1972 European Figure Skating Championships
| 1972 European Championships | |
|---|---|
| Type: | ISU Championship |
| Season: | 1971-1972 |
| Location: |
 Gothenburg
|
| Champions | |
Men's singles: Ondrej Nepela
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Ladies' singles: Beatrix Schuba
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Pair skating: Irina Rodnina / Alexei Ulanov
|
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Ice dancing: Angelika Buck / Erich Buck
|
|
| Previous: 1971 European Championships |
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| Next: 1973 European Championships |
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The 1972 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1971-1972 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU member nations competed for the title of European Champion. Skaters competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles,men's singles,pair skating, and ice dancing.
In 1972, the European Championships were held at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden, from January 11–15.
The 1970 European bronze medalist, Günter Zöller, arrived in Gothenburg with the East German team but withdrew before the start of the event after going to the West German embassy to defect.
In the men's event, the top three after the compulsory figures held their placements for the medals. Ondrej Nepela completed triple salchow and toe loop jumps and finished first ahead of Sergei Chetverukhin, who skated with power, flow, and elegance but fell on a triple salchow attempt. Patrick Péra won the bronze medal with no triples at all. Yuri Ovchinnikov placed second in the free skate but was unable to move up to the podium after placing seventh in figures.
The ladies' title was again won by defending champion Beatrix Schuba, who built up such an overwhelming lead in the compulsory figures that she won by a huge margin despite placing 5th in the free skate. Afterwards a German newspaper mocked her as the "Champion Without a Double Axel". Rita Trapanese took the silver medal, while Sonja Morgenstern moved up to bronze medal position after winning the free skate with a performance for which she received a 6.0 mark for artistic impression.
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