| 1961 European Figure Skating Championships | |
|---|---|
| Type: | ISU Championship |
| Date: | January 26 – 29 |
| Season: | 1961 |
| Location: |  West Berlin,American Sector |
| Host: | Deutscher Eislauf-Verband (DEV) |
| Venue: | Berlin Sportpalast |
| Champions | |
Men's singles: Alain Giletti | |
Ladies' singles: Sjoukje Dijkstra | |
Pairs: Marika Kilius /Hans-Jürgen Bäumler | |
Ice dance: Doreen Denny /Courtney Jones | |
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The 1961European Figure Skating Championships is an annualfigure skating competition sanctioned by theInternational Skating Union in whichfigure skaters compete for the title of European Champion in the disciplines ofmen's singles,[1]ladies' singles,[2]pair skating,[3] andice dancing.[4]
The competitions took place from January 26 to 29, 1961 inWest Berlin. West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, but the German Skating Association from East Germany organized the championships[1]. The event took place without the participation of skaters from theSoviet Union not because of a political boycott, but rather because an exceptionally mild winter left the Russian skaters with insufficient ice for practice in their home country. The Soviet team was also withdrawn from the originally plannedWorld Championships for the same reason, but that tournament was subsequently cancelled afterSabena Flight 548.[5]
The defending champions in all four divisions retained their titles. In the pairs competition, however, the championsMarika Kilius &Hans-Jürgen Bäumler faced a close battle withMargret Göbl &Franz Ningel, who had defeated them at the West German championships earlier in the season. Göbl & Ningel may have been penalized for including an illegallift in their program.[6]
In the ladies' event,Sjoukje Dijkstra built up a lead in thecompulsory figures that assured her of victory. Her free skating program was described as "exhausting". The stars of the free skating wereHelli Sengstschmidt andJana Mrázková, who both reportedly didtriple salchow jumps in their programs.[6]
Alain Giletti likewise assured himself of victory by winning the figures by a large margin. All three medalists in the men's division gave fine free skating performances.[6]
| Rank | Name | Places |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alain Giletti | 9 |
| 2 | Alain Calmat | 11 |
| 3 | Manfred Schnelldorfer | 23 |
| 4 |  Peter Jonas | 37 |
| 5 | Emmerich Danzer | 51.5 |
| 6 | Robin Jones | 55.5 |
| 7 | Sepp Schönmetzler | 65 |
| 8 |  Bodo Bockenauer | 79 |
| 9 | Heinrich Podhajsky | 80 |
| 10 |  Per Kjølberg | 87 |
| 11 | Peter Krick | 91 |
| 12 | Wouter Toledo | 111 |
| 13 | Michael Flebbe | 112 |
| 14 |  Giordano Abbondati | 122 |
| 15 |  Ragnar Wikström | 135 |
Judges were
P. Baron Charlotte Benedict-Stieber K. Beyer Pamela Davis
A. Jaisli
Ferenc Kertész Hans Meixner Giovanni de Mori E. A. Voigt| Rank | Name | Places |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sjoukje Dijkstra | 9 |
| 2 | Regine Heitzer | 21 |
| 3 |  Jana Mrázková | 26 |
| 4 | Karin Frohner | 49 |
| 5 | Dany Rigoulot | 57 |
| 6 | Helli Sengstschmid | 58 |
| 7 | Eva Grožajová | 66 |
| 8 | Nicole Hassler | 73 |
| 9 | Diana Clifton-Peach | 77 |
| 10 | Jitka Hlaváčková | 83 |
| 11 | Anne Reynolds | 85 |
| 12 | Karin Gude | 90 |
| 13 | Franziska Schmidt | 115 |
| 14 | Christa Fassi | 136 |
| 15 | Danièle Giraud | 141 |
| 16 | Ursula Barkey | 147 |
| 17 | Éva Csoma | 162 |
| 18 | Helga Zöllner | 169 |
| 19 | Dorette Bek | 175 |
| 20 | Silvana Saccozzi | 178 |
| 21 | Gabriele Seyfert | 179 |
| 22 | Sandra Brugnera | 188 |
| 23 | Heidemarie Steiner | 190 |
| 24 | Willie ten Hoopen | 216 |
Judges were
Grazia BarcellonaKarl Enderlin Paul Engelfriet Martin Felsenreich Ferenc Kertész Emil Skákala Néri Valdes Adolf WalkerGeoffrey Yates| Rank | Name | Places |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marika Kilius /Hans-Jürgen Bäumler | 13 |
| 2 | Margret Göbl /Franz Ningel | 14 |
| 3 | Margit Senf /Peter Göbel | 38.5 |
| 4 | Rita Blumenberg /Werner Mensching | 36 |
| 5 | Diana Hinko /Heinz Döpfl | 43.5 |
| 6 | Hana Dvořáková /Karel Vosátka | 52.5 |
| 7 | Valerie Hunt /Peter Burrows | 69.5 |
| 8 | Gerda Johner /Rüdi Johner | 74.5 |
| 9 | Irene Müller /Hans-Georg Dallmer | 75.5 |
| 10 | Renate Rößler /Klaus Wasserfuhr | 78 |
Judges were
Ernst K. Bauch Charlotte Benedict-Stieber Pamela Davis A. Jaisli Theo Klemm Hans Meixner Giovanni de Mori Emil Skákala Néri ValdesJudges were
Cia Benacchi-Bordogna Ferenc Kertész L. Lauret H. Lawrence Walter Malek Hermann Schiechtl Emil Skákala