Irina Slutskaya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Irina Slutskaya
Slutskaya in 2016
Personal information
Native name	Ирина Эдуардовна Слуцкая
Full name	Irina Eduardovna Slutskaya
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1979-02-09) 9 February 1979 (age 46) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.60 m
Coach	Zhanna Gromova
Skating club	Sport Club Moskvitch
Began skating	1984
Retired	2006
Medal record Representing  Russia Figure skating: Ladies' singles Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 1 1 World Championships 2 3 1 European Championships 7 2 0 Grand Prix Final 4 3 2 World Junior Championships 1 0 1 Total 14 9 5 Winter Olympics Silver 2002 Salt Lake City Ladies' singles Bronze 2006 Turin Ladies' singles World Championships Gold 2002 Nagano Ladies' singles Gold 2005 Moscow Ladies' singles Silver 1998 Minneapolis Ladies' singles Silver 2000 Nice Ladies' singles Silver 2001 Vancouver Ladies' singles Bronze 1996 Edmonton Ladies' singles European Championships Gold 1996 Sofia Ladies' singles Gold 1997 Paris Ladies' singles Gold 2000 Vienna Ladies' singles Gold 2001 Bratislava Ladies' singles Gold 2003 Malmö Ladies' singles Gold 2005 Turin Ladies' singles Gold 2006 Lyon Ladies' singles Silver 1998 Milano Ladies' singles Silver 2002 Lausanne Ladies' singles Grand Prix Final Gold 1999–2000 Lyon Ladies' singles Gold 2000–01 Tokyo Ladies' singles Gold 2001–02 Kitchener Ladies' singles Gold 2004–05 Beijing Ladies' singles Silver 1995–96 Paris Ladies' singles Silver 2002–03 Saint Petersburg Ladies' singles Silver 2005–06 Tokyo Ladies' singles Bronze 1996–97 Hamilton Ladies' singles Bronze 1998–99 Saint Petersburg Ladies' singles Russian Championships Gold 2000 Moscow Ladies’ Singles Gold 2001 Moscow Ladies’ Singles Gold 2002 Moscow Ladies’ Singles Gold 2005 Saint Petersburg Ladies’ Singles Silver 1996 Samara Ladies’ Singles Silver 2003 Kazan Ladies’ Singles Bronze 1994 Saint Petersburg Ladies’ Singles Bronze 1995 Kazan Ladies’ Singles Bronze 1997 Moscow Ladies’ Singles World Junior Championships Gold 1995 Budapest Ladies' singles Bronze 1994 Colorado Springs Ladies' singles

Irina Eduardovna Slutskaya (born on February 9, 1979) is a famous Russian former figure skater. She won many important titles during her career. Irina is a two-time World Champion (in 2002 and 2005). She also won two Olympic medals: a silver in 2002 and a bronze in 2006.

Irina was a seven-time European Champion and a four-time Grand Prix Final champion. She also won the Russian national title four times. She holds a record for winning 17 titles on the Grand Prix circuit.

Irina Slutskaya was known for her amazing athletic skills on the ice. She was the first female skater to successfully land a triple lutz-triple loop combination. She also created her own special move, a double Biellmann spin with a foot change. Many people consider her one of the most successful ladies' singles skaters in the history of Russia and Europe.

Irina Slutskaya's Skating Journey

Early Days on Ice

Irina Slutskaya started skating when she was just four years old. Her mother encouraged her to try the sport. From the age of six, she was coached by Zhanna Gromova. Irina quickly showed great promise as a young skater.

In December 1993, she won a bronze medal at the 1994 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Springs. This event marked the beginning of a long and friendly rivalry with American skater Michelle Kwan.

Rising to the Top (1995-1998)

Irina continued to improve in the 1994–95 season. She won the 1995 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in November 1994. She also earned a bronze medal at the 1995 Russian Figure Skating Championships. This allowed her to compete in her first major senior international competition, the 1995 European Figure Skating Championships, where she finished fifth.

In the 1995–96 season, Irina competed in the first-ever Champions Series, which is now called the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. She won a bronze medal at 1995 Skate America. In January 1996, she made history by becoming the first Russian woman to win the 1996 European Figure Skating Championships. She performed six triple jumps in her free skate. Later that season, she won a silver medal at the Champions Series Final. In March 1996, she earned her first World Championship medal, a bronze, at the 1996 World Figure Skating Championships in Canada.

In the 1996–97 season, Irina won three Champions Series events. She also won her second European title in January 1997. At the 1997 World Figure Skating Championships, she finished fourth after a fall in practice caused a back injury.

For the 1997–98 season, Irina won gold at the 1997 Cup of Russia and silver at the 1997 Nations Cup. She then won a silver medal at the 1998 European Figure Skating Championships. In February 1998, she competed in her first Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, where she finished fifth. The next month, she won a silver medal at the 1998 World Figure Skating Championships.

