovich are the champions of Russia and the USSR - Karl Ollo, Ksenia Tsezar, Pyotr Chernyshov, Pyotr Orlov, Raisa and Alexander Gandelsman and many others.

Nikolai Alexandrovich Panin-Kolomenkin died on January 19, 1956 in Leningrad and was buried at the Serafimov Cemetery.

Every year in St. Petersburg a figure skating tournament is held - "Panin-Kolomenkin Memorial". The history of the competition "Cup of N.A. Panin" began in 1937, during the lifetime of the first Olympic champion in Russia. Then Nikolai Alexandrovich himself presented awards to the winners. In 1957, the year after his death, the Panin Cup was resumed in Leningrad, which became an annual event. The last time before the break, the tournament named after an outstanding figure skater was held in 1987. After 20 years, the tournament was revived, the competition program included competitions in pair skating, men's and women's singles, separately among adults, separately among juniors. And since 2009, competitions and dance duets have been held at the tournament.

In the St. Petersburg Figure Skating Academy in the year of the 100th anniversary of the conquest of the first Olympic gold medal in the history of Russia (2008), on the initiative of the Figure Skating Federation of St. Petersburg, a bust of the first domestic Olympic champion Nikolai Alexandrovich Panin-Kolomenkin was installed by a sculpture of Leonid Mogilevskiy.

In 2018, in the Yusupov Garden, where many sports competitions were held in the late 19th and early 20th century, Panin-Kolomenkin and other leading figure skaters of that time trained, the tradition of holding sports events was revived.