Maxim Kovtun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maxim Kovtun
Kovtun at the 2014 Grand Prix Final
Personal information
Full name	Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1995-06-18) 18 June 1995 (age 30) Yekaterinburg, Russia
Home town	Moscow, Russia
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Began skating	1997
Retired	23 April 2019

Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun (Russian: Максим Павлович Ковтун) is a Russian figure skater who is now retired. He was born on June 18, 1995. Maxim won three medals at the European Figure Skating Championships. He earned silver medals in 2015 and 2017, and a bronze medal in 2016. He also became the Russian national champion four times (in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2019). As a junior skater, he won the 2012 Junior Grand Prix Final. Maxim was known for successfully landing difficult quad jumps in his programs. He announced his retirement from competitive skating on April 23, 2019.

About Maxim Kovtun

Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia. His two older brothers also used to compete in figure skating. His father, Pavel, is a skating coach and was once a pair skater. Maxim has been dating Russian group rhythmic gymnast Evgeniia Levanova since 2019.

Skating Journey

Maxim started skating when he was four years old. His father took him to the ice rink in Yekaterinburg. In his early years, Maria Voitsekhovskaia was his main coach. He also played ice hockey for a while. However, at age ten, he chose to focus on figure skating.

Early Competitions

In the spring of 2011, Maxim began training with Nikolai Morozov. He started competing in the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series in the 2011–12 season. He won a gold medal at his first event in Romania. Then, he earned a silver medal in Estonia. He qualified for the 2011–12 JGP Final and finished fourth.

At the 2012 Russian Championships, Maxim placed twelfth in the senior category. He also won a bronze medal at the junior level. He competed in his first senior international event, the 2012 World Team Trophy, where he finished twelfth.

Junior Grand Prix Champion

In the summer of 2012, Maxim changed coaches to Elena Buianova. He started the 2012–13 season by winning two gold medals at JGP events in Croatia and Germany. He then qualified for the JGP Final in Sochi, Russia. Maxim won the gold medal at the JGP Final by a large margin. His free skate included impressive jumps like a 4T-3T, 3A-3T, and 3A.

After finishing fifth at the 2013 Russian Championships, Maxim was chosen for the Russian team. He made his debut at the 2013 European Championships, finishing fifth overall. He then placed seventeenth at his first World Championships in Canada.

First National Title

Maxim made his senior Grand Prix debut in the 2013–14 season. He won a silver medal at the 2013 Cup of China. He landed difficult jumps, including a 4S-3T, 4T, and 3A. He also won another silver medal at the 2013 Rostelecom Cup. These results helped him qualify for his first senior Grand Prix Final, where he finished fifth.

At the 2014 Russian Championships, Maxim won his first senior national title. He placed second in the short program and first in the free skate. He then finished fifth at the European Championships. Maxim went on to compete at the 2014 World Championships in Japan. He finished fourth overall, showing great improvement.

European Silver Medal

For the 2014–15 season, Maxim competed at the Cup of China and Trophée Bompard. He won gold medals at both events. This made him the only skater to win both of his Grand Prix assignments that season. He qualified for the Grand Prix Final and finished fourth.

At the 2015 Russian Championships, Maxim won his second national title. He then earned a silver medal at the 2015 European Championships. He finished seventh at the 2015 World Championships in China.

Continued Success and Challenges

Maxim started the 2015–16 season by winning gold at the 2015 CS Mordovian Ornament. He placed second at the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard. The free skate was canceled due to events in Paris, so the short program results became the final scores. In December, he won his third straight national title at the 2016 Russian Championships.

In January 2016, Maxim won a bronze medal at the 2016 European Championships. He finished 18th at the 2016 World Championships. In May 2016, he joined a new training group with coach Inna Goncharenko.

In the 2016–17 season, Maxim won a bronze medal at the 2016 CS Finlandia Trophy. He then earned a bronze medal at the 2017 Russian Championships. He won a silver medal at the 2017 European Championships, achieving new personal best scores. He finished eleventh at the 2017 World Championships.

Injuries and Retirement

Maxim faced challenges in the 2017–18 season due to back and knee injuries. He had to withdraw from several competitions, including the 2017 Skate Canada and the 2018 Russian Championships. He later shared that he was physically unable to train properly.

For the 2018–19 season, Maxim returned to training with Elena Buianova. He won a gold medal at the 2018 CS Tallinn Trophy. He then claimed his fourth Russian national title at the 2019 Russian Championships. At the 2019 European Championships, he finished fourteenth. In March 2019, he won a silver medal at the 2019 Winter Universiade. Maxim withdrew from the 2019 World Championships due to medical reasons.

On April 23, 2019, Maxim Kovtun announced that he was retiring from competitive skating.

Programs and Music

Maxim Kovtun performed many different programs throughout his career. Each program had special music and choreography.

Kovtun at the 2013 Cup of China podium.

Kovtun at the 2016 European Figure Skating Championships podium.

Competitive Highlights

Maxim Kovtun competed in many important figure skating events. Here are some of his main achievements:

Images for kids

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  Kovtun at the 2012–13 JGP Final

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  Kovtun at the 2014–15 GP Final

See also

In Spanish: Maksim Kovtun para niños