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Alexei Yagudin
Alexei Yagudin in 2022 - 01 (cropped).jpg
In 2022
Personal information
Full name Alexei Konstantinovich Yagudin
Country represented  Russia
Born (1980-03-18) 18 March 1980 (age 45)
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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.

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.

Alexei Yagudin
Yagudin performing "Overcome" in 2002

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
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
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
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
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
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

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