Oksana Grishuk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oksana Grishuk
Grishuk and Platov at the 1994 European Championships
Personal information
Full name	Oksana Vladimirovna Grishuk
Alternative names	Oksana Grishuk/Grishuk Pasha Grishuk
Former country(ies) represented	Russia  Soviet Union
Born	(1972-03-17) 17 March 1972 (age 53) Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Odesa, Ukraine)
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Former partner	Evgeni Platov Alexandr Chichkov
Former coach	Natalia Linichuk Gennadi Karponosov Natalia Dubova
Skating club	Sportsclub Dinamo
Retired	March 1998
Medal record Figure skating: Ice dancing Representing  Russia Winter Olympics Gold 1998 Nagano Ice dancing Gold 1994 Lillehammer Ice dancing World Championships Gold 1997 Lausanne Ice dancing Gold 1996 Edmonton Ice dancing Gold 1995 Birmingham Ice dancing Gold 1994 Chiba Ice dancing Silver 1993 Prague Ice dancing European Championships Gold 1998 Milan Ice dancing Gold 1997 Paris Ice dancing Gold 1996 Sofia Ice dancing Silver 1994 Copenhagen Ice dancing Silver 1993 Helsinki Ice dancing Grand Prix Final Gold 1997–98 Munich Ice dancing Gold 1995–96 Paris Ice dancing Representing  CIS ( Unified Team) World Championships Bronze 1992 Oakland Ice dancing European Championships Bronze 1992 Lausanne Ice dancing Representing  Soviet Union World Junior Championships Gold 1988 Brisbane Ice dancing Silver 1987 Kitchener Ice dancing

Oksana (Pasha) Vladimirovna Grishuk (born March 17, 1972) is a famous Russian former ice dancer. She is best known for her amazing partnership with Evgeni Platov from 1989 to 1998. Together, they made history by winning two Olympic gold medals in 1994 and 1998. They also won four World Championships (from 1994 to 1997) and three European Championships (from 1996 to 1998). Before teaming up with Platov, Oksana won the 1988 World Junior Championship with her partner Alexandr Chichkov.

About Oksana Grishuk

Oksana Grishuk was born in Odessa, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time. Her family moved to Moscow in 1980 when she was young. Oksana studied at the Sport University of Moscow for four years. Later, she moved to the United States, living in Delaware and Massachusetts, and now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her daughter, Skyler Marie Grace Grishuk.

Oksana's Skating Journey

Oksana started skating when she was just four years old. When she moved to Moscow, it was hard to find a club that would accept her, but she eventually found a coach. At age 12, she began training with Natalia Linichuk.

Early Career with Alexandr Chichkov

Oksana first competed for the Soviet Union with her partner Alexandr Chichkov.

• In 1987, they won a silver medal at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
• The next year, 1988, they won gold at the same event and also became Soviet Champions.
• They competed for one more season, winning a bronze medal at the Grand Prix International de Paris.

Chichkov retired in 1989 because of an injury.

Partnership with Evgeni Platov

After Chichkov retired, Oksana was invited to join Natalia Dubova's group. There, she became partners with Evgeni Platov. They trained together in Moscow.

• Just three months later, in December 1989, they won a bronze medal at the Soviet Championships.
• They placed fifth in their first World Championship in 1990.
• Their first European and World medals, both bronze, came in 1992.

In 1992, Oksana left the group and briefly looked for a new partner. Platov decided to rejoin Oksana, and they began training with her previous coach, Natalia Linichuk.

Olympic and World Success

Oksana and Platov quickly became very successful.

• In the 1992–93 season, they won silver medals at both the European and World Championships.
• In 1993–94, they won silver at the European Championships.
• They won their first Olympic gold medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
• They finished that season by winning their first World Championship title in 1994.

After these big wins, they moved from Russia to Newark, Delaware, in the United States to improve their training.

• They missed most of the 1994–95 season due to an injury but came back to win the 1995 World Championships.
• In 1995–96, they had a full season and won more European and World titles.

Changing Coaches and More Gold

In 1996, Oksana and Platov changed coaches again, moving to Tatiana Tarasova in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

• An injury kept them from competing in the first half of the 1996–97 season.
• But they returned to win their second European title and their fourth World title.
• In September 1997, Oksana briefly changed her first name to Pasha to avoid being confused with another skater, Oksana Baiul, but later went back to Oksana.

In the 1997–98 season, Oksana and Platov performed their free skating program to "Memorial Requiem." They dedicated this performance to the people of Sarajevo.

• They won their third European Championships in 1998.
• At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, they made history. They became the first ice dancers ever to win two Olympic gold medals!

Breaking Records and Retirement

Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov won 20 competitions in a row from 1994 to 1998. They were even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998 for their two Olympic gold medals. Their skating was known for its speed, difficult moves, and how well they performed different dance styles.

Platov once said about their partnership: "It's like being a husband and a wife. Sometimes, you fight. Sometimes, you walk away and calm down. I met her a long time ago, and I still remember her as a little girl on the ice. She was so little. So active. Usually, little girls are boring. But that girl. Oh, there was a fire on ice."

Oksana and Platov retired from competitive skating after the 1998 Olympics. They skated together in shows until the summer of 1998. After that, Platov partnered with Maya Usova. Oksana then teamed up with Alexander Zhulin for about a year. She also performed as a solo skater and with partners in shows like Cinderella and Nutcracker.

Awards and Later Activities

• In 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin gave Oksana a government medal of Friendship for her great achievements in sports.
• In 1998, Yeltsin gave her another government medal, the medal of Labor, also for her top sports achievements.

In 2006, Oksana was a judge on a TV show called Skating's Next Star. She also won a Russian celebrity skating show called Dance on Ice in Moscow in 2006 and placed third in 2007. In February 2008, Oksana and Platov reunited in Nagano, Japan, to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of their 1998 Olympic gold medal win. Today, Oksana coaches figure skating at the KHS Arena in Anaheim, California.

Skating Programs

With Platov

With Zhulin

Competition Results

With Platov

With Chichkov

See also

In Spanish: Oksana Grishuk para niños