World Figure Skating Championships cumulative medal count explained

See main article: World Figure Skating Championships.

The World Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Generally held in March, the World Championships are considered the most prestigious of the ISU Figure Skating Championships. With the exception of the Olympic title, a world title is considered to be the highest competitive achievement in figure skating.^[1]

Ulrich Salchow of Sweden currently holds the record for the most gold medals won in men's singles (at ten), while Sonja Henie of Norway holds the record for the most gold medals won in women's singles (also at ten). Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev of the Soviet Union hold the record for the most gold medals won by pairs team (at six), while Rodnina won another four gold medals with her previous partner Alexei Ulanov and thus holds the record for the most gold medals won by a skater in pair skating (at ten). Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov, also of the Soviet Union, hold the record for the most gold medals won in ice dance (at six).

Men's singles

The men's event was first held in 1896 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and is the oldest discipline at the World Championships. Until 1902, men and women were allowed to compete in the same event (open singles). Since 1903, only men can compete in this event.

Ulrich Salchow from Sweden has won the most gold medals in the men's singles and also the most total medals (thirteen). He won ten gold medals in a row; however, this feat was not achieved at back-to-back events, as he did not compete at the 1906 World Championships.^[2] The record for most back-to-back titles is held by Austrian Karl Schäfer with seven gold medals.^[3] The most silver medals were won by James Grogan from the United States and Brian Orser from Canada (with four each), while Andor Szende from Hungary, Alexandre Fadeev from the Soviet Union, and Jan Hoffmann from East Germany share the record for the most bronze medals (with three each).

Total medal count by nation

• Countries that no longer participate are indicated in italics.
• At the 1900 and 1901 World Championships, only two competitors participated in the men's singles event, so no bronze medals were awarded.
• In 1902, female skater Madge Syers from Great Britain won a silver medal in the open singles event, which is included on the men's singles medal table.

Most gold medals by skater

• If the number of gold medals is identical, the silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the skaters receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.

! scope="col"

Skater	Nation	Period				Total
1			1897–1911	10	3	–	13
2			1927–1936	7	2	1	10
3			1947–1952	5	1	–	6
4			1913–1928	4	3	2	9
5			1997–2002	4	1	1	6
6			1989–1993	4	1	–	5
7			1950–1956	4	–	2	6
8			1981–1984	4	–	–	4
9			1911–1925	3	3	1	7
10			1992–2000	3	2	1	6

Most total medals by skater

• If the total number of medals is identical, the gold, silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the skaters receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.

! scope="col"

Skater	Nation	Period				Total
1			1897–1911	10	3	–	13
2			1927–1936	7	2	1	10
3			1913–1928	4	3	2	9
4			1911–1925	3	3	1	7
5			2012–2021	2	3	2	7
6			1973–1980	2	2	3	7
7			1947–1952	5	1	–	6
8			1997–2002	4	1	1	6
9			1950–1956	4	–	2	6
10			1992–2000	3	2	1	6

Women's singles

After the exclusion of female skaters from the open singles event at the World Championships in 1902, the International Skating Union established a separate second-class competition for women called the ISU Championships, which was first held 1906 in Davos, Switzerland. The first combined World Championships for men, women, and pairs took place in 1930 in New York City.

Sonja Henie from Norway holds the record in women's singles for total medals won (with eleven) and the most gold medals won (with ten), which is also the longest winning streak at back-to-back events in this discipline.^[4] Six skaters share the record for the most silver medals won (with three): Megan Taylor from Great Britain, Regine Heitzer from Austria, Gabriele Seyfert from East Germany, Surya Bonaly from France, Irina Slutskaya from Russia, and Michelle Kwan from the United States. Vivi-Anne Hultén from Sweden and Carolina Kostner from Italy hold the record for the most bronze medals won (with three each).

Total medal count by nation

• Countries that no longer participate are indicated in italics.
• At the 1908 and 1910 World Championships, only two competitors participated in the women's singles event, so no bronze medals were awarded.
• At the 1909 World Championships, Lily Kronberger from Hungary was the only competitor and winner of the gold medal. No silver or bronze medals were awarded.

