1 Gillis Grafström
Basic personal information: Born on June 7, 1893 in Stockholm, Sweden
Athlete's career: Gillis Grafström is a former Swedish figure skater known for his understanding and perfect control of music, and was the first athlete to realize the importance of music for skating and to arrange a complete program according to music.
Personal experience and course: Gillis Grafström won three Olympic men's singles championships (1920, 1924, 1928) and one Olympic men's singles runner-up (1932); A three-time world champion, he lived in Potsdam, Germany, from 1925 until his death, and today there is a street named after him in Potsdam. He was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976.
2 Dick Barton
Basic personal information: Born in the United States on July 18, 1929
Athlete's career: Dick Button is the world's famous figure skating men's singles Olympic champion and one of the top ten figure skating men's singles in history.
Biography and history: Dick Barton is the first defending champion in Olympic history (1948, 1952) and the youngest men's singles champion (18 years old), the first and only male figure skating honor winner, he has won five consecutive World Figure Skating Championships (1948-1952), seven consecutive U.S. Figure Skating Championships (1944-1952), one European Figure Skating Championships (1948), 3-time North American Figure Skating Championship champion (1947, 1949, 1951). Barton was the first to do the two-and-a-half-week and three-week jumps, invented the jumping swallow, toured after retiring, and earned a law degree at Harvard. Since 1962 he has been a figure skating commentator at ABC and has become a well-known analyst in the field.
3 Evgeny Viktorovich Plushenko
Basic personal information: Born on November 3, 1982 in Solyanchi, Russia
Career of an athlete: Evgeny Viktorovich Plushenko is a famous Russian figure skater.
Personal experience and course: Plushenko has won 3 Olympic figure skating men's singles medals (1 gold and 2 silver), 1 Olympic figure skating team champion, 3 world championships, 7 European championships, 10 Russian National Figure Skating Championships, ranking among the top three in the world figure skating men's singles. Known as the "King of Figure Skating", Plushenko's performance style is creative and artistic, often blending modern pop and classical music in his performances. He was also the first male figure skater to complete the quadruple jump in the competition, and successfully completed this difficult technique several times in competition. After retiring, Plushenko became a figure skating coach and achieved great success in coaching, with his students including world champions and Olympic medalists.
4 Hanyu Yuzuru
Basic personal information: Born on December 7, 1994 in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Athlete's career: Hanyu is a famous Japanese figure skating men's singles player, one of the most influential world champions in figure skating history, and has won several world and Olympic titles.
Personal experience and course: Hanyu is the first person in figure skating history to win gold medals in the men's singles events of the Olympic Games, World Championships, Grand Prix Finals, Four Continents Championships, World Youth Championships, and Youth Finals, and he is also the first figure skater in 66 years of the Winter Olympics to win the men's singles (the former was Dick Barton). Hanyu, who has broken world records several times and holds several world records, was the first person to jump around the outer knot ring after completing an ISU-sanctioned international competition. He was also awarded ISU's Most Valuable Athlete of the 2019-2020 season. Hanyu is famous for his technique, artistry and creativity, and is known as the "absolute king" in the history of figure skating.
Impact and contribution: Hanyu not only excelled in figure skating, he also influenced more people through his performance and loving activities, and he donated a large amount of money to the disaster area after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. His success and influence have inspired many people, especially the younger generation in Japan, to pursue their dreams and goals.
5 Ulrich Sakhov
Basic personal information: Born in Sweden on August 7, 1877
Athlete's career: Ulrich Sakhov is one of the greatest skating players in the history of figure skating and is a famous figure skating men's singles.
Personal experience and history: Sakhov won 10 consecutive men's figure skating titles in the world (1901-1905, 1907-1911), was the first Olympic figure skating men's singles champion (1908), and he refused to participate in the 1906 World Championships for fear of unfair referees, so this time the competition was inconclusive. He was the first competitor to complete the inner loop jump in 1909, which was also named the "Sakhov jump". After retiring, Sakhov held important positions such as president of the International Skating Federation and president of the AIK Sports Association. He died on April 19, 1949, and was buried in Stockholm's North Cemetery.
Influence and contribution: Ulrich Sakhov's outstanding performance and achievements in figure skating set an example for later athletes, and his jumping skills played a huge role in the development of figure skating. In addition, during his presidency of ISU, he made an extremely important contribution to the development and promotion of figure skating, laying the foundation for the globalization and popularization of the sport.
