To license ISU footage: bit.ly/3M7bcaF We dusted off the skating archive to show you some of our sports greatest legends.
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Both Pavel and Eva (Brother & Sister) were born in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia. Pavel on January 1943 and Eva on January 1946. They were introduced to Figure Skating by their father. After managing the basics of Figure Skating, they started to train and compete in the category of Pairs. There is a short shot of the Pair taken at the national championships of the Czech Republic as well as the record of their one and only participation in the Pairs competition at an ISU competition. It was taken at the 1959 European Championships in Davos. They finished in last place there, however they attracted the attention of Ice Dance experts. They were foretold to have great prospects. Their placement was also not so bad. The Romans finished in 7th place from a total of 15 Pairs. Then the series of their success started, thanks to their tenacity in the training process, their father's care and their Coaches, Dr. heinz and miss Navokoba.
In the years 1959 to 1965 they won 7 Championships of Czechoslovakia. The 1959 European Championships in Davos was their first show trial. They also placed 7th at the 1960 Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In 1961, they finished in 5th place in Berlin and in 1962 they won their first medal, a bronze in Geneva. In 1963 in Budapest they earned the silver. In 1964, they became European champions in Grenoble, and re-saved the 1965 European gold medal in Moscow.
The 1962 World Championships in Prague were the first ones the Romans took part in. Their appearance recorded an extraordinary success, and they became the champions of the world. After the competition of compulsory dances, one by the husband and wife Pair Guhel / Guhel, there was not much hope left for the Romans. However, their dream became true by means of their excellent Free Dance. They repeated their victory also in 1963 at Cortina d'Ampezzo, in 1964 at Dortmund and in 1965 at Colorado Springs. The year 1965 put an end to their competitive activity. Both of them became members of the american review “Holiday on Ice”. The Romans were the highlights of its program, and particularly on its U.S tour.
Unfortunately, their fabulous career was cut short by Pavel's tragic death in the summer of 1972 when he suffered a car crash near Knoxville, Tennessee, at the age of 29. However, Eva Romanova stayed in “Holiday on Ice” for another couple of years with great success. If the contribution of the Romans to the development of Ice Dance is valid so many years after, that it is mainly because they departed from the traditional classical pattern of the English style of those years, and introduced an innovative style. Their Free Dance was distinguished by higher speed, more complicated steps, deep curves, perfect coordination, and accomplished harmony, with music in particular.