Becoming a Champion (1999-2002)

The 1998–99 season was a bit challenging for Irina. She finished fourth at the Russian Championships, which meant she didn't go to the European or World Championships that year. However, she decided to keep skating.

Irina made a strong comeback in the 1999–2000 season. She won her first Russian national title. She then won the 1999–2000 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, beating both Michelle Kwan and Tatiana Malinina. In this event, she became the first woman to land a triple lutz-triple loop combination in competition. In February, she won her third European title. At the 2000 World Figure Skating Championships, she finished second overall.

The 2000–01 season saw Irina continue her winning streak. She won the Skate Canada International, her fourth European title, and defended her Grand Prix Final title. At the 2001 World Figure Skating Championships, she finished second, earning another silver medal.

In the 2001–02 season, Irina won all five of her competitions against Michelle Kwan. She won her third straight Russian national title and her third Grand Prix Final title. However, she finished second at the 2002 European Figure Skating Championships.

Slutskaya at the 2002 Winter Olympics

Irina's next big event was the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She was in second place after the short program. In the free skate, she finished second, earning a silver medal. This was the second Olympic medal for a Russian woman in figure skating.

The next month, Irina won her first World title in Nagano. She was first in both the qualifying round and the short program, and she also won the free skate.

Health Challenges and Triumphant Return (2003-2006)

In the 2002–03 season, Irina faced some difficulties. She won her fifth European title in January 2003. However, she decided not to compete at the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships because her mother was very ill.

Soon after, Irina herself experienced severe tiredness and swelling in her legs. Doctors struggled to find out what was wrong. She missed most of the 2003–04 season. She was eventually diagnosed with vasculitis, a condition that affects blood vessels. Despite being told to avoid the cold, she competed at the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships and finished ninth.

In 2005, Irina made an incredible comeback after spending time in the hospital. This season was her most successful ever; she won every competition she entered. She performed very well under the new scoring system, which rewarded her strong jumps, spins, and difficult footwork. She won the 2005 European Figure Skating Championships, matching the record for the most European titles in ladies' singles.

At the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships, Irina was in first place after the short program. In the free skate, she performed seven triple jumps, including a triple lutz-triple loop combination, to win her second World title. Her performance was praised for its artistry as well as its technical skill. She said it was "the skate of her life" because she was skating in front of her friends and family at home. She also shared an inspiring message:

This is the question they ask: how could you get up after your fall last year? That's not right at all. You can't talk that way. When a person is ill, it's not a fall, it's a misfortune. And no one, unfortunately, is safe from that. I only want to say to those who don't believe in their [own capacity for] recovery: believe, fight... I got up — you can too.

On January 19, 2006, Irina won the 2006 European Figure Skating Championships for the seventh time. This broke the record and made her the most successful ladies' skater at that event. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Irina was a favorite to win gold. She was in second place after the short program. In the free skate, she had a couple of mistakes and won the bronze medal. Irina did not compete at the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships that followed. She officially retired from competitive skating after the 2006 Olympics.

Life After Competitive Skating

On April 10, 2007, Irina announced she was moving back to Russia. She also shared that she and her husband, Sergei, were expecting their first child. Irina said she loved being a mother and had no plans to return to competitive skating. She felt she had achieved almost all the titles she could.

Irina started a new career in show business. She hosted figure skating reality shows on Russia Channel 1, like Stars on Ice with Evgeni Plushenko and Ice Age with actor Marat Basharov. She also released a music CD. In 2008, she acted in a Russian TV show about figure skating called Hot Ice. She also toured as the main skater in the Russian version of the show "Winx on Ice".

In November 2008, Irina performed in the Skate from the Heart show. In 2009, she was recognized for her achievements and added to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011, Irina also participated in the All That Skate Summer ice show with Olympic champion Yuna Kim. In October 2012, she competed in the first Medal Winner's Open, an event for Olympic and World medalists, where she placed third. She was also an ambassador for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Irina's Political Career

In 2016, Irina Slutskaya became involved in politics. She joined the United Russia party and ran for a position in the Moscow Oblast Duma. In September 2016, she was elected as a deputy (a representative) for the Moscow Oblast Duma, representing the United Russia party.

Irina's Family Life

Irina Slutskaya was born in 1979 in Moscow, which was then part of the Soviet Union. She was an only child. Her mother was a former cross-country skier. Irina was raised in the Russian Orthodox faith.

Irina married her boyfriend, Sergei Mikheev, in August 1999. They had met three years earlier at a summer camp. They welcomed their son, Artem, in November 2007. In October 2010, they had their second child, a daughter named Varvara. In 2016, Irina and Sergei divorced after seventeen years of marriage.

She married a businessman named Alexei Govyrin in June 2018. In October 2019, she gave birth to her third child, a daughter named Kira, who is her first child with Alexei.

Images for kids

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  Slutskaya at the 2002 Winter Olympics

See also

In Spanish: Irina Slútskaya para niños