Most gold medals by skater

• If the number of gold medals is identical, the silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the skaters receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.

! scope="col"

Skater	Nation	Period				Total
1			1926–1936	10	1	–	11
2			1996–2004	5	3	1	9
3			1955–1960	5	1	–	6
			1922–1927	5	1	–	6
5			1982–1988	4	2	–	6
6			1906–1911	4	–	2	6
7			2007–2014	3	1	1	5
			1959–1964	3	1	1	5
9			1911–1914	3	1	–	4
10			1965–1968	3	–	1	4

Most total medals by skater

• If the total number of medals is identical, the gold, silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the skaters receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.

! scope="col"

Skater	Nation	Period				Total
1			1926–1936	10	1	–	11
2			1996–2004	5	3	1	9
3			1955–1960	5	1	–	6
			1922–1927	5	1	–	6
5			1982–1988	4	2	–	6
6			1906–1911	4	–	2	6
7			1996–2005	2	3	1	6
8			2007–2013	2	2	2	6
9			2005–2014	1	2	3	6
10			2007–2014	3	1	1	5
			1959–1964	3	1	1	5

Pairs

The first separate pair skating event was held in 1908 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The first combined World Championships for men, women, and pairs took place in 1930 in New York City.

Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev from the Soviet Union hold the record for the most gold medals won in pair skating and the longest winning streak at back-to-back events (with six).^[5] Rodnina won another four gold medals with her previous partner Alexei Ulanov and was undefeated at ten World Championships in a row. The record for total medals won is shared by two pairs (with eight each): Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy from Germany; and Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov from the Soviet Union. Savchenko won another three medals with Bruno Massot and holds the record for the most total medals won by a skater in pairs (with eleven). Ilse and Erik Pausin won the most silver medals (with five), representing Austria and Germany. Lyudmila Smirnova from the Soviet Union won five silver medals as well, but with two different partners. Three pairs teams share the record for the most bronze medals (with three each): Marianna and László Nagy from Hungary, Cynthia and Ronald Kauffman from the United States, and Pang Qing and Tong Jian from China. Todd Sand from the United States and Eric Radford from Canada also won three bronze medals, but each of them with different partners.

Total medal count by nation

• Countries that no longer participate are indicated in italics.
• At the 1910 and 1911 World Championships, Ludowika Eilers and Walter Jakobsson competed as a pair representing two different countries (Eilers for Germany and Jakobsson for Finland). Their results count individually for each country on the total medal table.
• At the 1911 World Championships, Eilers and Jakobsson were the only competitors in the pairs event, so no silver or bronze medals were awarded.

Most gold medals by pairs team

• Only pair results are included in the list. Individual results in case of partner changes are marked with a note or listed separately below the table.
• If the number of gold medals is identical, the silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the pairs receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order by the female partner's last name.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.
• If a skater or pair has competed for multiple countries, countries are listed in chronological order (from first to last).

! scope="col"

Female partner	Male partner	Nation	Period				Total
scope=row	1				1973–1978	6	–	–	6
scope=row	2				2007–2014	5	2	1	8
scope=row	3				1962–1969	4	3	1	8
scope=row rowspan="3"	4				1925–1932	4	1	–	5
			1986–1990	4	1	–	5
		Hungary	1931–1935	4	1	–	5
scope=row	7				1934–1939	4	–	1	5
scope=row rowspan="2"	8				1969–1972	4	–	–	4
			1957–1960	4	–	–	4
scope=row	10			Germany /	1910–1923	3	4	–	7

Notes:

Most total medals by pairs team

• Only pair results are included in the list. Individual results in case of partner changes are marked with a note or listed separately below the table.
• If the total number of medals is identical, the gold, silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the pairs receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order by female partner's last name.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.
• If a skater or team has competed for multiple countries, countries are listed in chronological order (from first to last).

