European Figure Skating Championships in the context of "Lyudmila Pakhomova"

Sjoukje Rosalinde Dijkstra (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɕʌukjə ˈdɛikstraː]; 28 January 1942 – 2 May 2024) was a Dutch competitive figure skater. She was the 1964 Olympic champion in ladies' singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (1962–1964), five-time European champion (1960–1964), and the six-time Dutch national champion (1959–1964). She was the first Dutch athlete to win a Winter Olympics gold medal.

Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance; the four individual disciplines are also combined into a team event, which was first included in the Winter Olympics in 2014. The non-Olympic disciplines include synchronized skating, Theater on Ice, and four skating. From intermediate through senior-level competition, skaters generally perform two programs (the short program and the free skate), which, depending on the discipline, may include spins, jumps, moves in the field, lifts, throw jumps, death spirals, and other elements or moves.

Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level (senior) at local, regional, sectional, national, and international competitions. The International Skating Union (ISU) regulates international figure skating judging and competitions. These include the Winter Olympics, the World Championships, the World Junior Championships, the European Championships, the Four Continents Championships, the Grand Prix series (senior and junior), and the ISU Challenger Series.

The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The ISU established the Four Continents Championships to provide skaters from non-European countries with a similar competition to the European Figure Skating Championships. The first Four Continents Championships were held in 1999 in Halifax, Canada. Only eligible skaters from ISU member countries in Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania, and South America are allowed to compete.

Patrick Chan of Canada holds the record for winning the most Four Continents Championship titles in men's singles (with three), while Mao Asada and Fumie Suguri of Japan are tied for winning the most championships in women's singles (with three each). Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China hold the record in pair skating (with six). Five teams are tied for winning the most titles in ice dance (with three each): Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz of Canada; Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto of the United States; Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States; Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada; and Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States.