Tamara Rylova

Tamara Rylova was one of the best female speed skaters in the later 1950s, winning one World All-Around title, in 1959, but she was a runner-up four times (1955, 1957, 1958 and 1960) and won bronzes in 1956 and 1964. She also won the following distance medals at the World Championships – four golds (500: 1955, 1958-59; and 1,000: 1959), five silvers (500: 1957 and 1960; 1,500: 1958-59; and 3K: 1958) and ten bronzes (500: 1956; 1,000: 1956-57, 1960 and 1964; 1,500: 1960; 3,000: 1955-56; and 5,000: 1955). She also set four world records, three of them in 1955 (in the 500, 1000, and all-around) and one in 1960 in the small all-around, all of which were skated at the high-altitude rink in Medeu in present-day Kazakhstan. Rylova also won the 500 at the 1953 World University Winter Games.

Domestically she won four Soviet all-around titles (1955, 1957, 1959-60) and was national champion in the 500 seven times (1955-60, 1964), the 1,000 three times (1955, 1957, 1963), the 3,000 m once (1959), and the 5,000 m once (1955). After her competitive career ended, Tamara Rylova worked as a speed skating coach in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).

Personal Bests: 500 – 45.2 (1964); 1000 – 1:33.4 (1955); 1500 – 2:25.1 (1962); 3000 – 5:16.6 (1960).