Natalia Lebedeva - 1990 European Figure Skating Championships Long Program

Natalia Lebedeva repeats as European Figure Skating Championships silver medalist in 1990 with what can be best described as a splatastic performance. With her meltdown, Evelyn Grossmann only had to stand up to win the title.

[@skatingcritic1]

I just found a video (not on CZcams) of Lebedeva doing a triple loop - overrotated, but she held the landing on one foot - in a 1986 competition. Wow! But then she crashed on a triple salchow and hurt herself so badly she had to withdraw. Wonder why she stopped doing that jump, it would have helped her placings.

[@spenceAMS]

I remember watching this and just cringing for her. She'd been so solid the previous year.

[@nondescriptnyc]

I think the Soviet Federation broke her spirit when they chose to keep her away from two Olympics in a row. In 84, she won the Soviet nationals--then they sent Ivanova (based on her placement at 84 Euros), Kondrashova and Vodorezova (based on 83 Worlds). Lebedeva was told she would be given a spot in 88, if she continued.
Then, in 88, after placing 2nd at the nationals behind Ivanova, they gave up the 3rd spot and sent Kondrashova instead! But she wasn't allowed to retire... Poor Natalia...

[@nondescriptnyc]

Dustin Gabe Ivanova was 5th at the Worlds in 1987. If I recall the rule in effect at the time correctly, countries who had skaters finish in the top 5 at the Worlds the year before the Olympics earn 3 slots for the Olympics, provided that (at least one of) the top 5 finisher from the prior year competes at the Olympics. It got changed with the dissolution of the Soviet Union (which multiplied the number of countries participating, making the competitions unmanageable) but, In 1988, USSR had 3 slots in the women’s event, and they only sent two...

[@metsedudenj]

why did they give up the third spot

[@metsdudenj]

This explains why no European woman won a worlds medal from 1990 to 1992