Oksana Baiul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oksana Baiul
Personal information
Native name	Оксана Баюл
Country represented	Ukraine
Born	(1977-11-16) 16 November 1977 (age 47) Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Dnipro, Ukraine)
Height	1.60 m
Former coach	Galina Zmievskaya Valentyn Nikolayev Stanislav Koritek
Former choreographer	Sarah Kawahara
Former training locations	Simsbury, Connecticut Odesa Dnipro
Retired	1994
Medal record Figure skating: Ladies' singles Representing  Ukraine Olympic Games Gold 1994 Lillehammer Ladies' singles World Championships Gold 1993 Prague Ladies' singles European Championships Silver 1993 Helsinki Ladies' singles Silver 1994 Copenhagen Ladies' singles

Oksana Serhiyivna Baiul-Farina (born November 16, 1977) is a retired Ukrainian competitive figure skater. She is famous for winning the 1993 World Championship and the 1994 Olympic gold medal in ladies' singles.

Oksana Baiul was the first Olympic Champion from Ukraine to compete under the Ukrainian flag. She was also the second skater representing Ukraine to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. This made her the first Olympic champion of independent Ukraine in any sport.

After winning her gold medal in 1994, Baiul moved to the United States. She joined professional ice skating tours and shows. She also appeared on TV and took part in charity skating events. She has lived in the United States since 1994. In 1997, she wrote two books, one about her life and one about skating.

Early Life and Skating Start

Oksana Baiul was born on November 16, 1977, in Dnipropetrovsk, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Her parents divorced when she was two years old. She was raised by her mother, Marina, who was a French teacher, and her grandparents.

Her grandparents passed away when she was young. In 1991, when Oksana was 13, her mother suddenly died from ovarian cancer. After this, Oksana lived with friends and later in a dormitory in Odessa. The state helped pay for her living and skating expenses because she was a promising skater.

Moving to the United States

After the 1994 Winter Olympics, Oksana Baiul moved to the United States. She first lived in Simsbury, Connecticut, which has a big skating center. Later, she moved to Richmond, Virginia, and then to Cliffside Park, New Jersey. In 2012, she settled in Pennsylvania.

Discovering Her Heritage

Oksana was raised as a Russian Orthodox Christian. Later in life, she learned that her maternal grandmother was Jewish. In 2003, Oksana reconnected with her father, who confirmed her grandmother's Jewish background. Because of this, Oksana decided to identify as Jewish. She said in 2005 that "Being Jewish, that feels good. It feels natural, like a second skin."

Skating Education and Training

As a child, Oksana was interested in ballet. However, her grandmother encouraged her to try skating, calling it "ballet on skates." She started skating at age three in Dnipro. Her grandfather also supported her dream of becoming a dancer through skating.

Oksana's mother paid for her training, costumes, and equipment. By age five, she was training with Stanislav Koritek, a well-known Ukrainian coach. In 1992, Koritek moved to Canada for a coaching job because there wasn't much support for skating in Ukraine after the Soviet Union broke apart.

Later, Oksana's father's friend helped her connect with coach Galina Zmievskaya. Oksana moved to Odesa and lived with Zmievskaya's family. Under Zmievskaya's guidance, Oksana improved very quickly. Her other coach in Odesa was Valentyn Nikolayev.

Competitive Skating Career

Becoming a World Champion

Oksana Baiul quickly became a top skater. In 1993, she won the silver medal at the European Championships in Helsinki. She finished second to Surya Bonaly from France.

Before the 1993 World Championships in Prague, Oksana had an accident during practice. She hurt her back and neck. Despite this, she competed and won the gold medal at just 15 years old! She was ranked second after the short program but won the free skate, becoming the world champion.

Olympic Gold Medal Win

In 1994, Oksana won another silver medal at the European Championships in Copenhagen, again placing second to Surya Bonaly.

At the 1994 Winter Olympics, Oksana was in second place after the short program, behind American skater Nancy Kerrigan. During a practice session, Oksana accidentally collided with Germany's Tanja Szewczenko. She hurt her lower back and got a cut on her shin. To be able to compete in the free skate, she received special pain-relieving injections.

Oksana bravely competed and won the free skate by a very small margin over Nancy Kerrigan. This meant she won the gold medal! Her win was seen as controversial by some, but the referee said Oksana skated with a more artistic and engaging style. At 16 years old, she became one of the youngest Olympic figure skating champions.

Turning Professional

After the 1994 Olympics, Oksana decided to become a professional skater. Even though she was an Olympic champion, conditions for skaters in Ukraine were difficult. The country was facing economic problems, and their ice rink in Odesa was not well maintained. Coaches and skaters sometimes had to smooth the ice by hand.

Because of these challenges, Oksana, at only 16, chose to join professional tours in the United States. This allowed her to earn money from her sport. In May 1994, she signed a big contract with an American talent agency.

After the Olympics, Oksana had some physical problems. She needed knee surgery in the summer of 1994. Her doctor told her to rest for two months, but because of her touring contract, she returned to skating much sooner. This affected her ability to do jumps.

Life After Competition

In 1994, Oksana's coach, Galina Zmievskaya, was asked to lead the coaching team at a new skating center in Simsbury, Connecticut. Oksana followed her there to continue training.

Oksana performed in TV productions like The Nutcracker on Ice and The Wizard of Oz on Ice for CBS. She later trained with Natalia Linichuk and continued to skate professionally in shows like Broadway on Ice.

In December 2006, Oksana skated in Russia at the Red Square ice rink in Moscow. She also worked with a ballet dancer, Saule Rachmedova, to combine ice skating and fashion. She appeared on MTV's Total Request Live in March 2007.

Oksana had a role in a skating musical called Cold as Ice. This show was about six skaters preparing for championships and the Olympics. In 2009 and 2010, Oksana made guest appearances at the Kate Wollman Skating Rink in Prospect Park, New York. She also met with skating students after her performances.

Oksana Baiul has her own line of clothing and jewelry. She has appeared on TV shows like Celebrity Poker Showdown and was a judge on Master of Champions.

As of January 2015, Oksana is married to her manager, Carlo Farina. She now uses the name Oksana Baiul-Farina. They live in Las Vegas with their daughter, Sophia, who was born in 2015.

Helping Others: Charity Work

Oksana Baiul is involved in several charity efforts. On March 27, 2010, she skated in a show to benefit the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children. She performed her famous Swan Lake program.

Oksana supports the Tikva Children's Home Charity, which helps Jewish children in Odesa. She is also a member of the International Museum of Women, which celebrates women's lives around the world. Oksana also created a program to give sled dogs to children in Inuit communities who need them.

Oksana in Other Media

• A Promise Kept (1994) is a TV movie made by CBS about Oksana Baiul's life.
• Oksana Baiul is mentioned in episodes of the TV series Family Guy, including "Wasted Talent" and "The Griffin Winter Talent".
• The song "Oksana" by Hawksley Workman is about her.
• In the film I, Tonya (2017), an actress plays Oksana winning the gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics.
• In the film Blades of Glory (2007), a character named Chazz Michael Michaels (played by Will Ferrell) mentions her.
• In the musical Kimberly Akimbo, a character says, "Like you’re Oksana Baiul out there!"

Competitive Results

Oksana Baiul career performances.

Professional Career Results

See also

In Spanish: Oksana Bayul para niños

• List of Olympic medalists in figure skating