Ice dancing
Torvill and Dean (photograph courtesy of Nottinghamshire Archives).
Probably the most famous sports personalities of the county in recent years are Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean, the Ice dancing champions of the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics when they won an outstanding 6.0 across the board with their interpretation of Ravel’s Bolero. They had previously set a high precedent at the 1983 World Championships when they danced Barnum in Helsinki. The pair turned professional following the 1984 Olympics, regaining amateur status briefly ten years later in 1994 to compete in the Olympics once again.
The pair retired from competitive skating for good in 1998 when they toured one last time with their own show, Ice Adventures. They had trained at the Nottingham Ice Rink which was built in 1939 and which was demolished in 1995 to make way for the more fashionable National Ice Centre, accessed through Bolero Square.
Event |
1975-1976 |
1976-1977 |
1977-1978 |
1978-1979 |
1979-1980 |
1980-1981 |
1981-1982 |
1982-1983 |
1983-1984 |
1993-1994 |
Winter Olympic Games |
5th |
1st |
3rd |
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World Championships |
11th |
8th |
4th |
1st |
1st |
1st |
1st |
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European Championships |
9th |
6th |
4th |
1st |
1st |
Withdrew |
1st |
1st |
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British Championships |
4th |
3rd |
1st |
1st |
1st |
1st |
1st |
1st |
1st |