If Pewter Medals Were A Thing

America has the unique distinction of being perhaps the only country to award the fourth-place finishers in major competitions a pewter medal. The quaint tradition started in the mid-eighties and to date hasn't caught on elsewhere in the world. In today's blog, we'll take a look at who the pewter medallists would have been had the tradition been taken up at the Canadian, European and World Championships and Olympics. You'll see some familiar names - and some not so familiar ones too!

FOURTH-PLACE FINISHERS AT THE CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Year	Men	Women	Pairs	Ice Dance
1947	(none)	Gloria Lillico	(none)	Diane Jones and Trevor Owen
1948	(none)	Vevi Smith	(none)	(none)
1949	Norris Bowden	Marlene Smith	(none)	(none)
1950	(none)	Maureen Senior	(none)	Geraldine Fenton and Dick McLaughlin
1951	Donald Tobin	Barbara Gratton	(none)	Doreen Leech and Norman Walker
1952	(none)	Barbara Gratton	(none)	Mary Diane Trimble and David Ross
1953	Alan Anderson	Vevi Smith	(none)	(none)
1954	(none)	Dawn Steckley	(none)	(none)
1955	(none)	Sonja Currie	(none)	Heather West and Bill McLachlan
1956	Dick Rimmer	Karen Dixon	(none)	(none)
1957	Dick Rimmer	Pamela Willman	(none)	(none)
1958	(none)	Sandra Tewkesbury	(none)	(none)
1959	(none)	Margaret MacDougall	(none)	Vivian Tutton and Gilles Vanasse
1960	(none)	Dianne Frith-Smith	(none)	Marijane Lenny and Karl Benzing
1961	(none)	Frances Gold	(none)	Carole Holliday and Brian Baillie
1962	Bill Neale	Patricia Cook	Elinor Flack and Phillip McCordic	Marilyn Crawford and Blair Armitage
1963	Gregory Folk	Valerie Jones	Alexis and Chris Shields	Marilyn Crawford and Blair Armitage
1964	Bill Neale	Valerie Jones	Susan and Paul Huehnergard	Lynn Matthews and Byron Topping
1965	Toller Cranston	Roberta Laurent	(none)	Joni Graham and Don Phillips
1966	Toller Cranston	Karen Magnussen	(none)	Joni Graham and Don Phillips
1967	David McGillvray	Linda Carbonetto	(none)	Dale Newmarch and Bryce Swetnam
1968	Toller Cranston	Cathy Lee Irwin	Mary Jane Oke and Victor Irving	Sandi Kattler and Bryce Swetnam
1969	Patrick McKilligan	Alana Wilson	Nancy and Steven Dover	Patricia and Derry Allen
1970	Paul Bonenfant	Mary McCaffrey	(none)	Brenda Sandys and James Holden
1971	Ron Shaver	Mary McCaffrey	Linda Tasker and Allen Carson	Linda Roe and Kevin Cottam
1972	Patrick McKilligan	Daria Prychun	Linda Tasker and Allen Carson	Judy Currah and Keith Caughell
1973	Patrick McKilligan	Julie Black	Lindy Watts and Don Fraser	Shelley MacLeod and Bob Knapp
1974	Stan Bohonek	Heather Moore	Candy Jones and Don Fraser	Debbie and John Dowding
1975	Ted Barton	Susan MacDonald	(none)	Lorna Wighton and John Dowding
1976	Kenneth Polk	Barbara Terpenning	Janet and Mark Hominuke	Debbie and Randy Burke
1977	Jimmy Szabo	Susan MacDonald	(none)	Debbie and Randy Burke
1978	Kevin Hicks	Janet Morrissey	Sharon Hallett and Craig Pearce	Debbie and Randy Burke
1979	Gary Beacom	Peggy McLean	Andrea Derby and Jim Sorochan	Joanne French and John Thomas
1980	Brian Orser	Deborah Albright	Mary Jo Fedy and Tim Mills	Kelly Johnson and Kris Barber
1981	Gary Beacom	Charlene Wong	Katherina Matousek and Eric Thomsen	Gina Aucoin and Hans Peter Ponikau
1982	Gary Beacom	Tracey Wainman	Melinda Kunhegyi and Lyndon Johnston	Karyn and Rod Garossino
1983	Kevin Parker	Liz Manley	Melinda Kunhegyi and Lyndon Johnston	Karen Taylor and Robert Burk
1984	Dennis Coi	Charlene Wong	Lynda and John Ivanich	Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay
1985	André Bourgeois	Tracey Wainman	Penny Schultz and Scott Grover	Kim Campbell and Michael Farrington
1986	Kevin Parker	Charlene Wong	Christine Hough and Doug Ladret	Michelle McDonald and Michael Farrington
1987	Neil Paterson	Diane Takeuchi	Laureen Collin and John Penticost	Penny Mann and Richard Perkins
1988	Michael Slipchuk	Patricia Schmidt	Laureen Collin and John Penticost	Jo-Anne Borlase and Martin Smith
1989	Norm Proft	Diane Takeuchi	Michelle Menzies and Kevin Wheeler	Penny Mann and Richard Perkins
1990	Norm Proft	Karen Preston	Michelle Menzies and Kevin Wheeler	Penny Mann and Richard Perkins
1991	Brent Frank	Karen Preston	Michelle Menzies and Kevin Wheeler	Dara Bailey and Rock LeMay
1992	Patrick Brault	Lisa Sargeant	Michelle Menzies and Kevin Wheeler	Martine Patenaude and Eric Massé
1993	Sébastien Britten	Tanya Bingert	Jamie Salé and Jason Turner	Martine Patenaude and Eric Massé
1994	Marcus Christensen	Tanya Bingert	Marie-Claude Savard-Gagnon and Luc Bradet	Marie-France Dubreuil and Tomas Morbacher
1995	David Pelletier	Angela Derochie	Marie-Claude Savard-Gagnon and Luc Bradet	Marie-France Dubreuil and Tomas Morbacher
1996	Jeffrey Langdon	Cathy Belanger	Jodeyne Higgins and Sean Rice	Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe
1997	Ravi Walia	Keyla Ohs	Jodeyne Higgins and Sean Rice	Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon
1998	Jean-François Hébert	Annie Bazinet	Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier	Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon
1999	Jayson Dénommée	Nadine Gosselin	Nadia Micallef and Bruno Marcotte	Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon
2000	Ravi Walia	Nicole Watt	Jacinthe Larivière and Lenny Faustino	Brenda Key and Ryan Smith
2001	Sean Wirtz	Marianne Dubuc	Valérie Marcoux and Bruno Marcotte	Josée Piché and Pascal Denis
2002	Jayson Dénommée	Nicole Watt	Valérie Marcoux and Bruno Marcotte	Josée Piché and Pascal Denis
2003	Ben Ferreira	Michelle Currie	Valérie Marcoux and Craig Buntin	Josée Piché and Pascal Denis
2004	Fedor Andreev	Annie Bellemare	Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sébastien Fecteau	Josée Piché and Pascal Denis
2005	Ben Ferreira	Amanda Billings	Elizabeth Putnam and Sean Wirtz	Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
2006	Christopher Mabee	Meagan Duhamel	Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay	Chantal Lefebvre and Arseni Markov
2007	Shawn Sawyer	Cynthia Phaneuf	Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sébastien Fecteau	Lauren Senft and Leif Gislason
2008	Vaughn Chipeur	Lesley Hawker	Kyra and Dylan Moscovitch	Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier
2009	Kevin Reynolds	Diane Szmiett	Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers	Andrea Chong and Guillaume Gfeller
2010	Shawn Sawyer	Diane Szmiett	Mylène Brodeur and John Mattatall	Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill
2011	Kevin Reynolds	Alexandra Najarro	Mylène Brodeur and John Mattatall	Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill
2012	Elladj Baldé	Alexandra Najarro	Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch	Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill
2013	Elladj Baldé	Amélie Lacoste	Brittany Jones and Ian Beharry	Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam
2014	Elladj Baldé	Véronik Mallet	Natasha Purich and Mervin Tran	Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier
2015	Roman Sadovsky	Roxanne Rheault	Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro	Nicole Orford and Thomas Williams
2016	Nam Nguyen	Véronik Mallet	Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro	Alexandra Paul and Mitch Islam
2017	Nicolas Nadeau	Larkyn Austman	Brittany Jones and Joshua Reagan	Carolanne Soucisse and Shane Firus
2018	Elladj Baldé	Alaine Chartrand	Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch	Carolanne Soucisse and Shane Firus
2019	Joseph Phan	Larkyn Austman	Lori-Anne Matte and Thierry Ferland	Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker
2020	Joseph Phan	Alicia Pineault	Justine Brasseur and Mark Bardei	Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker

