Alexei Yagudin

Infobox Figure skater
title= Alexei Yagudin


caption=
country= RUS
dateofbirth= birth date and age|1980|3|18|df=y
residence= St. Petersburg, Russia
height= 175 cm
formercoach= Tatiana Tarasova, Alexei Mishin
skating club= Yubileyny Sports Palace
retired= 2003

Alexei Konstantinovich Yagudin ( _ru. Алексей Константинович Ягудин, born 18 March 1980) is a Russian figure skater. Born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Yagudin was the 2002 Olympic champion as well as a four-time World Champion, a two-time World Professional Figure Skating Champion, a three-time European Champion, and three-time Grand Prix Final gold medalist.

Career

Yagudin began skating at the age of 4, encouraged by his mother, Zoya. He began competing internationally in 1994, and won the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 1996. Yagudin was coached by Alexei Mishin from approximately age twelve to age eighteen. During his six years in Mishin's group, he developed a fierce rivalry with his training partner Evgeni Plushenko. In 1999, Yagudin relocated to the United States to train with legendary coach Tatiana Tarasova, who continued to coach him until his retirement in 2003.

Yagudin won his first major title at the 1998 European Figure Skating Championships leading a Russian sweep of the medals, with Plushenko in second and Alexander Abt in third. One month later he placed fifth at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. He went on from the Olympics to win the 1998 World Figure Skating Championships.

Yagudin continued his success during the 1998-1999 season. He won the Grand Prix Final, though he lost the 1999 Russian National title to Plushenko. He then won his second European Championship over Plushenko and former Olympic champion Alexei Urmanov later that month. Yagudin again won the World Championship that season, his second consecutive World title.

Yagudin struggled during the 1999-2000 season, losing to Plushenko at the Russian Championships and European Championships. However, he came back to win the 2000 World Championships. He continued to struggle the following season, losing every event in which he competed against Plushenko. However, the following year, an Olympic year, he won every event in which he entered. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Yagudin won the gold medal. He was the first male skater in 50 years to earn the first-place votes of every judge in all stages of the competition. [cite web
url = http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?heros=98498
title = Alexei Yagudin: Record-Setting Figure Skater
publisher = International Olympic Committee
accessdate = 2007-11-01] He was given four perfect 6.0's for presentation. No other man had ever scored more than one perfect mark in the history of the Olympic games. [cite web
url = http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1333003&type=HeadlineNews
title = Yagudin wins; Goebel brings home bronze
publisher = ESPN
date = February 14, 2002
accessdate = 2007-11-01]

At the World Figure Skating Championships in Japan in 2002, he became the first skater to receive six perfect 6.0's for presentation and the first to receive a perfect 6.0 for required elements. [cite web
url = http://usolympicteam.com/73_4879.htm
title = Tim Goebel in third overall at 2002 World Figure Skating Championships
author = Bob Dunlop
publisher = United States Olympic Committee
date = March 19, 2002
accessdate = 2007-11-01]

A congenital hip disorder forced him to retire from eligible competition in 2003. Yagudin then turned professional, touring with Stars on Ice and Ice Symphony in Russia.

Yagudin underwent surgery in July 2007 to have a titanium hip joint implanted. In August 2007, Yagudin later announced that he plans to return to competition after five years on the professional circuit. Aleksey Morozov and Tatiana Tarasova agreed to coach him should he return. [cite web
title = Yagudin plans to return to competition
url= http://www.tsn.ca/figure_skating/news_story/?ID=215934&hubname=
publisher= Associated Press
accessdate = 2007-08-11 ] . However, Yagudin has since stated that returning to competitive skating would be too difficult and that he no longer wished to do so. [ [http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080606&content_id=48527&vkey=ice_news Icenetwork story about Ilia Averbukh's Ice Symphony] ]

Personal life

In 2003, Yagudin was arrested for drunk driving. [cite web
url = http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2003/09/01/yagudin030901.html
title = Yagudin arrested for DUI
publisher = CBC Sports
date = September 1, 2003
accessdate = 2007-11-01] His problems with alcohol also saw him kicked off the Champions on Ice tour in 1999. [cite web
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E4D91538F931A25755C0A96F958260
title = Yagudin Under Care For Alcohol Problem
publisher = New York Times
date = June 12, 1999
accessdate = 2007-11-01]

After nearly seven years in the United States, Yagudin returned to Russia in 2005 and re-settled in his home town of St. Petersburg. He has since participated in various ice shows and took part in the Russian TV show Stars on Ice [ [http://goldenskate.com/articles/2006/040807.shtml Golden Skate Interview - Gladiator Gone Global: Alexei Yagudin] retrieved May 4, 2008] .

On 8 March 2008, Alexei was taken to hospital during an ice show in southern Russia, where he underwent an emergency appendicectomy in Krasnodar. He was released from hospital three days later.

Competitive highlights

Other events

*2007:* 5th place at the Japan Open

*2006:* 1st place at Ice Wars:* 6th place at the Japan Open

*2005:* 2nd place at the World Team Challenge:* 2nd place at Ice Wars

*2004:* 1st place at the World Team Challenge:* 1st place at Ice Wars

*2003 :* 3rd place at the World Team Challenge

*2002::* 1st place at Hallmark Skater's Challenge :* 5th place at the International Challenge :* 1st place at the Canadian Open :* 1st place at Top Jump :* 1st place at Campbell's International Classic

*2001::* 3rd place at the Goodwill Games

*1998::* 1st place at the World Professional Figure Skating Championships:* 1st place at the World Team Challenge

*1996::* 2nd place at the Centennial on Ice

*1994::* 8th place at the Goodwill Games

Programs

References

External links

* [http://ayunofficial2002.t35.com The Unofficial Alexei Yagudin Website]
* [http://www.alexeiyagudin.prv.pl/ Alexei Yagudin] - Fan site
*
* [http://www.starsonice.com/cast/cast_detail.asp?CastID=79 "Stars on Ice" Profile]
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=98498 olympics.org] Athlete Profile - Yagudin

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Persondata
NAME=Yagudin, Alexei
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Yagudin, Alexei Konstantinovich
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Russian figure skater
DATE OF BIRTH=March 18, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH=Saint Petersburg, Russia
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=