Alexei Yagudin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexei Yagudin |
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Personal information | |
Full name | Alexei Konstantinovich Yagudin |
Country represented | ![]() |
Born | Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
18 March 1980
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Retired | 2003 |
Alexei Konstantinovich Yagudin (born March 18, 1980) is a famous Russian former figure skater. He is known for his amazing skills on the ice. Alexei won the gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He also became a World champion four times (in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002).
Alexei Yagudin also won the European Championship three times (1998, 1999, 2002). He was a two-time Grand Prix Final champion. In 1996, he won the World Junior Championship. He is the only figure skater to achieve a "Golden Slam." This means he won all major championships in one season (2001–2002).
After he stopped competing, Yagudin became a professional skater. He has also worked as a TV host, an actor, and a figure skating commentator. In 2019, he opened his own skating center in Minsk, Belarus. In 2017, he was added to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Contents
Alexei Yagudin's Early Life
Alexei Yagudin was born on March 18, 1980, in Leningrad, which was then part of the Soviet Union. He started skating when he was four years old. His mother, Zoya, thought it would help him stay healthy.
Alexei quickly learned many difficult jumps. He could do all his double jumps before he turned ten. By age twelve, he had mastered five triple jumps. He even landed the triple Axel jump before he was thirteen.
His first coach was Alexander Mayorov. Later, he trained with the famous Russian coach Alexei Mishin. Yagudin trained with Mishin from 1992 to 1998. He started competing internationally in 1994.
The Start of a Big Rivalry
While training with Mishin, Alexei Yagudin began a famous rivalry. His main competitor was fellow Russian skater Evgeni Plushenko. This rivalry became even stronger after Yagudin left Mishin's group.
Alexei Yagudin's Senior Skating Career
In 1997, Yagudin competed in the World Championships for the first time. He won a bronze medal, which was a great start.
Winning European and World Titles
In 1998, Yagudin won the European Championships. He led a Russian sweep, with Plushenko and Alexander Abt also winning medals. Later that year, he competed at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. He finished in 5th place, even though he was sick.
A month after the Olympics, he won the 1998 World Championships. He was only 18 years old, making him one of the youngest male World Champions ever. After this win, Yagudin started training with Tatiana Tarasova. She coached him until he retired in 2003.
Dominating the 1998–99 Season
The 1998–99 season was very successful for Yagudin. He won eleven out of thirteen competitions. This included beating Kurt Browning at the World Professional Championships. He also won the Grand Prix Final.
At the 2000 European Championships, he won his second European title. He beat both Plushenko and former Olympic champion Alexei Urmanov. He then defended his world title at the 2000 World Championships in France.
Challenges and Injuries
The 1999–2000 season started with some difficulties for Yagudin. He had to withdraw from the Grand Prix Final because of a knee injury. He also lost to Plushenko at the Russian and European Championships. However, he still managed to win his third straight world title at the 2000 World Championships.
The 2000–01 season was tough due to injuries. He placed second to Plushenko in several major events. Before the 2001 World Championships, he hurt his foot. Despite this, he skated with great passion and won a silver medal.
The Golden Olympic Season (2001–02)
The 2001–02 season was Yagudin's best. He changed his training and became unstoppable. He won the Grand Prix Final and regained his European title.
At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Yagudin won the gold medal. Every judge voted for him in the men's event. He received four perfect 6.0 scores for his free skate. This was a record for a male skater at the Olympics.
After the Olympics, Yagudin won his fourth World title. He received six perfect 6.0s for his short program. He also got two more 6.0s for his free skating. He was the first singles skater to get six perfect marks for the short program.
Retirement from Competitive Skating
After his amazing Olympic season, Yagudin was diagnosed with a hip problem. Doctors told him to rest, but he chose to compete at 2002 Skate America. He won the short program but had to withdraw due to his injury.
Soon after, he announced his retirement from competitive skating. His final performance as a competitive skater was a farewell gala. He skated to a new program called Memorial and his short program Racing. Yagudin received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland award in 2003. He never won the Russian Championships, often placing second to Evgeni Plushenko.
