1961 European Figure Skating Championships
| 1961 European Figure Skating Championships | |
|---|---|
| Type: | ISU Championship |
| Date: | January 26th – January 29th |
| Season: | 1961 |
| Location: |
 West Berlin
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| Host: | Deutscher Eislauf-Verband (DEV) |
| Venue: | Berlin Sportpalast |
| Champions | |
Men's singles: Alain Giletti
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Ladies' singles: Sjoukje Dijkstra
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| Pair skating: Marika Kilius and Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
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Ice dancing: Doreen Denny and Courtney Jones
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| Previous: 1960 European Figure Skating Championships |
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| Next: 1962 European Figure Skating Championships |
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The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion.
The 1961 competitions took place from January 26 to January 29, 1961, in West Berlin. Skaters competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles,men's singles,pair skating and ice dancing. The event took place without the participation of skaters from the Soviet Union not because of a political boycott, but rather because an exceptionally mild winter left the Russian skaters with insufficient ice for practice in their home country. The Soviet team was also withdrawn from the following World Championships for the same reason.
The defending champions in all four divisions retained their titles. In the pairs competition, however, the champions Marika Kilius & Hans-Jürgen Bäumler faced a close battle with Margret Göbl & Franz Ningel, who had defeated them at the West German championships earlier in the season. Göbl & Ningel may have been penalized for including an illegal lift in their program.
In the ladies' event, Sjoukje Dijkstra built up a lead in the compulsory figures that assured her of victory. Her free skating program was described as "exhausting". The stars of the free skating were Helli Sengstschmidt and Jana Mrázková, who both reportedly did triple salchow jumps in their programs.
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