As you'll notice, I started this table in 1947 and not in the Edwardian era when the Canadian Championships were first held. I settled on this year as it was the first year an ice dancing competition was held. I excluded several senior events that are no longer held, such as fours and waltzing competitions.

Many of the fourth-place finishers listed were at one point or another Canadian Champions. For others, a fourth-place finish at Canadians might have been the highlight of their career. 

Several skaters finished fourth at Canadians multiple times. Elladj Baldé holds the record for the most fourth-place finishes in the men's event with four (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2018). Toller Cranston, Patrick McKilligan and Gary Beacom finished fourth three times. Charlene Wong holds the record for the most fourth-place finishes in the women's event with three (1981, 1984 and 1986). 

Ice dancing teams Debbie and Randy Burke and Penny Mann and Richard Perkins each finished fourth at Canadians three times, but they don't hold the record for the most fourth-place finishes by a pairs skater or ice dancer at Canadians. Neither do Josée Piché and Pascal Denis, who narrowly missed out on a medal four times in a row from 2001-2004. 

Michelle Menzies finished fourth at Canadians for an entire Olympic cycle (1989-1992) with her partner Kevin Wheeler and then narrowly lost out on an Olympic spot in 1998, finishing fourth with Jean-Michel Bombardier. Marie-France Dubreuil also finished fourth at Canadians five times, twice with Tomas Morbacher and three times with Patrice Lauzon.

It's an interesting coincidence that Elladj Baldé, Charlene Wong, Michelle Menzies and Marie-France Dubreuil all hailed from Quebec!

