Maya Belenkaya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maya Belenkaya |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Native name | Майя Петровна Беленькая |
| Full name | Maya Petrovna Belenkaya |
| Country represented |  Soviet Union |
| Born | 1 May 1931 Leningrad, Soviet Union |
| Height | 1. m (3 ft 3+1⁄2 in) |
| Former partner | Igor Moskvin |
| Former coach | Pyotr Orlov, Nina Leplinskaya, Nikolai Panin, A. Zhdanov |
| Retired | 1958 |
Maya Petrovna Belenkaya was a talented figure skater from the Soviet Union. She was born on May 1, 1931. With her skating partner, Igor Moskvin, she became a three-time national champion. This means they won the top prize in their country for three years in a row.
About Maya
Maya Belenkaya was born in a city called Leningrad. Today, this city is known as Saint Petersburg in Russia. She was born on May 1, 1931. Maya lived in Leningrad her whole life. She even survived a very difficult time called the Siege of Leningrad. This was when the city was surrounded during World War II. For her bravery during this time, she received a special award. It was called the Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad".
Skating Career
Maya Belenkaya started learning to skate when she was 12 years old. She trained at a special place called the Pioneers Palace. Her first coach was A. Zhdanov. Maya was a very versatile skater. She competed in two different types of skating. She did both singles skating (where one person skates alone) and pairs skating (where two people skate together).
Winning Championships
Maya teamed up with Igor Moskvin for pairs skating. They quickly became a strong team. In 1950, they won their first national medal, which was a silver. The next year, 1951, they won another silver medal.
Then, from 1952 to 1954, Maya and Igor were unbeatable! They won the gold medal at the Soviet national championships for three years in a row. After that, they won silver medals for two more years. In 1956, they got to compete in the European Figure Skating Championships in Paris. They finished 11th in this big international competition. In their last two years of competing, 1957 and 1958, they won bronze medals at the Soviet Championships.
After Competing
After she stopped competing, Maya Belenkaya became a coach. She helped many other skaters become champions. Some of her most famous students include Alexei Mishin and the pairs team of Liudmila Smirnova and Andrei Suraikin. She helped them win national titles too!
