Skate Guard Blog

World Figure Skating Champion René Novotný was born on this day in 1963. With partner Radka Kovaříková, Novotný twice won the World Professional Figure Skating Championships. Novotný competed in 3 Olympics with 2 different partners, his best finish being fourth at the 1992 Albertville Games with Kovaříková.

📸 J. Barry Mittan

Olympic Gold Medallist & World Pairs Skating Champion Alexa Knierim was born on this day in 1991. Alexa won the Olympic gold medal in the team event and the World pairs title in 2022 with partner Brandon Frazier. She is pictured here with her husband and partner Chris Knierim, with whom she won the 2018 Olympic bronze medal in the team event.

📸 Hal McGee

World Medallist Sarah Abitbol was born on this day in 1975. With partner Stéphane Bernadis, Abitbol won seven medals at the European Figure Skating Championships from 1996 to 2003.

Pride Season is a time to celebrate the people who helped shape our sport. 🌈⛸️

From pioneering champions and groundbreaking performers to coaches, choreographers, and behind-the-scenes builders, members of the LGBTQ+ community have made immeasurable contributions to figure skating history. Their stories are filled with talent, resilience, creativity, and courage.

This Pride Season, take a deeper look at the people and moments that helped define the sport we love. Figure skating history is more fascinating and diverse than many realize.

Explore the stories, discover the history and celebrate the legacy on the Skating With Pride history hub on Skate Guard Blog:

https://www.skateguardblog.com/p/lgbtq-history-month.html