FOURTH-PLACE FINISHERS AT THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Year	Men	Women	Pairs	Ice Dance
1891	Josef Nowy	(none)	(none)	(none)
1892	Carl Kaiser	(none)	(none)	(none)
1893	Tibor von Földváry	(none)	(none)	(none)
1894	Georg Zachariades	(none)	(none)	(none)
1895	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1898	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1899	Martin Gordan	(none)	(none)	(none)
1900	Johan Peter Lefstad	(none)	(none)	(none)
1901	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1904	Martin Gordan	(none)	(none)	(none)
1905	Kurt Dannenberg	(none)	(none)	(none)
1906	Bror Meyer	(none)	(none)	(none)
1907	Per Thorén	(none)	(none)	(none)
1908	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1909	Karl Ollo	(none)	(none)	(none)
1910	John Keiller Greig	(none)	(none)	(none)
1911	Ivan Malinin	(none)	(none)	(none)
1912	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1913	Harald Rooth	(none)	(none)	(none)
1914	Ernst Oppacher	(none)	(none)	(none)
1922	Werner Rittberger	(none)	(none)	(none)
1923	Kaj af Ekström	(none)	(none)	(none)
1924	Otto Preißecker	(none)	(none)	(none)
1925	Georges Gautschi	(none)	(none)	(none)
1926	John Ferguson Page	(none)	(none)	(none)
1927	Ernst Oppacher	(none)	(none)	(none)
1928	Ludwig Wrede	(none)	(none)	(none)
1929	Herbert Haertel	(none)	(none)	(none)
1930	Herbert Haertel	Lilly Weiler	Olga Philipovits and Resző Dillinger	(none)
1931	Marcell Vadas	Vivi-Anne Hultén	(none)	(none)
1932	Hugo Distler	Hilde Holovsky	Margaret and Kenneth Ord Mackenzie	(none)
1933	Jean Henrion	Hilde Holovsky	Violet Supple and Leslie Cliff	(none)
1934	Leopold Linhart	Megan Taylor	Lucy Gallo and Resző Dillinger	(none)
1935	Jackie Dunn	Maxi Herber	Ilse and Erich Pausin	(none)
1936	Felix Kaspar	Liselotte Landbeck	Eva Prawitz and Otto Weiß	(none)
1937	Freddie Tomlins	Hedy Stenuf	Violet and Leslie Cliff	(none)
1938	Horst Faber	Maxi Herber	Piroska and Attila Szekrényessy	(none)
1939	Edi Rada	Hanne Niernberger	Erika Bass and Béla Barcza	(none)
1947	Arthur Apfel	Jeannette Altwegg	Denise Fayolle and Guy Pigier	(none)
1948	Ede Király	Jiřína Nekolová	Jennifer and John Nicks	(none)
1949	Carlo Fassi	Jiřína Nekolová	Bela Zachová and Jaroslav Zach	(none)
1950	Zdeněk Fikar	Jacqueline du Bief	Bela Zachová and Jaroslav Zach	(none)
1951	Michael Carrington	Valda Osborn	Silvia and Michel Grandjean	(none)
1952	Alain Giletti	Erika Kraft	Silvia and Michel Grandjean	(none)
1953	Michael Booker	Helga Dudzinski	Jean Higson and Robert S. Hudson	(none)
1954	Michael Booker	Annelies Schilhan	Vera and Horst Kuhrüber	Bona Giammona and Giancarlo Sioli
1955	Norbert Felsinger	Rosi Pettinger	Liesl Ellend and Konrad Lienert	Fanny Besson and Jean Paul Guhel
1956	Alain Calmat	Rosi Pettinger	Joyce Coates and Anthony Holles	Fanny Besson and Jean Paul Guhel
1957	Alain Calmat	Dianne C. Peach	Liesl Ellend and Konrad Lienert	Bona Giammona and Giancarlo Sioli
1958	Michael Booker	Dianne C. Peach	Marianna and László Nagy	Christiane and Jean Paul Guhel
1959	Alain Calmat	Ina Bauer	Margret Göbl and Franz Ningel	Rita Paucka and Peter Kwiet
1960	Alain Calmat	Karin Frohner	Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov	Rita Paucka and Peter Kwiet
1961	Peter Jonas	Karin Frohner	Rita Blumenberg and Werner Mensching	Mary Parry and Roy Mason
1962	Peter Jonas	Helli Sengstschmid	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	Mary Parry and Roy Mason
1963	Peter Jonas	Jana Mrázková	Margit Senf and Peter Göbel	Györgyi Korda and Pál Vásárhelyi
1964	Emmerich Danzer	Sally-Anne Stapleford	Sonja Pfersdorf and Günther Matzdorf	Györgyi Korda and Pál Vásárhelyi
1965	Sepp Schönmetzler	Helli Sengstschmid	Sonja Pfersdorf and Günther Matzdorf	Diane Towler and Bernard Ford
1966	Patrick Péra	Hana Mašková	Tatiana Tarasova and Georgi Proskurin	Brigitte Martin and Francis Gamichon
1967	Patrick Péra	Sally-Anne Stapleford	Gudrun Hauss and Walter Häfner	Janet Sawbridge and Jon Lane
1968	Patrick Péra	Zsuzsa Almássy	Margot Glockshuber and Wolfgang Danne	Irina Grishkova and Viktor Ryzhkin
1969	Günter Zöller	Zsuzsa Almássy	Heidemarie Steiner and Heinz-Ulrich Walther	Angelika and Erich Buck
1970	Sergei Chetverukhin	Rita Trapanese	Galina Karelina and Georgi Proskurin	Annerose Baier and Eberhard Rüger
1971	Jan Hoffmann	Sonja Morgenstern	Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann	Tatiana Voitiuk and Viacheslav Zhigalin
1972	Haig Oundjian	Zsuzsa Almássy	Almut Lehmann and Herbert Wiesinger	Hilary Green and Glyn Watts
1973	John Curry	Liana Drahová	Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann	Janet Sawbridge and Peter Dalby
1974	Vladimir Kovalev	Gerti Schanderl	Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann	Janet Sawbridge and Peter Dalby
1975	Sergei Volkov	Liana Drahová	Marina Leonidova and Vladimir Bogolyubov	Irina Moiseeva and Andrei Minenkov
1976	Yuri Ovchinnikov	Isabel de Navarre	Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann	Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay
1977	Yuri Ovchinnikov	Marion Weber	Manuela Mager and Uwe Bewersdorf	Janet Thompson and Warren Maxwell
1978	Igor Bobrin	Denise Biellmann	Sabine Baeß and Tassilo Thierbach	Janet Thompson and Warren Maxwell
1979	Jean-Christophe Simond	Kristiina Wegelius	Marina Pestova and Stanislav Leonovich	Liliana Řeháková and Stanislav Drastich