! scope="col"

Female partner	Male partner	Nation	Period				Total
scope=row	1				2007–2014	5	2	1	8
scope=row	2				1962–1969	4	3	1	8
scope=row	3			Germany /	1910–1923	3	4	–	7
scope=row	4				1999–2007	3	3	1	7
scope=row	5				1973–1978	6	–	–	6
scope=row	6				1983–1988	3	3	–	6
scope=row	7				2004–2015	2	1	3	6
scope=row rowspan="3"	8				1925–1932	4	1	–	5
			1986–1990	4	1	–	5
		Hungary	1931–1935	4	1	–	5

Notes:Four skaters won a total of six medals in the pairs event, but with different partners:

• Alexei Ulanov from the Soviet Union won four gold medals while partnered with Irina Rodnina (1969–1972) and two silver medals while partnered with Lyudmila Smirnova (1973–1974).
• Marika Kilius from West Germany won two gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals: one silver medal and one bronze medal while partnered with Franz Ningel (1956–1957); and two gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal while partnered with Hans-Jürgen Bäumler (1959–1964).
• Ludwig Wrede from Austria won two gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals: two gold medals and one bronze medal while partnered with Herma Szabo (1925–1927) and two silver medals and a bronze medal while partnered with Melitta Brunner (1928–1930).
• Lloyd Eisler from Canada won one gold medal, three silver medals, and two bronze medals: one bronze medal while partnered with Katherina Matousek (1985) and one gold medal, three silver medals, and one bronze medal while partnered with Isabelle Brasseur (1990–1994).

Ice dance

Ice dance is the most recent of the four disciplines at the World Figure Skating Championships. It was first held in 1952 in Paris, France.

Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov from the Soviet Union hold the record for the most gold medals won (with six) and the longest winning streak at back-to-back events (with five).^[6] The record for total medals won is shared by three ice dance teams (with eight each): Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Irina Moiseeva and Andrei Minenkov, and Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, who all competed for the Soviet Union, although Klimova and Ponomarenko represented the Commonwealth of Independent States at their last competition in 1992. The most silver medals were won by Klimova and Ponomarenko as well (with five), while the record for the most bronze medals is held by Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz from Canada (with four).

Total medal count by nation

• Countries that no longer participate are indicated in italics.

Most gold medals by ice dance team

• Only teams' results are included in the list. Individual results in the case of partner changes are listed separately below the table.
• If the number of gold medals is identical, the silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the teams receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order by the female partner's last name.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.
• If a skater or team has competed for multiple countries, countries are listed in chronological order (from first to last).

! scope="col"

Female partner	Male partner	Nation	Period				Total
1				1969–1976	6	1	–	7
2				2015–2022	5	1	–	6
3				1981–1988	4	3	1	8
4				1992–1997	4	1	1	6
5				1962–1965	4	–	–	4
				1981–1984	4	–	–	4
				1966–1969	4	–	–	4
				1952–1955	4	–	–	4
9				1985–1992	3	5	–	8
10				2008–2017	3	3	1	7

One skater won four gold medals and one silver medal in the ice dance event, but with two different partners:

• Courtney Jones from Great Britain won two gold and one silver medal while partnered with June Markham (1956–1958) and another two gold medals while partnered with Doreen Denny (1959–1960).

Most total medals by ice dance team

• Only teams' results are included in the list. Individual results in the case of partner changes are listed separately below the table.
• If the total number of medals is identical, the gold, silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the team receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order by the female partner's last name.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.
• If a skater or couple has competed for multiple countries, countries are listed in chronological order (from first to last).

! scope="col"

Female partner	Male partner	Nation	Period				Total
1				1981–1988	4	3	1	8
2				1985–1992	3	5	–	8
3				1975–1982	2	3	3	8
4				1969–1976	6	1	–	7
5				2008–2017	3	3	1	7
6				2015–2022	5	1	–	6
7				1992–1997	4	1	1	6
8				1996–2003	1	1	4	6
9				2015–2024	2	1	2	5
				1974–1980	2	1	2	5

Three more skaters won a total of five medals in the ice dance event, but with different partners:

• Courtney Jones from Great Britain won four gold medals and one silver medal: two gold medals and one silver medal while partnered with June Markham (1956–1958) and another two gold medals while partnered with Doreen Denny (1959–1960).
• Anjelika Krylova from Russia won two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal: one bronze medal while partnered with Vladimir Fedorov (1993) and two gold medals and two silver medals while partnered with Oleg Ovsyannikov (1996–1999).
• William McLachlan from Canada won three silver medals and two bronze medals: two silver medals and one bronze medal while partnered with Geraldine Fenton (1957–1959) and one silver medal and one bronze medal while partnered with Virginia Thompson (1960–1962).