Alexei Yagudin's Professional Career
After retiring from competitive skating in 2003, Yagudin became a professional skater. He toured with shows like Stars on Ice and Ice Symphony in Russia.
In 2004, he continued touring and also worked as a consultant coach for French skater Brian Joubert. He won two professional competitions with new programs. In 2005, he performed a difficult acrobatic routine seven meters in the air. He also took part in Russian TV shows like Stars on Ice, later called Ice Age.
In 2007, Yagudin had surgery to get a titanium hip joint. After this, he thought about returning to competitive skating. His former coaches agreed to help him. However, he got another injury later that year. He then decided that returning to competitive skating would be too hard.
He continues to perform in ice shows around the world. In 2010, he skated in shows in Korea and China. He often performs his popular Winter program. In 2017, he was honored by being inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. In 2019, he opened his own skating center in Minsk, Belarus.
Alexei Yagudin's Acting and Hosting Career
In Russia, Alexei Yagudin has a busy career off the ice. He works as a TV host, an actor, and a figure skating commentator.
In 2006, he joined the Russian TV show Stars on Ice. He was paired with a former gymnast, Oksana Pouchkina. He later continued on the show, which was renamed Ice Age. He even recorded a song with his partner, pop singer Victoria Dayneko.
In 2008, Yagudin started acting in plays. He played the main role in a play called The President's Vacation. His acting career continued with a main role in the TV series Hot Ice (2009). He also hosted a TV show called Good evening, Moscow! in 2009.
In 2010, he performed in an ice musical called City Lights. He also participated in more seasons of Ice Age with actress Valeria Lanskaya. In 2013, he acted in a play called Don't Trust Your Eyes. He has also appeared as a host on the TV series I Want to Know. Since 2019, he hosts his own show, Ice is melting with Alexei Yagudin, where he interviews athletes.
Alexei Yagudin's Personal Life
Alexei Yagudin moved to the United States in 1999 to train. He lived there for almost seven years before returning to Russia. In 2008, his car was stolen, and one of his World Championships gold medals was inside. Neither the car nor the medal was ever found.
In 2016, Yagudin married Olympic pair skating champion Tatiana Totmianina. They have two daughters. Their first daughter, Elizaveta ("Liza"), was born in 2009. Their second daughter, Michèle, was born in 2015. The couple hopes their daughters will focus on school and music instead of competitive skating. The Yagudin family lives in Moscow and France.
Honors and Awards
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th class (2003) – for his great achievements in sports at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
- National Sports Award "Glory," "Best Athlete of 2002".
- 2017 World Figure Skating Hall of Fame inductee.
Programs
Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
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2002–2003 |
Racing by Safri Duo |
The Man in the Iron Mask by Nick Glennie-Smith |
Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf Memorial by Michael Nyman |
2001–2002 |
Winter by Bond |
The Man in the Iron Mask by Nick Glennie-Smith |
Overcome (from Ancient Lands) by Ronan Hardiman The Man in the Iron Mask by Nick Glennie-Smith |
2000–2001 |
The Revolutionary Etude by Frédéric Chopin |
Gladiator by Hans Zimmer |
Gladiator by Hans Zimmer Stand by Me by Ben E. King My Baby You by Marc Anthony We Are the Champions by Queen |
1999–2000 | Nutrocker by Emerson, Lake & Palmer |
Broken Arrow by Hans Zimmer Tosca by Giacomo Puccini |
Come Fly with Me by Barry Manilow September Morn by Neil Diamond |
1998–1999 | Circus (from The Revisionist's Tale) by Alfred Schnittke |
Lawrence of Arabia by Maurice Jarre |
Here Comes the Big Parade by Harry Connick, Jr. The Prince of Rose |
1997–1998 | Ziganotchka (Russian Gypsy Music) |
Troika; or, Snowstorm by Georgy Sviridov |
Play It Again, Satchmo by Louis Armstrong Mack the Knife (from The Threepenny Opera) by Kurt Weill |
1996–1997 | Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka |
Carmen by Georges Bizet |
One Banana (African Music) |
1995–1996 | The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
Gaîté Parisienne by Jacques Offenbach |