1980	Igor Bobrin	Kristiina Wegelius	Sabine Baeß and Tassilo Thierbach	Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
1981	Hermann Schulz	Kristiina Wegelius	Birgit Lorenz and Knut Schubert	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin
1982	Rudi Cerne	Debbie Cottrill	Veronika Pershina and Marat Akbarov	Olga Volozhinskaya and Alexander Svinin
1983	Heiko Fischer	Manuela Ruben	Veronika Pershina and Marat Akbarov	Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko
1984	Jozef Sabovčík	Kira Ivanova	Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov	Karen Barber and Nicky Slater
1985	Heiko Fischer	Simone Koch	Birgit Lorenz and Knut Schubert	Karen Barber and Nicky Slater
1986	Viktor Petrenko	Natalia Lebedeva	Katrin Kanitz and Tobias Schröter	Kathrin and Christoff Beck
1987	Grzegorz Filipowski	Claudia Leistner	Lenka Knapová and René Novotný	Kathrin and Christoff Beck
1988	Grzegorz Filipowski	Claudia Leistner	Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev	Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin
1989	Dmitri Gromov	Simone Lang	Elena Kvitchenko and Rashid Kadyrkaev	Klára Engi and Attila Tóth
1990	Grzegorz Filipowski	Surya Bonaly	Peggy Schwarz and Alexander König	Klára Engi and Attila Tóth
1991	Éric Millot	Joanne Conway	Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný	Klára Engi and Attila Tóth
1992	Viacheslav Zagorodniuk	Simone Lang	Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný	Stefania Calegari and Pasquale Camerlengo
1993	Konstantin Kostin	Tanja Szewczenko	Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný	Angelika Krylova and Vladimir Fedorov
1994	Éric Millot	Maria Butyrskaya	Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný	Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko
1995	Philippe Candeloro	Tanja Szewczenko	Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov	Tatiana Navka and Samuel Gezalian
1996	Steven Cousins	Elena Liashenko	Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov	Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat
1997	Ilia Kulik	Maria Butyrskaya	Sarah Abitbol and Stéphane Bernadis	Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat
1998	Andrejs Vlascenko	Elena Liashenko	Dorota Zagórska and Mariusz Siudek	Irina Lobacheva and Ilya Averbukh
1999	Andrejs Vlascenko	Diána Póth	Peggy Schwarz and Mirko Müller	Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio
2000	Alexandr Abt	Vanessa Gusmeroli	Peggy Schwarz and Mirko Müller	Irina Lobacheva and Ilya Averbukh
2001	Alexandr Abt	Elena Liashenko	Marina Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov	Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas
2002	Stéphane Lambiel	Galina Maniachenko	Dorota Zagórska and Mariusz Siudek	Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas
2003	Ilia Klimkin	Carolina Kostner	Dorota Zagórska and Mariusz Siudek	Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov
2004	Frédéric Dambier	Viktória Pavuk	Julia Obertas and Sergei Slavnov	Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder
2005	Stéphane Lambiel	Júlia Sebestyén	Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy	Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski
2006	Frédéric Dambier	Sarah Meier	Julia Obertas and Sergei Slavnov	Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder
2007	Sergei Davydov	Susanna Pöykiö	Julia Obertas and Sergei Slavnov	Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski
2008	Sergei Voronov	Júlia Sebestyén	Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov	Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali
2009	Yannick Ponsero	Alena Leonova	Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov	Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat
2010	Michal Březina	Kiira Korpi	Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov	Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat
2011	Kevin van der Perren	Ksenia Makarova	Katarina Gerboldt and Alexander Enbert	Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov
2012	Michal Březina	Polina Korobeynikova	Stefania Berton and Ondřej Hotárek	Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte
2013	Brian Joubert	Valentina Marchei	Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès	Ekaterina Riazanova and Ilia Tkachenko
2014	Michal Březina	Alena Leonova	Stefania Berton and Ondřej Hotárek	Victoria Sinitsina and Ruslan Zhiganshin
2015	Alexei Bychenko	Joshi Helgesson	Valentina Marchei and Ondřej Hotárek	Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin
2016	Florent Amodio	Angelīna Kučvaļska	Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès	Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov
2017	Jorik Hendrickx	Maria Sotskova	Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov	Isabella Tobias and Ilia Tkachenko
2018	Deniss Vasiljevs	Maria Sotskova	Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès	Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte
2019	Kévin Aymoz	Stanislava Konstantinova	Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise	Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov
2020	Daniel Grassl	Alexia Paganini	Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise	Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri

