Robin Cousins British figure skater Date of Birth: 17.08.1957 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Robin Cousins
2. Early Career and Struggles
3. Rise to Success
4. Professional Career and Later Life

Biography of Robin Cousins

Robin Cousins is a British figure skater who competed in men's singles. He was born in 1957 and grew up in a modest family. At the age of 12, he won the British Novice Championship, and at 14, he won the British Junior Championship. In the same year, he made his debut in international competitions.

Early Career and Struggles

During the early stages of his career, Cousins faced numerous injuries, which affected his performances. Although he had excellent jumps and incorporated "typically English" humor into his programs, he was an inconsistent athlete. He often performed better in training than in competitions.

Cousins represented his country at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games but did not place among the medalists. His first major success came in 1977 when he won a medal at the European Championship despite only performing one triple jump. That same year, he moved to Colorado to train under the guidance of Carlo Fassi. During his time in the United States, Cousins acquired an American accent.

Rise to Success

From 1978 onwards, Cousins consistently won the free skate programs, although he lagged behind his competitors in figures. In 1978, at the World Championship, he executed two triple toe loops and a Salchow in the free skate. In 1979, he fell while attempting a unique combination of a double flip and a triple toe loop but still won the free skate with three triple jumps. However, he finished second overall behind Vladimir Kovalev of the Soviet Union.

At the 1980 Winter Olympics, Cousins faced tough competition but managed to defeat Jan Hoffmann from East Germany by a narrow margin of two judge's votes. Despite performing simpler jumps and making mistakes like failing to execute jump combinations and falling during a triple Rittberger, Cousins secured the Olympic gold medal. The American judge, R. McIntyre, who placed Cousins third, received a reprimand from the International Skating Union.

Professional Career and Later Life

After the Olympics, Cousins experienced a setback at the World Championship due to a bizarre fall on the step sequence in the short program. Following this disappointment, he retired from amateur competition. Cousins continued his skating career in professional competitions and ice shows. In 1983, he established his own company to organize similar shows.

Cousins won the World Professional Figure Skating Championship twice. He also appeared in several movies about figure skating and worked as a choreographer or producer for various television productions. Additionally, he served as a commentator for the BBC. Despite his technical errors, judges consistently awarded Cousins with high scores, including perfect 5.9 marks, particularly at the 1980 Olympics.

Throughout his amateur career, Cousins showcased an elegant style with exceptional gliding quality and unique elements, such as cascades of double and then triple jumps, axel jumps with landing on the same foot followed by double toe loops, spins in both directions, and a single axel with a long flight. However, he always fell short in the figures discipline compared to the top-ranked skaters.