Legendary Soviet-era pair skater, two-time Olympic champion Ludmila Belousova has died at the age of 81, Russian coach Alexei Mishin told on Friday.

Axar.az reports citing TASS.

"I have learnt about her death. It is a big loss, for me especially, as I spent nearly half of my life in a common changing room with her and Oleg [Protopopov, he husband and partner - TASS]," he said.

"My sincere condolences to Oleg and all her fans, figure skating fans," Mishin said. "I have been at their place [in Switzerland] many times. They dedicated their entire lives to their profession, the cause they have been serving - figure skating. Ludmila was an outstanding athlete and person."

Belousova and Protopopov won Olympic gold twice, in 1964 and in 1968, and won the world title four times (1965, 1966, 1967, and 1968).