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.

[6] According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, their twist lift was possible due to their "enormous differences in their height and weight",[3] leading the International Skating Union to adopt a rule that penalized pairs teams with a "serious imbalance" in their physical appearances.

Shakhrai's problems lifting his now 45 kg (99 lb) partner eventually resulted in them splitting up.

[4] Cherkasova and Shakhrai skated together for another year, but "were less successful than they had been",[4] and the Soviet federation eased them out of competition.

[8] He coached the pair of Olga Neizvestnaya & Sergei Hudyakov to a bronze medal at the 1984 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.