Ekaterina Gordeeva facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ekaterina Gordeeva
Gordeeva in 2012
Born	Ekaterina Alexandrovna Gordeeva (1971-05-28) 28 May 1971 (age 54) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Spouse(s)	Sergei Grinkov ​ ​ (m. 1991; d. 1995)​ Ilia Kulik ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2016)​ David Pelletier ​ ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	2
Ekaterina Gordeeva Personal information Country represented  Soviet Union  Russia Partner Sergei Grinkov Coach Marina Zoueva Stanislav Zhuk Retired 1994 Medal record Pairs' Figure skating Representing  Russia Olympic Games Gold 1994 Lillehammer Pairs European Championships Gold 1994 Copenhagen Pairs Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1988 Calgary Pairs World Championships Gold 1986 Geneva Pairs Gold 1987 Cincinnati Pairs Gold 1989 Paris Pairs Gold 1990 Halifax Pairs Silver 1988 Budapest Pairs European Championships Gold 1988 Prague Pairs Gold 1990 Leningrad Pairs Silver 1986 Copenhagen Pairs

Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva (born 28 May 1971) is a famous Russian figure skater. She is best known for her amazing performances in pair skating with her late husband, Sergei Grinkov. Together, they won two Olympic gold medals, one in 1988 and another in 1994. They also won four World Championship titles. After Sergei's death, Katia continued to skate as a solo performer.

Katia's Early Life

Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva was born in Moscow, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Her father, Alexander Alexeyevich Gordeev, was a dancer. Her mother, Elena Lvovna Gordeeva, worked as a teletype operator. Katia has a younger sister. She has shared that her father often helped her with movement when she was a child.

Skating with Sergei: A Winning Pair

Gordeeva and Grinkov on an Azerbaijani stamp of 1998

Katia started figure skating when she was four years old. She joined the Children and Youth Sports School of CSKA Moscow. In August 1981, when she was 10, her coach paired her with 14-year-old Sergei Grinkov. They became a famous pair skating team.

Katia and Sergei won the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 1985. The very next year, they won their first of four World Figure Skating Championships. This made them one of the few teams to win both junior and senior world titles back-to-back.

In 1988, they won a gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. They are still the youngest pair team ever to win Olympic gold. They continued to win, taking world titles in 1989 and 1990.

Katia and Sergei were known for their excellent skating skills. They could even do a very difficult move called a quadruple twist lift. This move involved Sergei throwing Katia high in the air, where she would do a split, then spin four times before he caught her.

Their skating partnership grew into a romantic relationship. They got married in April 1991. On 11 September 1992, their daughter, Daria Sergeyevna Grinkova, was born.

When a new rule allowed professional skaters to return to the Olympics, Katia and Sergei decided to compete again. In 1994, they won their second Olympic gold medal in Lillehammer, Norway.

After the Olympics, they went back to professional skating. They moved to Simsbury, Connecticut, in the United States. Sadly, on 20 November 1995, while practicing for a show, Sergei collapsed and died from a heart attack at age 28. Doctors later found out he had a heart condition.

Many people consider Katia and Sergei to be one of the greatest pair teams in figure skating history. They were known for how smoothly and quietly they skated.

Katia's Solo Skating Career

Gordeeva performs solo in Smucker's Stars on Ice at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport in 2007.

In February 1996, Katia returned to the ice as a solo skater. Her first performance was a special tribute to Sergei. She later wrote a book about their life together called My Sergei: A Love Story.

Katia continued to perform in skating shows like Stars on Ice. She took a break in 2000 to have her second daughter, Elizaveta Ilinichna Kulik, who was born in June 2001. Katia has returned to guest star in many shows since then.

She also appeared in advertisements for companies like Target and Rolex. In 2003, Katia skated on the ice for the first time with her daughter Daria. Later, her younger daughter Liza also joined them for a performance.

In 2007, Katia starred in Skate for the Heart, a show to raise awareness about heart disease. She skated in memory of Sergei and her father, who also passed away from a heart attack in 2008.

Katia has also appeared on Russian reality TV shows like Ice Age and Battle of the Blades, where she won with her hockey player partner, Valeri Bure.

Today, Katia also works as a coach and choreographer at the Ice Palace Figure Skating Club in West Edmonton Mall, Canada.

Katia's Personal Life

Katia Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were married in April 1991. Their daughter, Daria Sergeyevna Gordeeva-Grinkova, was born in September 1992. Sergei passed away in November 1995.

In June 2001, Katia had her second daughter, Elizaveta Ilinichna Kulik. Elizaveta's father is Ilia Kulik, who was the 1998 Olympic men's singles champion. Katia and Ilia married in June 2002.

Katia and her family lived in California and Connecticut for several years. They often spoke Russian at home and visited Russia. In 2012, Katia and Ilia opened a skating rink and training center in Lake Forest, California. They divorced in 2016.

On 25 July 2020, Katia married Canadian figure skater David Pelletier, who was also an Olympic pairs champion in 2002. They now live in Edmonton, Canada.

Skating Achievements

Here are some of the major awards and wins Katia Gordeeva achieved with her partner, Sergei Grinkov:

Images for kids

• 

  Gordeeva in 2012

• 

  Gordeeva and Grinkov on an Azerbaijani stamp of 1998

• 

  Gordeeva performs solo in Smucker's Stars on Ice in 2007.

See also

In Spanish: Yekaterina Gordéyeva para niños