Photos with 2 autographs. Alexey Ulanov and Irina Rodnina

Alexey Ulanov is a Soviet figure skater who competed in pair skating. Together with Irina Rodnina, he is the 1972 Olympic champion, four-time world and European champion, two-time USSR champion.

Irina Rodnina is a ten-time world champion, three-time Olympic champion and eleven-time European champion in pair skating. She went down in history as an athlete who did not lose a single tournament, for which she was included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Ulanov's acquaintance with the future three-time Olympic champion occurred after a series of failures that befell the figure skater, first in a pair with his sister, and then in singles. Stanislav Zhuk revealed Alexey's talent: he not only invited the athlete to focus on pair skating, but also found him a new partner - 16-year-old Ira Rodnina. According to the coach, the figure skater's level was an order of magnitude higher, so Alexey had to work hard to catch up with her.

It took the partners a long time to start a well-coordinated work. Alexey often made elements with a larger amplitude than Irina, which disrupted synchronicity. Stanislav Alekseevich forced the pair to skate to the sound of a metronome, which made it clear at what point the skaters lost their rhythm.

It was only when Irina and Alexey began to look like a single entity on the ice that Zhuk began to develop athletes technically. With him, the duo was the first in the world to perform a parallel double axel and a combination of jumps axel - Rittberger - Oiler - double sheepskin coat. And the most difficult supports and non-standard tracks at high speed have become the signature style of the young couple.