Overall

• The table only shows the period of the achievement, not all participations at the World Championships.
• If a skater has competed for multiple countries, countries are listed in chronological order (from first to last).

Achievement! scope="col"

Record	Skater	Nation	Discipline	Period
Most gold medals	10			Men's singles	1901–1911
			Women's singles	1927–1936
			Pairs	1969–1978
Most silver medals	5		Germany	Pairs	1935–1939
			Pairs	1970–1974
			Ice dance	1985–1991
Most bronze medals	4			Ice dance	1996–1999
Most total medals	align=center	13			Men's singles	1897–1911
Most wins at back-to-back events	10			Women's singles	1927–1936
			Pairs	1969–1978

Total medal count by nation

• Countries that no longer participate are indicated in italics.

Most gold medals by skater

• If the number of gold medals is identical, the silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the skaters receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.

! scope="col"

Skater	Nation	Discipline(s)	Period				Total
1			Men's singles	1897–1911	10	3	–	13
2			Women's singles	1926–1936	10	1	–	11
3			Pairs	1969–1978	10	–	–	10
4			Men's singles	1927–1936	7	2	1	10
5			Women's singles	1922–1927	7	1	1	9
Pairs
6			Pairs	2007–2018	6	3	2	11
7			Ice dance	1969–1976	6	1	–	7
9			Pairs	1973–1978	6	–	–	6
10			Women's singles	1996–2004	5	3	1	9

Most total medals by skater

• If the total number of medals is identical, the gold, silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the skaters receive the same placement and are sorted in alphabetical order.
• The table only shows the period from the first to the last won medal, not all participation at the World Championships.

! scope="col"

Skater	Nation	Discipline(s)	Period				Total
1			Men's singles	1897–1911	10	3	–	13
2			Women's singles	1926–1936	10	1	–	11
3			Pairs	2007–2018	6	3	2	11
4			Pairs	1969–1978	10	–	–	10
5			Men's singles	1927–1936	7	2	1	10
6			Women's singles	1922–1927	7	1	1	9
Pairs
7			Women's singles	1996–2004	5	3	1	9
8			Men's singles	1913–1928	4	3	2	9
9			Men's singles	1931–1939	4	2	3	9
Pairs
10			Pairs	2007–2014	5	2	1	8

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in figure skating
• European Figure Skating Championships cumulative medal count
• Four Continents Figure Skating Championships cumulative medal count

External links

• International Skating Union

Notes and References

1. Web site: April 6, 2016 . America Ends Medal Drought at Figure Skating Championship . July 1, 2024 . NBC News.
2. Web site: Ulrich Salchow . 26 March 2021 . Olympedia.
3. Book: Hines, James . Figure Skating: A History . University of Illinois Press . 2005 . 978-0-252-07286-4 . 107.
4. Web site: Sonja Henie . https://web.archive.org/web/20100309082541/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/sonja-henie-1.html . 9 March 2010 . sports-reference.com . Sports Reference LLC.
5. Web site: Pushkina . Oksana . 3 October 2004 . ru:Ирина Константиновна Роднина . Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina . http://www.peoples.ru/sport/fskating/rodnina/ . https://web.archive.org/web/20030119090934/http://www.peoples.ru/sport/fskating/rodnina/ . 19 January 2003 . 23 April 2011 . peoples.ru . ru.
6. News: Russell . Susan D. . January 5, 2013 . Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234703/http://www.ifsmagazine.com/articles/32605-lyudmila-pakhomova-and-aleksandr-gorshkov . 2016-03-03 . IFS Magazine.