Nikolai Aleksandrovich Panin-Kolomenkin (; – 19 January 1956) was a Russian

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

and coach. He won the gold medal in

special figures Special figures were a component of figure skating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like compulsory figures, special figures involved tracing patterns on the ice with the blade of one ice skate. This required the skater to display sign ...

in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

, became one of the oldest figure skating Olympic champions. Panin was Russia's first Olympic champion.

Life and career

Nikolay Aleksandrovich Kolomenkin was born on in Khrenovoye,

Voronezh Governorate Voronezh Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1708 (as ''Azov Governorate'') to 1779 and again from 1796 to 1928. Its capital wa ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He began figure skating as a child. His first pair of skates was split with his sister, as the family could not afford two pairs; he would use the left boot and his sister the right, and as an adult he would normally perform difficult figures with his left foot. He competed in figure skating under the name "Nikolay Panin", though most Russian sources now hyphenate his surname to "Panin-Kolomenkin". Despite having a weak constitution, Panin was very active and took part in

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and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

. While studying

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Saint Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

in 1897, he took part in the first Russian Championships and placed second. To improve, he developed a technique of wrapping towels around his feet to weigh them down and improve his balance, thus preventing falls. It was at this time that he took the nickname "Panin" on to evade the mockery of his fellow students, at a time when many athletes were adopting nicknames. Two men's skating events were contested at the

single skating Single skating is a discipline of figure skating in which male and female skaters compete individually. Men's singles and women's singles are governed by the International Skating Union (ISU). Figure skating is the oldest winter sport conteste ...

and

. Panin won the special figures event and competed, but did not finish, in the singles event. 1908 was the only year in which special figures was an Olympic event. Panin also competed in the 1903 World Championships, placing second behind Salchow. Panin was a prominent figure skating coach both before and after his win at the Olympics; his students included

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

silver medalists

Ivan Malinin Ivan Pavlovich Malinin () was a Russian figure skater and European silver medalist. Malinin was coached by Nikolai Panin and won the silver medal at the 1912 European Championships. He was the 1913 and 1914 champion of Russia in men's singl ...

and

Karl Ollo Karl Antonovich Ollo () was a Russian figure skater and European silver medalist. Ollo was a three-time champion of Russia in men's single skating (in 1910, 1911, and 1912) and the 1905 bronze medalist. At the international level, he was the 1 ...

, as well as six-time national champion

Ksenia Caesar Ksenia Genrikhovna Caesar (; 1889 – after 1939) was a Russian and Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental ...

. He even helped train his rivals during his own competitive career. He wrote several biographical and reference books, the first of which appeared in 1910, and he was also a judge at international competitions. He also competed as a

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. At the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

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, he placed 8th in the 50 metre pistol competition. Panin was also one of the first to be ranked in a sport classification system, a precursor to the

Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR Unified All-Russian Sports Classification () is a system which regulates the Russian physical education system requirements for both athletes and coaches. History In the Soviet period Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR () exist ...

. Several of his students also won ratings. Panin died on in

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Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

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. In 1993 Russia issued a 50

ruble The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are s ...

gold coin commemorating Russia's first gold medal. Panin appears alongside the Olympic rings and flame, a laurel branch, and a winged ice skate. He was inducted into the

World Figure Skating Hall of Fame The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored. It is located at the Broadmoor Resort in Co ...

in 2009.

Competitive highlights

Single skating

Special figures

References

External links

Nikolai Panin at databaseOlympics.com

Figure skating academy named after Panin
* (figure skating) * (shooting) *

Navigation

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panin, Nikolai 1872 births 1956 deaths People from Bobrovsky District People from Bobrovsky Uyezd Russian male single skaters Olympic figure skaters for the Russian Empire Figure skaters at the 1908 Summer Olympics Russian male sport shooters Olympic shooters for the Russian Empire Shooters at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the Russian Empire Saint Petersburg State University alumni Olympic medalists in figure skating World Figure Skating Championships medalists European Figure Skating Championships medalists Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Soviet figure skating coaches Russian figure skating coaches Burials at Serafimovskoe Cemetery Sportspeople from Voronezh Oblast Figure skaters from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian sportsmen