Olympic Champion SURVIVOR: PAIRS Round 6

[skateboy]

Here we go, Round 6 -- Pairs!

In Round 5, we said goodbye to:

4th place: MISHKUTENOK/DMITRIEV

We eliminate one team per round.

[skateboy]

Belousova/Protopopov 1964 Olys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G42i0gufEs

Belousova/Protopopov: 1968 Olys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrL54VzA1T4

Rodnina/Zaitsev: 1976 Olys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-KfIIPrDZc

Rodnina/Zaitsev: 1980 Olys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajZ3yRf0sTk

Gordeeva/Grinkov: 1988 Olys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B0tSnQKzwo

Gordeeva/Grinkov: 1994 Olys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY7HFPSmx8M

All three double Olympic champions! (And Rodnina won a third with Alexei Ulanov.)

[sk8ingcoach]

Well obviously G/G are going to win this. But i strongly feel that Rodnina and Zaitsev should be 2nd

[DORISPULASKI]

Nobody has been better for longer in any part of the sport than the Protopopovs.

In 2005, they could still get an audience to its feet at Evening with Champions...and not because they were past champions in this country either

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rbf3lURTrw

I'm not sure they aren't still performing at Evening with Champions...they certainly did every year till Oleg had the stroke, but EWC hasn't been on TV in recent years, so there's no youtube I could find of them more recent than 2005.

[satchelpooch318]

I really didn't want to vote from Rodnina/Zaitsev, but I had to in order to help the Protopopovs. I'm still hoping the P's pull off the miraculous upset -- even though I know it won't happen, dagnabbit!

[DORISPULASKI]

I'm still rooting for the P's myself

[blue_idealist]

Well, this is hard, especially since I barely know the pairs besides G&G. I'm going to vote for Rodnina and Zaitsev because I recently learned they didn't do throw jumps even though others in their era were. I know the Protopopovs didn't either, but no one else in their era did (correct me if I'm wrong but I think I'm right about that). Also, the Protopopovs were still skating together into their 60s!

[briancoogaert]

Rodnina and Zaitsev for me.
Yes, they have the most amazing palmares. But the most beautiful and pure technical skaters are B&P and G&G.

[skateboy]

Just about 9 hours to get your votes in!