Figure Skating Quiz

Question: Which figure skater is considered one of Norway’s greatest athletes, who captured the gold medal in figure skating at the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Olympic games?

Answer: Considered one of Norway’s greatest athletes, figure skater and Olympic gold medalist Sonja Henie achieved success as both a professional ice skater and a motion-picture actress. Her medal record consisted of Norwegian national championships from 1922 to 1934, six European titles (1931–1936), 10 world titles (1927–36), and three gold medals in the Winter Olympic Games (1928, 1932, and 1936).

Question: In what figure skating jump, named for the man who won the first gold medal in Olympic figure skating, does the skater take off from the rear inside edge of one skate, make one full turn in the air, and land on the rear outside edge of the other skate?

Answer: Swedish figure skater Ulrich Salchow originated the salchow, the easiest jump to perform. The skater takes off from the rear inside edge of one skate, makes one full turn in the air, and lands on the rear outside edge of the other skate. At the 1908 Games in London, Salchow won the first Olympic gold medal awarded for men’s figure skating.

Question: Which ice-dancing pair scored an unprecedented perfect score of 6.0 for artistic impression from all nine judges at the 1984 Olympics?

Answer: English figure skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean revolutionized the sport of ice dancing. At the 1984 Winter Olympics, Torvill and Dean’s free-dance interpretation of Maurice Ravel’s Boléro earned them a gold medal and an unprecedented perfect score of 6.0 for artistic impression from all nine Olympic judges.

Question: Which figure skater, known for his balletic style, was nicknamed the “Nureyev of the ice”?

Answer: English figure skater John Curry, known as the “Nureyev of the ice,” redefined the sport with his elegant balletic style. In 1976 Curry reached the pinnacle of his amateur career, winning the British national, European, and world titles as well as the gold medal at the Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Question: Which woman won Olympic gold medals in figure skating in 1984 and 1988 and later won an Emmy Award for her performance in the television special Carmen on Ice?

Answer: German figure skater Katarina Witt was the first woman to win consecutive Olympic gold medals (1984 and 1988) in singles figure skating since Sonja Henie in 1936. In 1990 she starred in the television special Carmen on Ice, a performance that garnered her an Emmy Award.

Question: Who was a four-time world champion figure skater and winner of the men’s gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1984?

Answer: American figure skater Scott Hamilton was a four-time world champion and the 1984 Olympic gold medal winner in men’s figure skating. He has been credited with imbuing men’s figure skating with an air of athleticism.