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1994–1995 | Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach |
Hussar medley | |
1993–1994 | Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo Performed by Paco de Lucía |
Competitive Highlights
GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix
International | |||||||||
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Event | 93–94 | 94–95 | 95–96 | 96–97 | 97–98 | 98–99 | 99–00 | 00–01 | 01–02 |
Olympics | 5th | 1st | |||||||
Worlds | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | |||
Europeans | 6th | 5th | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | ||
GP Final | 5th | 4th | 1st | 2nd | 1st | ||||
GP Cup of Russia | 2nd | 1st | |||||||
GP Lalique | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||||
GP Nations/Spark. | 3rd | 1st | |||||||
GP Skate America | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | |||||
GP Skate Canada | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||||||
Goodwill Games | 8th | 3rd | |||||||
Prague Skate | 3rd | ||||||||
International: Junior | |||||||||
Junior Worlds | 4th | 1st | |||||||
National | |||||||||
Russian Champ. | 5th | 5th | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |
All Events
Amateur Status, Senior-Level
2001–02 season | ||||||
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Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
16–24 March 2002 | 2002 World Championships | Nagano, Japan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
8–24 February 2002 | 2002 Winter Olympics | Salt Lake City, USA | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
14–20 January 2002 | 2002 European Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
13–16 December 2001 | 2001–02 Grand Prix Final | Kitchener, Canada | 2 (SP) |
2 (FS1) |
1 (FS2) |
1 |
15–18 November 2001 | 2001 Trophée Lalique | Paris, France | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1–4 November 2001 | 2001 Skate Canada International | Saskatoon, Canada | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Masters of Figure Skating | San Diego, USA | 1 | ||||
4–9 September 2001 | 2001 Goodwill Games | Brisbane, Australia | – | 3 | 3 | 3 |
2000–01 season | ||||||
Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
17–25 March 2001 | 2001 World Championships | Vancouver, Canada | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
15–18 February 2001 | 2000–01 Grand Prix Final | Tokyo, Japan | 1 (SP) |
2 (FS) |
2 (SF) |
2 |
21–28 January 2001 | 2001 European Championships | Bratislava, Slovakia | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
26–29 December 2000 | 2000 Russian Championships | Moscow, Russia | – | 3 | 2 | 2 |
23–26 November 2000 | 2000 Trophée Lalique | Paris, France | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2–5 November 2000 | 2000 Skate Canada International | Mississauga, Canada | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
26–29 October 2000 | 2000 Skate America | Colorado Springs, USA | – | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Masters of Figure Skating | Boise, USA | 2 | ||||
Canadian Open | Hamilton, Canada | 1 | ||||
Japan Open | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | ||||
Hershey's Kisses Figure Skating Challenge | Detroit, USA | 1 | ||||
1999–2000 season | ||||||
Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
23 March – 3 April 2000 | 2000 World Championships | Nice, France | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
6–13 February 2000 | 2000 European Championships | Vienna, Austria | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
23–25 December 1999 | 2000 Russian Championships | Moscow, Russia | – | 2 | 2 | 2 |
18–20 November 1999 | 1999 Trophée Lalique | Paris, France | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
4–7 November 1999 | 1999 Skate Canada International | Saint John, Canada | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
27–31 October 1999 | 1999 Skate America | Colorado Springs, USA | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Masters of Figure Skating | Green Bay, USA | 2 | ||||
Japan Open | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | ||||
Grand Slam Super Teams of Skating | Kitchener, Canada | 2 | ||||
Keri Lotion Classic | Orlando, USA | 1 | ||||
1998–99 season | ||||||
Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
20–28 March 1999 | 1999 World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
