Milada Kubíková

Milada Kubíková
Other namesMilada Kubikova-Stastny
Born (1943-06-06) June 6, 1943 (age 81)
Plzeň, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Figure skating career
CountryCzechoslovakia
Began skatingc. 1950
Retired1964

Milada Kubíková, married surname: Stastny, (born June 6, 1943) is a Czech former pair skater who competed for Czechoslovakia. With partner Jaroslav Votruba, she placed 5th at two World Championships and 10th at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Personal life

Milada Kubíková was born on June 6, 1943, in Plzeň, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, the daughter of Milada Kubíková, a lawyer, and Jaroslav Kubík, a doctor.[1][2] Her brother, also named Jaroslav, is older by four years.[2]

Kubíková studied physical education and Russian at Charles University in Prague.[2] She defected from Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1969.[3] She had two children with her first husband, and a son, born in 1976, with her second husband, a jeweler named Bretislav Stastny.[2]

Career

Kubíková began skating at age seven.[2] Her first pair skating partner was her brother, Jaroslav Kubík.[3]

By the 1958–59 season, she had teamed up with Jaroslav Votruba. They placed seventh at their first major event, the 1962 European Championships in Geneva, Switzerland, and then fifth at the 1962 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Kubíková/Votruba had their best season in 1962–63. The pair placed 5th at the 1963 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and achieved the same result at the 1963 World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

Kubíková/Votruba finished 12th at the 1964 European Championships in Grenoble, France, and 10th at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.[4]

Joining the Vienna Ice Revue, Kubíková toured western Europe in 1966–68 and North America in 1969.[2] Czechoslovak authorities destroyed footage of Kubíková/Votruba's performances following her defection, despite her partner staying.[3]

Kubíková became the director of Parkwood Skate School in Great Neck, New York.[3] She was the first coach of Nicole Rajičová.[5]

Kubíková/Votruba were named one of Plzeň's ten "Sport Stars of the 20th Century" at a gala on February 17, 2001.[3]

Competitive highlights

With Votruba

International
Event 58–59 59–60 60–61 61–62 62–63 63–64
Winter Olympics 10th
World Championships 5th 5th
European Champ. 7th 5th 12th
National
Czechoslovak Champ. 3rd 3rd 2nd 1st 1st

References

  1. ^ "Milada Kubíková" (in Czech). Czech Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Milada Kubikova-Stastny". National Czech and Slovak Museum. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Parkwood Skate School Director Milada Kubikova-Stastny Honored". Great Neck Record. March 9, 2001. Archived from the original on February 18, 2005.
  4. ^ "Milada Kubíková". Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017.
  5. ^ "Krasokorčuliarka Rajičová: Olympiáda je môj najväčší úspech" [Figure skater Rajičová: Competing at the Olympics is my greatest achievement] (in Slovak). osporte.sk. February 22, 2014. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015.