This week in Olympic history: 28 October to 3 November - Figure skating makes Olympic debut in London
Olympics.com explores the week in Olympic sports history, highlighting Olympians' birthdays and notable sporting events from 28 October to 3 November.
Figure Skating
Welcome to This Week in Olympic History, where Olympics.com looks back on the most significant sporting events of the past. This week, we'll cover 28 October to 3 November.
On this day – 28 October: Figure skating stars at London 1908
It was at the Olympic Games London 1908 that figure skating made its Olympic debut in the British capital.
If you are an Olympics connoisseur however, you will realise that on each of the three occasions that London has hosted the Games, they have been in the British summer.
Figure skating in fact first featured at a Summer Games, 16 years before the first Winter Games of Chamonix 1924 was held across the Channel in France.
The sport had gained popularity at the Nordic Games seven years prior, and the International Olympic Committee was keen to include it on the programme despite a focus on traditional summer sports.
Figure skating events were held right by Hyde Park in central London, becoming the first and only Olympic ice sport contested in Great Britain.
Competition took place on 28-29 October 1908, six months after the Opening Ceremony at White City Stadium, and to this day is the longest lasting modern Olympic Games.
There were four disciplines contested in figure skating: mixed pairs, men's singles, ladies' singles, and men's ‘special figures’, the latter of which only featured at London 1908.
Sweden completed a clean sweep of the individual men’s medals led by Ulrich Salchow, while home hero Florence Syers won gold and bronze in the women’s singles and mixed pairs respectively.
German duo Anna Hubler and Heinrich Burger took gold in the mixed pairs events ahead of their British counterparts, both of whom were partners on and off the ice.
The honour of being the only Olympic men’s special figures champion in history belongs to Russian skater Nikolay Kolomenkin, who also holds the accolade of being the nation’s first Olympic champion.
The official report of London 1908 read, “The whole of the skating was watched with keen interest, and on the afternoon of October 29 the rink was filled to overflowing with an enthusiastic crowd of onlookers, who witnessed perhaps the most strenuous, delightful and varied display of figure skating that has ever taken place.”
Quote of the Week | Hanyu Yuzuru, two-time Olympic figure skating champion
"I’m able to skate from my heart. In skating I can use all languages for all people."
Notable Olympic birthdays: 28 October-3 November
- Caitlyn Jenner (USA, Athletics, Olympic champion) born 28 October 1949
- Amanda Beard (USA, Swimming, seven-time Olympic medallist) born 29 October 1981
- Johan Olav Koss (Norway, Speed skating, four-time Olympic champion) born 29 October 1968
- Nastia Liukin (USA, Artistic gymnastics, five-time Olympic medallist) born 30 October 1989
- Thomas Morgenstern (Austria, Ski jumping, three-time Olympic champion) born 30 October 1986
Thomas Morgenstern of Austria won two gold medals on his Olympic debut at Turin 2006.
- Lizzy Yarnold (Great Britain, Skeleton, two-time Olympic champion) born 31 October 1988
- Kerron Clement (USA, Athletics, two-time Olympic champion) born 31 October 1985
- Ismail Ahmed Ismail (Sudan, Athletics, Olympic silver medallist) born 1 November 1984
- Durward Knowles (Bahamas/Great Britain, Sailing, two-time Olympic medallist) born 2 November 1917
- Karch Kiraly (USA, Volleyball, three-time Olympic champion) born 3 November 1960
Make sure to check back on Olympics.com next week for more sports and Olympic history.