Maria Isakova
Soviet speed skater From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Soviet speed skater From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maria Grigoryevna Isakova (Russian: Мария Григорьевна Исакова; 5 July 1918 – 25 March 2011), 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.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Soviet Union | ||
| Women's speed skating | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 1948 Turku | Allround |
| 1949 Kongsberg | Allround |
| 1950 Moscow | Allround |
Isakova started skating at a very young age, spending many hours every day on the ice because she liked skating very much. Her speed prompted people in Vyatka to tell her to enter the Soviet Allround Championships. She hesitated but then relented to participate 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. She would finally win in 1944 a silver all-round medal at the Soviet Championships; gold medals would follow the next five years. She also won the prestigious Kirov prize five times from 1938 to 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.
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 | 1948 1949 1950 | – | – |
| Soviet Allround | 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1951 | 1944 1950 | – |
Over the course of her career, Isakova skated one world record on the old Medeo natural icerink at Alma-Ata:
| Event | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 m | 2:29.5 | 12 February 1951 | Alma Ata - Old Medeo |
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 | 46.4 |
| 1,000 m | 1:37.2 | 16 February 1951 | Alma-Ata - Old Medeo | 1:38.8 |
| 1,500 m | 2:29.5 | 12 February 1951 | Alma-Ata - Old Medeo | 2:36.7 |
| 3,000 m | 5:21.7 | 23 January 1953 | Alma-Ata - Old Medeo | 5:21.3 |
| 5,000 m | 9:32.0 | 1 February 1949 | Moscow - TsDKA Stadion | 9:28.3 |
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