A fourth-place finish at the European Championships was almost like a good luck charm for many skaters. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, John Curry, Aliona Savchenko, Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov and Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko are just a sampling of the skaters who finished fourth at the Europeans and went on to win an Olympic gold medal. Speaking of Olympic medals, all but one of the fourth-place finishers at the 1984 European Championships won medals at that year's Olympics in Sarajevo.

Zsuzsa Almássy. Photo courtesy "Ice Skate" magazine.

The most fourth-place finishes by an ice dancer at the European Championships is three. Jean-Paul Guhel, Janet Sawbridge and Victoria Sinitsina all earned a total of three fourth's with two partners, while Hungarians Klára Engi and Attila Tóth finished fourth three times in a row from 1989 to 1991. The record for the most fourth-place finishes in the women's event is also three. The three women who achieved it were Zsuzsa Almássy, Kristiina Wegelius and Elena Liashenko. Wegelius' fourth place finishes were consecutive, from 1979 to 1981.

Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný

The record for the most fourth-place finishes in the men's event at the Europeans belongs to France's Alain Calmat. He placed fourth four times - in 1956, 1957, 1959 and 1960. Two pairs teams finished fourth at the Europeans four times: Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann and Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný. As of 2021, Novotný holds the record for the most fourth-place finishes at the Europeans with five, having just missed a medal at the 1987 Europeans with his partner Lenka Knapová.

