Maria Isakova
Encyclopedia
Maria Grigoryevna Isakova , nicknamed Cinderella of Vyatka, was a World Champion speed skater
. She was born in Vyatka (now Kirov
), Russian SFSR, and competed for the Soviet Union
.
Isakova started skating at a very young age, spending many hours every day on the ice because she liked skating very much. Seeing how fast she was, people in Vyatka told her to participate in the Soviet Allround Championships, but Isakova was reluctant at first. She finally gave in and when she participated in the 1936 Soviet Allround Championships, pretending to be aged 17 (she was not allowed to compete at her true age of 15), she finished fifth. However, it took until 1944 before she won an allround medal at the Soviet Championships. That 1944 allround medal was silver – gold ones would follow the next five years. She also won the prestigious Kirov prize five times, the first time as early as 1938, the last time in 1951.
Isakova participated in the World Allround Championships
three times, winning gold every time. This made her the first female speed skater to become World Champion three times and, since her titles were consecutive, the first female speed skater to become World Champion in three consecutive years. For her achievements, Isakova was awarded the Order of Lenin
.
:
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
. She was born in Vyatka (now Kirov
Kirov, Kirov Oblast
Kirov , formerly known as Vyatka and Khlynov, is a city in northeastern European Russia, on the Vyatka River, and the administrative center of Kirov Oblast. Population: -History:...
), Russian SFSR, and competed for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Isakova started skating at a very young age, spending many hours every day on the ice because she liked skating very much. Seeing how fast she was, people in Vyatka told her to participate in the Soviet Allround Championships, but Isakova was reluctant at first. She finally gave in and when she participated in the 1936 Soviet Allround Championships, pretending to be aged 17 (she was not allowed to compete at her true age of 15), she finished fifth. However, it took until 1944 before she won an allround medal at the Soviet Championships. That 1944 allround medal was silver – gold ones would follow the next five years. She also won the prestigious Kirov prize five times, the first time as early as 1938, the last time in 1951.
Isakova participated in the World Allround Championships
World Allround Speed Skating Championships
The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world...
three times, winning gold every time. This made her the first female speed skater to become World Champion three times and, since her titles were consecutive, the first female speed skater to become World Champion in three consecutive years. For her achievements, Isakova was awarded the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
.
Medals
An overview of medals won by Isakova at important championships she participated in, listing the years in which she won each:| Championships | Gold medal | Silver medal | Bronze medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Allround World Allround Speed Skating Championships The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world... |
1948 1949 1950 |
– | – |
| Soviet Allround | 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1951 |
1944 1950 |
– |
World records
Over the course of her career, Isakova skated one world record on the old Medeo natural icerink at Alma-AtaAlmaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
:
| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 m | 2:29.5 | 12 February 1951 | Alma Ata - Old Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
Personal records
To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Isakova skated her personal records.| Event | Result | Date | Venue | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 47.7 | 8 January 1952 | Alma-Ata - Old Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
46.4 |
| 1,000 m | 1:37.2 | 16 February 1951 | Alma-Ata - Old Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
1:38.8 |
| 1,500 m | 2:29.5 | 12 February 1951 | Alma-Ata - Old Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
2:36.7 |
| 3,000 m | 5:21.7 | 23 January 1953 | Alma-Ata - Old Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
5:21.3 |
| 5,000 m | 9:32.0 | 1 February 1949 | Moscow - TsDKA Stadion Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... |
9:28.3 |
External links
- Maria Isakova. Deutsche Eisschnelllauf Gemeinschaft e.V. (German Skating Association).
- Legends of the Soviet sports (in Russian)
- Results of Championships of Russia and the USSR from SpeedSkating.ru
- Historical World Records. International Skating Union.
- Lars Finsen and Platon Ippolitov. Sweet 16 - Maria Isakova (2003-10-26). Retrieved on 2007-09-08.