Kira Ivanova (January 10, 1963 – December 18, 2001) was a Soviet figure skater….who was the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympic bronze medalist, the 1985 World Championships silver medalist, a four-time European silver medalist and a three-time Soviet national champion. Ivanova also won the silver medal at the 1978 World Junior Championships…..and she made her senior World debut at the 1979 World Championships while finishing 18th…..plus she was 16th at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics.
She was not sent to the 1980 World Championships, however, she received more assignments after Elena Vodorezova, a Soviet champion who had placed 6th at 1978 Worlds, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. At the 1981 World Championships, Ivanova placed 13th in the compulsory figures, 4th in the short program, and 13th in the free skate….and finished 12th overall. She won the Moscow News Trophy in the fall of 1982, completing a clean triple-triple jump combination.
The Soviet skating federation allegedly banned Ivanova from competing outside the Soviet Union for two years beginning in the fall of 1981….for public conflicts with her coach that interfered with her training.She returned to international competition in time for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics….where she won the bronze medal….as she was the only ladies’ single skater to win an Olympic medal for the Soviet Union or Russia until Irina Slutskaya won silver in 2002.
She won the silver medal at the 1985 European Championships in Gothenburg, the 1986 European Championships in Copenhagen, the 1987 European Championships in Sarajevo and at the 1988 European Championships in Prague.
At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Ivanova finished first in the compulsory figures ahead of the defending Olympic champion Katarina Witt, but placed 10th and 9th in the short and free programs and finished 7th overall.