FOURTH-PLACE FINISHERS AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Year	Men	Women	Pairs	Ice Dance
1896	Nikolai Poduskov	(none)	(none)	(none)
1897	Thidolf Borgh	(none)	(none)	(none)
1898	H.C. Holt	(none)	(none)	(none)
1899	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1900	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1901	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1902	Horatio Tertuliano Torromé	(none)	(none)	(none)
1903	Ernst Lassahn	(none)	(none)	(none)
1904	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1905	Richard Johansson	(none)	(none)	(none)
1906	Karl Zenger	Elsa Rendschmidt	(none)	(none)
1907	Per Thorén	Elsa Rendschmidt	(none)	(none)
1908	(none)	(none)	(none)	(none)
1909	Richard Johansson	(none)	Mimi Grømer and Karl Erikson	(none)
1910	Per Thorén	(none)	(none)	(none)
1911	Andor Szende	(none)	(none)	(none)
1912	Harald Rooth	Gwendolyn Lycett	Hedwig and Hugo Winzer	(none)
1913	Ivan Malinin	Grete Strasilla	Alexia and Yngvar Bryn	(none)
1914	Ernst Oppacher	Thea Frenssen	Thea Frenssen and Julius Vogel	(none)
1922	Martin Stixrud	(none)	Grete Weise and Georg Velisch	(none)
1923	Ernst Oppacher	Ethel Muckelt	Margit and Bjarne Engebretsen	(none)
1924	Jack Ferguson Page	Gisela Reichmann	(none)	(none)
1925	Ernst Oppacher	Kathleen Shaw	Gisela Hochhaltinger and Georg Pamperl	(none)
1926	Werner Rittberger	Elisabeth Böckel	Gisela Hochhaltinger and Georg Pamperl	(none)
1927	Georges Gautschi	Ellen Brockhöft	Hansi Eissert and Georg Pamperl	(none)
1928	Jack Ferguson Page	Constance Wilson	Ethel Muckelt and Jack Ferguson Page	(none)
1929	Jack Ferguson Page	Ilse Hornung	Gisela Hochhaltinger and Otto Preißecker	(none)
1930	Montgomery Wilson	Constance Wilson	Constance and Montgomery Wilson	(none)
1931	Hugo Distler	Maribel Vinson	Lilly (Scholz) Gaillard and Willy Petter	(none)
1932	Marcus Nikkanen	Maribel Vinson	Olga Orgonista and Sándor Szalay	(none)
1933	Erich Erdös	Megan Taylor	Anna-Lisa Rydqvist and Einar Törsleff	(none)
1934	Marcus Nikkanen	Vivi-Anne Hultén	Zofia Bilorówna and Tadeusz Kowalski	(none)
1935	Henry Graham Sharp	Hedy Stenuf	Piroska and Attila Szekrényessy	(none)
1936	Jackie Dunn	Emmy Putzinger	Louise Bertram and Stewart Reburn	(none)
1937	Herbert Alward	Hedy Stenuf	Piroska and Attila Szekrényessy	(none)
1938	Horst Faber	Gladys Jagger	Violet and Leslie Cliff	(none)
1939	Edi Rada	Lydia Veicht	Piroska and Attila Szekrényessy	(none)
1947	Ladislav Čáp	Eileen Seigh	Winnie and Dennis Silverthorne	(none)
1948	Johnny Lettengarver	Jeannette Altwegg	Karol and Peter Kennedy	(none)
1949	Jimmy Grogan	Jiřína Nekolová	Marianna and László Nagy	(none)
1950	Hellmut Seibt	Suzanne Morrow	Elyane Steineman and André Calamé	(none)
1951	Hayes Alan Jenkins	Suzanne Morrow	Elyane Steineman and André Calamé	(none)
1952	Hellmut Seibt	Suzanne Morrow	Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden	Carmel and Ed Bodel
1953	Ronnie Robertson	Carol Heiss	Silvia and Michel Grandjean	Nesta Davies and Paul Thomas
1954	David Jenkins	Barbara Gratton	Carole Ann Ormaca and Robin Greiner	Barbara Radford and Raymond Lockwood
1955	Alain Giletti	Ingrid Wendl	Carole Ann Ormaca and Robin Greiner	Carmel and Ed Bodel
1956	Charles Snelling	Yvonne Sugden	Carole Ann Ormaca and Robin Greiner	Joan Zamboni and Roland Junso
1957	Alain Giletti	Carole Ann Pachl	Nancy Rouillard and Ron Ludington	Joan Zamboni and Roland Junso
1958	Donald Jackson	Ina Bauer	Joyce Coates and Anthony Holles	Kay Morris and Michael Robinson
1959	Alain Giletti	Ina Bauer	Maria and Otto Jelinek	Margie Ackles and Chuck Phillips
1960	Norbert Felsinger	Regine Heitzer	Margret Göbl and Franz Ningel	Margie Ackles and Chuck Phillips
1962	Donald McPherson	Petra Burka	Debbi Wilkes and Guy Revell	Linda Shearman and Michael Phillips
1963	Karol Divín	Wendy Griner	Gertrude Desjardins and Maurice Lafrance	Janet Sawbridge and David Hickinbottom
1964	Scott Ethan Allen	Nicole Hassler	Vivian and Ronald Joseph	Yvonne Suddick and Roger Kennerson
1965	Nobuo Sato	Christine Haigler	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	Diane Towler and Bernard Ford
1966	Scott Ethan Allen	Valerie Jones	Margot Glockshuber and Wolfgang Danne	Yvonne Suddick and Roger Kennerson
1967	Donald Knight	Valerie Jones	Gudrun Hauss and Walter Häfner	Janet Sawbridge and Jon Lane
1968	Scott Ethan Allen	Trixi Schuba	Tamara Moskvina and Alexei Mishin	Judy Schwomeyer and Jim Sladky
1969	Gary Visconti	Julie Lynn Holmes	Cynthia and Ron Kauffman	Janet Sawbridge and Jon Lane
1970	Patrick Péra	Karen Magnussen	Galina Karelina and Georgi Proskurin	Tatiana Voituk and Viacheslav Zhigalin
1971	Jan Hoffmann	Janet Lynn	Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann	Susan Getty and Roy Bradshaw
1972	John 'Misha' Petkevich	Zsuzsa Almássy	Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann	Janet Sawbridge and Peter Dalby
1973	John Curry	Dorothy Hamill	Almut Lehmann and Herbert Wiesinger	Janet Sawbridge and Peter Dalby
1974	Vladimir Kovalev	Gerti Schanderl	Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann	Irina Moiseeva and Andrei Minenkov
1975	Toller Cranston	Wendy Burge	Irina Vorobieva and Alexander Vlasov	Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov
1976	Toller Cranston	Anett Pötzsch	Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann	Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay
1977	David Santee	Barbie Smith	Marina Cherkasova and Sergei Shakrai	Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay
1978	Vladimir Kovalev	Dagmar Lurz	Marina Cheraksova and Sergei Shakrai	Janet Thompson and Warren Maxwell
