Cherkasova and Shakhrai trained in
Moscow with
Stanislav Zhuk. Their main rivals included fellow Soviets
Irina Rodnina /
Alexander Zaitsev, whom they never defeated,
Irina Vorobieva /
Igor Lisovsky,
Marina Pestova /
Stanislav Leonovich, and
Veronika Pershina /
Marat Akbarov. Cherkasova and Shakhrai were 12 and 18 respectively when they were paired together. Initially, there was a height difference between the pair, with Cherkasova only tall. Their height difference facilitated innovation in twist and lift elements; they became the first pair to perform a triple jump (the
toe loop) at the
Prize of Moscow News on 9 December 1977 and the quadruple
twist lift in 1977. According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, their twist lift was possible due to their "enormous differences in their height and weight", By 1980 Cherkasova had grown . The change affected their technical elements, however, the pair managed to win silver at 1980 Europeans, silver at the 1980 Olympics, and gold at Worlds. Cherkasova was only 15 years old when she competed at the Olympics while Shakhrai was 21. Shakhrai's problems lifting his now partner eventually resulted in them splitting up. By 1981, Cherkasova had grown so tall that Shakhrai could no longer effectively lift her. They missed the medal podium at the
Worlds and finished in fourth place. They also came in third place at
Europeans. Cherkasova and Shakhrai skated together for another year, but "were less successful than they had been", and the Soviet federation eased them out of competition. As of November 2016, Shakhrai was working as an ice skating coach in Australia. He coached the pair of Olga Neizvestnaya & Sergei Hudyakov to a bronze medal at the 1984 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. == Competitive highlights ==