Single run

Javier Fernández López at the 2010 World Cup

The individual race is a discipline of the sport figure skating , in which the programs are run by a single person.

There is the single run of the men and the single run of the ladies .

Nowadays, individual runs include the short program and the freestyle .

Until 1991, the individual run also consisted of the so-called duty , in which certain figures on the ice had to be traced as precisely as possible.

Short program

The short program is the first part of an individual figure skating competition. It forms the shorter of the two parts, followed by the longer second part, the freestyle.

There was a short program in the individual run for the first time in 1973. Until then, the individual run had consisted of compulsory and freestyle. A decisive reason for the introduction was to reduce the weight of duty. With the final abolition of the obligation in 1991, the short program became an equivalent part of the free program.

The required elements of the short program have been changed several times over the years.

The short program now lasts a maximum of 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Any element that is started after the prescribed time has elapsed is no longer included in the rating. If the short program is not completed within the time limit, there is a deduction of one point for every five seconds of timeout.

The short program in the individual run consists of 7 required elements that have to be linked with each other by connecting elements. The order of the elements is arbitrary. Additional or repeated elements are not allowed. Their use leads to point deductions in the evaluation.

The short program today consists of the following required elements:

Men's:

a double or triple axel
a triple or quadruple jump immediately preceded by connection steps
a jump combination (a double and a triple jump or two triple jumps or a quadruple and a double or triple jump)
a jumped in pirouette
a pirouette of scales or sitting with just one foot change

a pirouette combination with a foot change and at least two position changes (balance, sitting and standing pirouette and their variations);

a sequence of steps (circular, serpentine, longitudinal step sequences)

Women:

a double or triple axel
a triple jump immediately preceded by connection steps
a jump combination (a double and a triple jump or two triple jumps)
a jumped in pirouette
a basic pirouette
a pirouette combination with a foot change and at least two position changes (balance, sitting and standing pirouette and their variations)
a step sequence (circular, spiral, longitudinal step sequences)

Freestyle

The freestyle is the second, longer and more individual part of an individual figure skating competition.

Originally the individual run consisted of compulsory and freestyle. While all figures were precisely prescribed in duty, there were no provisions whatsoever in the freestyle. In 1982 the International Ice Skating Union introduced the term “well-balanced program” in individual skating . This should counteract the process of the increasingly one-sided program with only jump elements. With the introduction of the new scoring system in 2004 , the freedoms of the freestyle were restricted even further. An exact number of each type of element was prescribed. There are 13 types of items for the men and 12 for the women.

The duration of a freestyle is 4 minutes 30 seconds for men and 4 minutes for women. The freestyle may be 10 seconds above or below the time limit. If the freestyle program is not completed within the time limit, there is a deduction of one point for every five seconds of timeout. For each jump element that is performed halfway through the freestyle, 10% of the base value of the element is added up.

For a well-balanced program, all elements must be linked with connecting steps of various kinds and other freestyle elements, in accordance with the music and using the full ice surface. The music is freely selectable by the athlete, and vocal music has also been allowed since the 2014/15 season.

Today the freestyle consists of the following required elements:

Men's:

eight jump elements (including an axel)
three different pirouettes, one of them combined, one jumped in and one with only one position
two step sequences; (Spiral step sequences, longitudinal step sequences, circular step sequences, serpentine step sequences)

Women:

seven jump elements (including an axel)
three different pirouettes, one of them combined, one jumped in and one with only one position
two step sequences (spiral step sequences, longitudinal step sequences, circular step sequences, serpentine step sequences)

rating

The evaluation of the short program and the freestyle in the individual run is carried out according to the guidelines of the evaluation system of the International Skating Union .

history

The men's individual skating was the only part of the first European figure skating championships in Hamburg in 1891 and the first world figure skating championships in Saint Petersburg in 1896 . The first individual run for women followed at the 1906 World Championships in Davos and at the 1930 European Championships in Vienna . At the first Olympic Games that had figure skating in the program, there was competition in both men and women in individual races in London in 1908 . Uniquely, there was a second individual competition for men at these Olympic Games, that of special figures.

The most successful individual skaters in the history of figure skating are the Swede Ulrich Salchow with ten world championship titles and one Olympic victory and the Norwegian Sonja Henie with ten world championship titles and three Olympic victories.

Web links

Commons : Single run - collection of images, videos and audio files

ISU rules (PDF)