6 Karl Schaefer
Basic personal information: Karl Schäfer was born on May 17, 1909 in Vienna, Austria.
Athlete's career: Schaefer achieved many achievements in figure skating, winning two Olympic Winter Championships (1932, 1936), seven consecutive World Figure Skating Championships, and eight consecutive European Figure Skating Championships (1929-1936).
Personal experience and journey: Schaefer has shown great talent from an early age, performing well in sports and music. He was a breaststroke runner and won eight national championships. Schaefer was a well-rounded player who excelled at prescribed graphics, jumping 2Lo and 2Lz in practice as a teenager (no one had ever jumped into 2Lo and 2Lz in a competition back then), with his signature moves being 1A, big and squat. He is known for his excellent musical comprehension and expressiveness.
Influence and contribution: Schaefer's achievements and performances have made an important contribution to the development of figure skating. His signature movements and techniques became the object of learning and imitation for later players. His performance during his athletic career also set an example for later figure skaters.
7 David Jenkins
Basic personal information: David Jenkins was born in the United States on June 29, 1936.
Athlete's career: David Jenkins is one of the leading figures in figure skating, having won the third place in the men's singles figure skating at the 1956 Winter Olympics, the men's singles champion at the 1960 Winter Olympics, the third place at the 1955-1956 World Figure Skating Championships, and three consecutive World Figure Skating Championships from 1957 to 1959.
Personal experience and course: David Jenkins and his brother Hayes Allen Jenkins were forced to practice figure skating under the threat of their eldest sister. Although initially forced, both brothers showed great talent for figure skating. David Jenkins is a technical and performative competitor who jumps with great difficulty and excellent prescribed graphics.
Impact and contribution: David Jenkins' achievements and performance in figure skating set an example for later runners. The technical and performance abilities he demonstrated also contributed to the development of figure skating.
8 Alexei Yagudin
Basic personal information: Alexei Yagudin was born on March 18, 1980 in Leningrad, Russia (now St. Petersburg).
Athlete's career: Yagudin is an accomplished figure skater, having won one Olympic Winter Championship (2002) and two World Figure Skating Championships (2002, 2005), and five European Figure Skating Championships.
Personal experience and course: Yagudin has been practicing figure skating since he was a child, and his mother is a figure skating coach. Yagudin is considered a very well-rounded contestant, and his technical and acting abilities are excellent. He is known for his excellent jumping and spinning skills, having jumped multiple quadruple jumps and three-and-a-half week jumps in competitions.
Influence and contribution: Yagudin's performance and achievements in figure skating set an example for later players. His technical and performance abilities have also contributed to the development of figure skating. In addition, he is an excellent coach and has trained several excellent figure skaters for the Russian national team.
9 Hayes Allen Jenkins
Basic personal information: Hays Allen Jenkins was born in the United States on March 23, 1933.
Athlete's career: Hayes Allen Jenkins is a famous figure skating men's singles player, who won the men's figure skating men's singles title at the 1956 Winter Olympics and won four consecutive World Figure Skating Championships (1953-1956).
Personal experience and course: Hays-Allen-Jenkins and his brother David Jenkins were forced to practice figure skating under the threat of their eldest sister. Although initially forced, both brothers showed great talent for figure skating. Hayes Allen Jenkins is a technical and acting contestant who is best at prescribed graphics. He won the gold medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics with his excellent prescribed graphics skills.
Impact and contribution: The achievements and performance of Hayes Allen Jenkins set an example and served as a reference for later figure skaters. His prescribed graphic representation also made an important contribution to the development of figure skating.
10 Scott Hamilton
Basic personal information: Scott Hamilton was born in the United States on August 28, 1958.
Athlete's career: Hamilton is a well-known figure skating men's singles player, a former figure skating men's singles champion at the 1984 Winter Olympics, and a four-time World Figure Skating Championships champion (1981-1984).
Personal experience and course: Hamilton was one of the kings of figure skating men's singles in the early 80s, he mastered five three-week jumps with no low difficulty, smooth sliding and dazzling performances. After retiring, he founded the StarsonIce World Figure Skating Star Performance Company and became a well-known sports commentator.
Influence and contribution: Hamilton's achievements and performances in figure skating set an example for later athletes. His technical and performance abilities have also contributed to the development of figure skating. In addition, the StarsonIce World Figure Skating Star Performance Group, which he founded, has contributed to the popularization and development of figure skating.