1979	Charlie Tickner	Dagmar Lurz	Irina Vorobieva and Igor Livoski	Liliana Řeháková and Stanislav Drastich
1980	David Santee	Emi Watanabe	Sabine Baeß and Tassilo Thierbach	Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
1981	Fumio Igarashi	Debbie Cottrill	Marina Cheraksova and Sergei Shakrai	Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert
1982	Brian Orser	Claudia Leistner	Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini	Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert
1983	Alexandr Fadeev	Katarina Witt	Kitty and Peter Carruthers	Olga Volozhinskaya and Alexandr Svinin
1984	Jozef Sabovčík	Kira Ivanova	Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov	Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko
1985	Jozef Sabovčík	Anna Kondrashova	Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard	Tracy Wilson and Rob McCall
1986	Vladimir Kotin	Kira Ivanova	Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov	Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski
1987	Vladimir Kotin	Liz Manley	Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov	Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski
1988	Grzegorz Filipowski	Claudia Leistner	Gillian Wachsman and Todd Waggoner	Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski
1989	Alexandr Fadeev	Patricia Neske	Peggy Schwarz and Alexander König	Klára Engi and Attila Tóth
1990	Grzegorz Filipowski	Kristi Yamaguchi	Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov	Susie Wynne and Joseph Druar
1991	Petr Barna	Midori Ito	Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov	Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov
1992	Christopher Bowman	Laetitia Hubert	Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov	Stefania Calegari and Pasquale Camerlengo
1993	Mark Mitchell	Yuka Sato	Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný	Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko
1994	Alexei Urmanov	Marina Kielmann	Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer	Irina Romanova and Igor Yaroshenko
1995	Alexei Urmanov	Michelle Kwan	Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov	Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
1996	Elvis Stojko	Maria Butyrskaya	Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov	Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat
1997	Viacheslav Zagorodniuk	Irina Slutskaya	Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen	Sophie Moniotte and Pascal Lavanchy
1998	Viacheslav Zagorodniuk	Laetitia Hubert	Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao	Irina Lobacheva and Ilya Averbukh
1999	Elvis Stojko	Tatiana Malinina	Marina Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov	Irina Lobacheva and Ilya Averbukh
2000	Evgeni Plushenko	Vanessa Gusmeroli	Jamie Salé and David Pelletier	Irina Lobacheva and Ilya Averbukh
2001	Timothy Goebel	Maria Butyrskaya	Marina Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov	Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
2002	Alexandr Abt	Sasha Cohen	Marina Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov	Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas
2003	Chengjiang Li	Sasha Cohen	Qing Pang and Jian Tong	Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov
2004	Stéphane Lambiel	Miki Ando	Marina Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov	Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov
2005	Johnny Weir	Michelle Kwan	Qing Pang and Jian Tong	Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder
2006	Nobunari Oda	Elena Sokolova	Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Jr.	Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas
2007	Tomáš Verner	Kimmie Meissner	Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov	Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder
2008	Daisuke Takahashi	Yukari Nakano	Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov	Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto
2009	Tomáš Verner	Mao Asada	Qing Pang and Jian Tong	Meryl Davis and Charlie White
2010	Michal Březina	Miki Ando	Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov	Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat
2011	Michal Březina	Alena Leonova	Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov	Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat
2012	Brian Joubert	Ashley Wagner	Qing Pang and Jian Tong	Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje
2013	Yuzuru Hanyu	Kanako Murakami	Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch	Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte
2014	Maxim Kovtun	Anna Pogorilaya	Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch	Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov
2015	Jason Brown	Gracie Gold	Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang	Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte
2016	Mikhail Kolyada	Gracie Gold	Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov	Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte
2017	Javier Fernández	Karen Chen	Xiaoyu Yu and Hao Zhang	Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje
2018	Alexei Bychenko	Carolina Kostner	Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert	Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte
2019	Shoma Uno	Rika Kihira	Cheng Peng and Yang Jin	Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin
2021	Shoma Uno	Karen Chen	Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov	Madison Chock and Evan Bates

