Uploaded November 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Amazing power and a changing of the guard saw Irina Rodnina win the first of her major titles at the 1969 Europeans in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with her first partner Alexei Ulanov. Here is rare footage of their exhibitions from that event featuring what was to become her signature piece - Kalinka. This was also to be the last exhibition she ever performed at a major event when she skated it 11 years later in the exhibitions for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.
Interestingly, they have difficulty with their music - something which also happened at the 1969 Worlds exhibitions and was an omen of things to come in 1973 perhaps ;)
Amazing power and a changing of the guard saw Irina Rodnina win the first of her major titles at the 1969 Europeans in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with her first partner Alexei Ulanov. Here is rare footage of their exhibitions from that event featuring what was to become her signature piece - Kalinka. This was also to be the last exhibition she ever performed at a major event when she skated it 11 years later in the exhibitions for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.
Interestingly, they have difficulty with their music - something which also happened at the 1969 Worlds exhibitions and was an omen of things to come in 1973 perhaps ;)
