Robin Cousins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robin Cousins MBE
Personal information
Born	(1957-08-17) 17 August 1957 (age 67) Bristol, England
Height	1.83 m
Former coach	Carlo Fassi
Skating club	Queen's Ice Club London Bristol Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club
Retired	1980 (amateur), 1997 (professional)
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 1980 Lake Placid Singles World Championships Silver 1980 Dortmund Singles Silver 1979 Vienna Singles Bronze 1978 Ottawa Singles European Championships Gold 1980 Gothenburg Singles Bronze 1979 Zagreb Singles Bronze 1978 Strasbourg Singles Bronze 1977 Helsinki Singles

Robin John Cousins (born August 17, 1957) is a famous British figure skater. He won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He was also the European champion in 1980. Robin won three medals at the World Championships between 1978 and 1980. He was also the British national champion four times.

After his amateur career, Robin became a successful professional skater. He performed in and produced many ice shows. He can spin both clockwise and anti-clockwise, which is a rare skill for a skater! Robin has also worked as a TV commentator for figure skating. From 2006 to 2014, he was the head judge on the TV show Dancing on Ice. He has also acted in theatre shows, including those in London's West End.

Robin's Early Life

Robin Cousins was born in Bristol, England. His mother, Jo, was a secretary, and his father, Fred, was a civil servant. Fred used to be a football goalkeeper for Millwall F.C.. Robin has two older brothers, Martin and Nick. He went to Henbury School and left when he was 15 years old.

Robin first tried ice skating when he was six years old. This was during a holiday in Bournemouth. He liked it so much that he asked for lessons for Christmas.

When he was young, Robin trained in both ice dancing and singles skating. His first coach was Pamela Davies. Later, he was coached by Gladys Hogg and then by Carlo Fassi.

Robin left school at 16 to focus on figure skating. In 1974, he moved from Bristol to London by himself. He lived in a very small apartment. He also worked stacking shelves at a department store called Whiteley's.

Amazing Skating Career

Robin Cousins won his first national title in 1969 when he was just 12. He was the junior champion in Britain by age 14. That same year, he started competing internationally.

Robin represented the United Kingdom as an amateur figure skater for eight years. He won the British National Senior Championships four times in a row, from 1977 to 1980. He also won the free skating part of the World Championships three times. He earned silver medals at the World Championships in 1979 and 1980.

His biggest wins as an amateur skater came in 1980. He won gold medals at both the European Championships and the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. At the Olympics, he was in second place after the first two parts of the competition. But Robin performed an amazing long program! Eight out of nine judges gave him a perfect score of 5.9 out of 6.0 for his artistic performance. Even though the silver medalist, Hoffmann, did more difficult technical moves, six judges gave first place to Robin. This gave him the overall win and the gold medal! After this, he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 1980.

In 1980, Robin became a professional skater. He won the World Professional Men's Figure Skating Championships twice, in 1985 and 1987. He also won medals at this championship four other times.

Life After Competing

After becoming a professional in 1980, Robin Cousins performed in many famous skating shows. These included Holiday on Ice and Ice Capades. He also kept competing in the World Professional Championships.

In 1980, he was given the title Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his contributions to ice skating. He also set two Guinness World Records on November 16, 1983. He made the longest Axel jump, going 5.81 meters (19 feet 1 inch). He also did the longest back flip on skates, reaching 5.48 meters (18 feet).

In 1983, Robin started his own ice skating company. This company toured the world with shows like Electric Ice and Ice Majesty. He has been a star, producer, director, or choreographer for many TV ice shows. Some of these include The Nutcracker: A Fantasy on Ice, Sleeping Beauty on Ice, and The Wizard of Oz on Ice. He also worked on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express on Ice and the movie The Cutting Edge.

For many years, Robin has been a guest presenter and commentator for BBC Sport. He has covered the European and World Figure Skating Championships, and the Winter Olympics. He was the head judge on the TV show Dancing on Ice from 2006 to 2014.

Robin has also performed on stage in plays and musicals. He played the Prince in Cinderella and Munkustrap in Cats. He also played Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show and Billy Flynn in Chicago in the West End. He has also performed in pantomime shows.

He has even worked with the British synchronized swimming team.

In 2005, Robin was added to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was chosen as Vice Chair and President of the British Ice Skating board.

Personal Life and Health

Robin Cousins has had eight operations on his knees, including a knee replacement when he was in his fifties. His knee problems started at the 1974 World Championships. He had to leave the event early for his first knee operation. He had another operation after the 1977 World Championships. By 1980, he had undergone major surgery on both his left and right knees.

In March 1980, Robin was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life. He was surprised by the host, Eamonn Andrews, in his hometown of Bristol.

Robin has also appeared on TV game shows. In 2012, he was on All Star Family Fortunes with his nephews. In 2013, he appeared on Tipping Point Lucky Stars.

Helping Others

Robin Cousins is a big supporter of the Meningitis UK organization. He also supports the Starr Trust children's charity in Brighton.

Skating Music and Performances

Robin used different music for his skating programs over the years. Here are some of the pieces he used:

Competition Results

Here are Robin Cousins' results from his amateur and professional skating careers:

Amateur Career

Professional Career

See also

In Spanish: Robin Cousins para niños