5–7 March 1999 | 1998–99 Grand Prix Final | Saint Petersburg, Russia | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
24–31 January 1999 | 1999 European Championships | Prague, Czech Republic | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
4–7 January 1999 | 1999 Russian Championships | Moscow, Russia | 2 | |||
20–22 November 1998 | 1998 Trophée Lalique | Paris, France | – | 2 | 1 | 1 |
12–15 November 1998 | 1998 Sparkassen Cup on Ice | Gelsenkirchen, Germany | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
29 October – 1 November 1998 | 1998 Skate America | Detroit, USA | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Japan Open | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | ||||
World Professional Championships | Washington D.C., USA | 1 | ||||
World Team Challenge | Milwaukee, USA | 1 | ||||
Challenge of Champions | Sunrise, USA | 1 | ||||
Hershey's Kisses Challenge | Binghamton, USA | 1 | ||||
1997–98 season | ||||||
Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
29 March – 5 April 1998 | 1998 World Championships | Minneapolis, USA | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
7–22 February 1998 | 1998 Winter Olympics | Nagano, Japan | – | 4 | 5 | 5 |
11–18 January 1997 | 1998 European Championships | Milan, Italy | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
18–20 December 1997 | 1997–98 Champions Series Final | Munich, Germany | – | 6 | 4 | 4 |
11–14 December 1997 | 1998 Russian Championships | Moscow, Russia | – | 1 | 3 | 2 |
19–23 November 1997 | 1997 Cup of Russia | Saint Petersburg, Russia | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
13–16 November 1997 | 1997 Trophée Lalique | Paris, France | – | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Skate Israel | Metulla, Israel | 1 | ||||
3–5 October 1997 | 1997 Finlandia Trophy | Helsinki, Finland | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1996–97 season | ||||||
Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
16–23 March 1997 | 1997 World Championships | Lausanne, Switzerland | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
28 February – 2 March 1997 | 1996–97 Champions Series Final | Hamilton, Canada | – | 6 | 5 | 5 |
21–25 January 1997 | 1997 European Championships | Paris, France | – | 5 | 4 | 5 |
26–29 December 1996 | 1997 Russian Championships | Moscow, Russia | 3 | |||
12–15 December 1996 | 1996 Cup of Russia | Saint Petersburg, Russia | – | 2 | 2 | 2 |
21–23 November 1996 | 1996 Nations Cup | Gelsenkirchen, Germany | – | 2 | 3 | 3 |
31 October – 3 November 1996 | 1996 Skate America | Springfield, USA | – | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Amateur Status, Junior-Level
1995–96 season | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
22–28 January 1996 | 1996 European Championships | Sofia, Bulgaria | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
26–30 December 1995 | 1996 Russian Championships | Samara, Russia | 4 | |||
26 November – 2 December 1995 | 1996 World Junior Championships | Brisbane, Australia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Centennial on Ice | Saint Petersburg, Russia | 2 | ||||
1995 Blue Swords | Chemnitz, Germany | 1 | ||||
1994–95 season | ||||||
Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
1995 Russian Championships | Moscow, Russia | 5 | ||||
17–20 November 1994 | 1994 Nations Cup | Gelsenkirchen, Germany | 8 | |||
1994 Goodwill Games | Saint Petersburg, Russia | – | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
1993–94 season | ||||||
Date | Event | Location | QR | SP | FS | Total |
30 November – 5 December 1993 | 1994 World Junior Championships | Colorado Springs, USA | 4 | |||
1994 Russian Championships | Saint Petersburg, Russia | 5 |
Professional Status
2006–07 season | |||||
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Date | Event | Location | SP | FS | Total |
Ice Wars | Hoffman Estates, USA | 1 | |||
29 April 2007 | 2007 Japan Open | Saitama, Japan | – | 5 128.43 |
2T |
2005–06 season | |||||
Date | Event | Location | SP | FS | Total |
Ice Wars | Peoria, USA | 2 | |||
World Team Challenge | London, Ontario, Canada | 2 | |||
14 March 2006 | 2006 Japan Open | Saitama, Japan | – | 6 112.70 |
3T |
2004–05 season | |||||
Date | Event | Location | SP | FS | Total |
Ice Wars | Charlton, USA | 1 | |||
World Team Challenge | Winnipeg, Canada | 1 | |||
2003–04 season | |||||
Date | Event | Location | SP | FS | Total |
World Team Challenge | Vancouver, Canada | 3 |
See also
In Spanish: Alekséi Yagudin para niños