Sergei Grinkov

Sergei Mikhailovich Grinkov (February 4, 1967 - November 20, 1995) was an Olympic and World figure skating champion.

Biography

Sergei Grinkov was born in Moscow, RSFSR, to parents Mikhail Kondrateyevich Grinkov and Anna Filipovna Grinkova. The younger of two children, he had an older sister named Natalia Mikhailovna Grinkova.

He first took the ice at the age of five, entering Children and Youth Sports School of CSKA in Moscow. [ [http://www.rian.ru/photolents/20070213/60650330_3.html www.rian.ru ] ] As Sergei was not a strong solo skater, his coach decided to try him in pair skating — and in August of 1981, at age fourteen he was paired with ten-year-old Ekaterina Gordeeva at the Central Red Army Club (CSKA) in Moscow by coach Vladimir Zaharov. The pair won the 1985 World Junior Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The following year they won the first of their four World Figure Skating Championships. They became repeat world champions the following year and won gold at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After a fall in their long program, they took silver at the World Championships in 1988, but they reclaimed that title in 1989 and successfully defended it again in 1990. They turned professional in the fall of 1990. They won their first World Professional Championship in 1991, and went on to win that title two more times (1992 & 1994).

Grinkov and Gordeeva won virtually every competition they entered. In the 31 competitions they completed at the Senior and professional levels, they finished first an impressive 24 times. After winning their first World Championship in 1986, they never finished lower than second place. They are one of the few pair teams in history to successfully complete a quadruple twist lift in international competition, at the 1987 World Championships. They also completed the difficult maneuver at the 1987 European Championships, but due to a problem with Sergei's boot strap and a misunderstanding about the rules, they were disqualified from that event.

By 1989, their skating partnership had blossomed into romance. They married in April 1991 (the state wedding was on April 20, the church wedding was on April 28).

The following season was the first year they toured with Stars on Ice. They skated throughout the United States and Canada with the show, which ran from November 1991 through April 1992. Then, on September 11, 1992, Ekaterina gave birth to their daughter, Daria Sergeyevna Grinkova (nicknamed "Dasha"), born in Morristown, New Jersey. Shortly after Daria's birth, the pair was back on the ice training for the new season of Stars on Ice, which debuted that November.

udden death

In 1994 Gordeeva & Grinkov returned to Olympic competition and captured their second gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Oppland, Norway. After these Olympics, they returned once again to professional skating and took up residence in Simsbury, Connecticut. During the 1994-95 season, they toured, yet again, with Stars on Ice, this time as headliners. However, tragedy struck in November 1995, when Sergei Grinkov collapsed and died from a massive heart attack in Lake Placid, New York, while he and Ekaterina were practicing for their upcoming performance in the 1995-1996 Stars on Ice tour. Doctors found that Sergei had severely clogged coronary arteries (to the point where his arterial opening was reportedly the size of a pinhole), which caused the heart attack; later testing revealed that he also had a genetic risk factor linked with premature heart attacks. Researchers proposed calling the gene the "Grinkov Risk Factor." Sergei Grinkov was 28 years old.

Sergei Grinkov is interred in the Vagan'kovskoye Cemetery in Moscow. Ekaterina Gordeeva, his widow, along with an all-star cast, skated a tribute in Sergei's honor titled "Celebration of a Life" in February 1996 which was later televised. Ekaterina also authored a book about their life and partnership titled "", which was later turned into a television movie/docudrama and released on DVD. He was also the subject of a book, geared towards the 9-12 age group, titled "They died too young: Sergei Grinkov" written by Anne E. Hill. Gordeeva and Grinkov garner significant mention in numerous books about the world of figure skating. Their daughter has currently quit skating to play for her school's volleyball team. Gordeeva continues to skate as a solo artist and married fellow skater Ilia Kulik in 2002. Fans around the world continue to commemorate Grinkov and G&G.

Quotes

“"Our honor depends on our honesty."” — "Sovetskiy Sport" (April 15 1987).

In Russian: “"Наша честь зависит от нашей честности."” — "Советский спорт" от 15 апреля 1987 года.

Competitive highlights

Pairing with Ekaterina Gordeeva

References

* Gordeeva, Ekaterina. (1996). "". Warner Books Inc. ISBN 0-446-52087-X.
* Gordeeva & Grinkov Corner. [http://www.gg-corner.de]
* A Kind of Magic. [http://www.pairsonice.net/gordeeva/]

External links

* [http://www.gg-corner.de The Gordeeva & Grinkov corner]