I have not included results from the 1882 Great International Skating Tournament in Vienna, nor the women's and pairs events held in conjunction with the early World Championships which haven't been recognized for whatever reason by the ISU. I have also excluded the fourth-place finishers from the first two ice dancing events held at the World Championships in 1950 and 1951. For more information on these, visit Skate Guard's Results page.

At the 1930 World Championships in New York City, Canadian siblings Constance and Montgomery 'Bud' Wilson finished fourth in both of the singles disciplines and teamed up to finish fourth in pairs. It is the only time in history that a pair of siblings placed fourth in every discipline at an ISU Championship, a feat unlikely to ever be matched.

Scott Ethan Allen

The most times a skater finished fourth in either of the singles disciplines at the World Championships was three. Suzanne Morrow was fourth at Worlds from 1950-1952. The four men that finished fourth at Worlds three times are Alain Giletti, Scott Ethan Allen, Ernst Oppacher and Jack Ferguson Page. Page was also fourth in pairs with his partner Ethel Muckelt.

Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann

Four pairs have finished fourth at the World Championships four time: Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann, Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov, Marina Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov and Qing Pang and Jian Tong. Three out of the four pairs were also Olympic Medallists.

Italy's Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte hold the record for the most fourth place finishes at the World Championships by a duo with four (2013, 2015, 2016, 2018) but the ice dancer who finished fourth at the World Championships the most times was Janet Sawbridge. With three different partners, she finished fourth at the Worlds a record five times.

FOURTH-PLACE FINISHERS AT THE OLYMPICS

Year	Men	Women	Pairs	Ice Dance
1908	John Keiller Greig	Elna Montgomery	(none)	(none)
1920	Ulrich Salchow	Phyllis (Squire) Johnson	Theresa Weld and Nathaniel Niles	(none)
1924	Josef Slíva	Theresa Weld Blanchard	Ethel Muckelt and Jack Ferguson Page	(none)
1928	Karl Schäfer	Maribel Vinson	Beatrix Loughran and Sherwin Badger	(none)
1932	Marcus Nikkanen	Constance Wilson Samuel	Olga Orgonista and Sándor Szalay	(none)
1936	Montgomery Wilson	Liselotte Landbeck	Piroska and Attila Szekrényessy	(none)
1948	Johnny Lettengarver	Jirína Nekolová	Yvonne Sherman and Robert Swenning	(none)
1952	Hayes Alan Jenkins	Sonya Klopfer	Jennifer and John Nicks	(none)
1956	Alain Giletti	Yvonne Sugden	Marika Kilius and Franz Ningel	(none)
1960	Alain Giletti	Jana Mrázková	Maria and Otto Jelinek	(none)
1964	Karol Divín	Nicole Hassler	Vivian and Ronald Joseph*	(none)
1968	Emmerich Danzer	Tina Noyes	Heidemarie Steiner and Heinz-Ulrich Walther	(none)
1972	Ken Shelley	Julie Lynn Holmes	JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley	(none)
1976	Jan Hoffmann	Anett Pötzsch	Irina Vorobieva and Alexander Vlasov	Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov
1980	David Santee	Denise Biellmann	Marina Pestova and Stanislav Leonovich	Liliana Řeháková and Stanislav Drastich
1984	Rudi Cerne	Tiffany Chin	Sabine Baeß and Tassilo Thierbach	Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert
1988	Alexandr Fadeev	Jill Trenary	Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov	Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski
1992	Christopher Bowman	Tonya Harding	Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný	Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov
1994	Viktor Petrenko	Surya Bonaly	Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov	Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko
1998	Todd Eldredge	Maria Butyrskaya	Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen	Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
2002	Takeshi Honda	Sasha Cohen	Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin	Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
2006	Evan Lysacek	Fumie Suguri	Qing Pang and Jian Tong	Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder
2010	Stéphane Lambiel	Mirai Nagasu	Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov	Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto
2014	Javier Fernández	Gracie Gold	Qing Pang and Jian Tong	Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat
2018	Boyang Jin	Satoko Miyahara	Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov	Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue

No revelation... but Vivian and Ronald Joseph finished fourth at the 1964 Winter Olympic Games and were later awarded a bronze medal when silver medallists Marika Kilius and Hans-Jürgen Bäumler were stripped of their silver medals over concerns regarding their amateur status. Bronze medallists Debbi Wilkes and Guy Revell were given a silver. Kilius and Bäumler's silver medals were later reinstated by the IOC. 

Qing Pang and Jian Tong

The only singles skater to finish fourth at the Olympics more than once was France's Alain Giletti. He narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in both 1956 and 1960. The only ice dancers to finish fourth at the Olympics twice were Canada's Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, in 1998 and 2002. The only pair to finish fourth at the Olympics twice were China's Qing Pang and Jian Tong, in 2006 and 2014.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.