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Ilia Kulik
Ilia Kulik 2008 Christmas On Ice – Yokohama.jpg
Kulik in the 2008 Christmas On Ice show.
Personal information
Country represented  Russia
Born (1977-05-23) 23 May 1977 (age 47)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Residence Highland park, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in
Former coach Tatiana Tarasova
Viktor Kudriavtsev
Former choreographer Tatiana Tarasova
Retired 1998
Medal record
Representing  Russia
Men's Figure skating
Winter Olympic Games
Olympic rings.svg
Gold 1998 Nagano Men's singles
World Championships
Silver 1996 Edmonton Men's singles
European Championships
Gold 1995 Dortmund Men's singles
Bronze 1996 Sofia Men's singles
Grand Prix Final
Gold 1997–1998 Kitchener Men's singles
World Junior Championships
Gold 1995 Budapest Men's singles
Bronze 1993 Seoul Men's singles

Ilia Alexandrovich Kulik ([] Error: {{Langx}}: no text (help); born 23 May 1977) is a Russian figure skater. He is the 1998 Olympic Champion, the 1995 European Champion, the 1997–1998 Grand Prix Final champion, and the 1995 World Junior champion.

Career

Kulik began skating at the age of five. In November 1994, he won the 1995 World Junior title and then, a few months later, the 1995 European title, at the age of 17. He was ninth at his first senior World Championships. The next season, he won silver at the 1996 World Championships. During the 1997-98 season, Kulik won gold at the 1997 NHK Trophy and silver at the 1997 Skate Canada International to qualify for the Champion Series Final (now known as the Grand Prix Final) where he won the gold medal. He also won the Russian national title but missed the 1998 European Championships as a result of back problems. At the 1998 Olympics, Kulik placed first in both the short and long programs and won the Olympic title at the age of 20 years and 267 days, became one of the youngest male figure skating Olympic champions.

Kulik withdrew from the 1998 World Championships due to his recurring back injury. He retired from competitive skating and has focused on performing in shows. Kulik has skated with the Stars on Ice tour, shows in Russia, the 2009 Ice All Stars, the 2010 Festa On Ice. In 1999, he skated a duet with his wife, Ekaterina Gordeeva.

Kulik also ventured briefly into acting, playing the role of Sergei, a Russian dancer, in the 2000 ballet-themed movie Center Stage.

In 2012, Kulik and Gordeeva opened a skating rink in Lake Forest, California.

Kulik was the former coach of Michael Christian Martinez.

Personal life

Kulik has one sibling, sister Svetlana, who also lives in California. His parents live in Russia.

Kulik married Ekaterina Gordeeva in San Francisco on 10 June 2002. They have one daughter, Elizaveta Ilinichna Kulik (born 15 June 2001). Gordeeva has another daughter, Daria Sergeevna Grinkova (born 11 September 1992), from her first marriage to her late husband and skating partner, Sergei Grinkov. The family lived in California for several years before moving to Avon, Connecticut, in 2003. They returned to the Los Angeles area in the summer of 2007 and resided in Newport Beach. According to People magazine's 2018 Special Edition "The Best of Olympic Figure Skating", Gordeeva and Kulik divorced in 2016.

Programs

Post–1998

Click on show to view the post–1998 programs
Season Pro/Pro-am events Exhibition
2012–2013
  • Carmina Burana performed by Edvin Marton
  • Let's Go by Calvin Harris
2011–2012
2008–2009
2007–2008
  • Sounds of Inspiration by Ilia Kulik
  • Deal with It performed by Corbin Bleu
2006–2007
2003–2004
2002–2003
  • Piano Concerto in A Minor
  • Rubberbandman
2001–2002
  • Pick up the Pieces
  • Rubberbandman
  • Rhapsody in Blue
2000–2001
  • Drive/Driven
  • Rockit
  • Devil's Trill Sonata
  • Blues for Narada
1999–2000
  • Blues for Narada by Gary Moore
  • Baseball Cap by Faithless
1998–1999
  • Jumpin' Jack Flash
  • Cool
  • Seisouso (Tango)

(with Ekaterina Gordeeva)

Season Program
1999–2000

Pre–1998

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
1997–1998 Revolutions
by Jean Michel Jarre
Rhapsody in Blue
by George Gershwin
Demon Warriors/Final Kombat
from Mortal Kombat
by George S. Clinton

Liebestraum
by Franz Liszt
1996–1997 Faust
by Henryk Wieniawski
Romeo and Juliet
by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Liebestraum
by Franz Liszt
1995–1996 The Addams Family Aladdin Always
by Bon Jovi
The Addams Family
1994–1995 Rigoletto
by Giuseppe Verdi
An American in Paris
by George Gershwin

Competitive highlights

International
Event 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98
Olympics 1st
Worlds 9th 2nd 5th
Europeans 1st 3rd 4th
CS Final 4th 4th 1st
CS NHK Trophy 2nd 1st
CS Skate America 6th
CS Skate Canada 2nd 2nd
CS Trophée de France 1st
Finlandia Trophy 2nd
Karl Schäfer Memorial 3rd
Nebelhorn Trophy 1st
International: Junior
Junior Worlds 3rd 11th 1st
National
Russian Champ. 2nd 2nd 1st 1st
CS = Became part of Champions Series in 1995–1996
(renamed Grand Prix in 1998–1999)

Navigation

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Iliá Kulik para niños

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