Sergei Grinkov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sergei Grinkov |
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A 1998 stamp commemorating Gordeeva and Grinkov
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| Native name | Сергей Михайлович Гриньков | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Sergei Mikhailovich Grinkov | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Russia |
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| Former country(ies) represented |  Soviet Union |
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| Born | 4 February 1967 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Died | 20 November 1995 (aged 28) Lake Placid, New York, U.S. |
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| Residence | Moscow, Russia Simsbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former partner | Ekaterina Gordeeva | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former coach |
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| Former choreographer |
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| Skating club |
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Medal record
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Sergei Mikhailovich Grinkov (born 4 February 1967 – died 20 November 1995) was a famous Russian pair skater. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Championships. He achieved these amazing wins with his wife, Ekaterina Gordeeva. They were one of the most successful pair skating teams in history.
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About Sergei Grinkov
Sergei Grinkov was born in Moscow, Russia. His parents were Anna Filipovna Grinkova and Mikhail Kondrateyevich Grinkov. He also had an older sister named Natalia.
Family Life
Sergei married his skating partner, Ekaterina Gordeeva, in April 1991. They had two wedding ceremonies. The first was a legal one on April 20, and the second was a religious one on April 28. This was because the Soviet Union did not recognize religious ceremonies at the time.
On September 11, 1992, Sergei and Ekaterina welcomed their daughter, Daria Sergeyevna Grinkova. She was born in Morristown, New Jersey, in the United States. After the 1994 Olympics, the family moved to Simsbury, Connecticut.
Daria started skating seriously when she was nine years old. She even performed with her mother in several skating shows. However, she later decided to stop competitive skating to explore other interests. She still enjoys skating with her mother for fun.
Sergei's father passed away in 1991 from heart disease. This was a sad time for Sergei and his family.
Skating Career
Sergei Grinkov began ice skating at the age of five. He joined the Children and Youth Sports School of CSKA in Moscow. Sergei was not a strong solo skater, so his coach decided to try him in pair skating.
Forming a Partnership
In August 1981, when Sergei was 14, he was paired with 11-year-old Ekaterina Gordeeva. Their coach, Vladimir Zaharov, brought them together at the Central Red Army Club in Moscow. This partnership would become legendary.
Major Wins
The pair quickly became successful. They won the 1985 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. The next year, they won their first of four World Figure Skating Championships. They won again in 1987.
In 1988, they won their first Olympic gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Sergei became one of the youngest male figure skating Olympic champions ever.
After a small mistake in 1988, where they won silver at the World Championships, they bounced back. They won the World Championship title again in 1989 and successfully defended it in 1990.
Professional Skating
In the fall of 1990, Sergei and Ekaterina decided to become professional skaters. They won their first World Professional Championship in 1991. They won this title two more times, in 1992 and 1994.
They were known for their amazing skills and rarely lost a competition. Out of 31 major competitions, they won 24 times. They were also one of the few pairs to successfully perform a quadruple twist lift in competition. This is a very difficult move where the man throws his partner high into the air, she twists four times, and he catches her.
Return to the Olympics
In 1994, a special rule change allowed professional skaters to return to the Olympics. Sergei and Ekaterina took this chance. They won their second gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. They were the only professional skaters to return and win gold.
After the Olympics, they went back to professional skating in the United States. They toured with a show called "Stars on Ice." They were the main stars of the show during the 1994–95 season. Their last competition was in January 1995 in Tokyo, Japan, where they won with perfect scores.
Sergei and Ekaterina were known for their smooth and quiet skating. Their blades seemed to whisper over the ice, not scratch it. Their last public performance together was on November 12, 1995, just days before Sergei's death.
Sergei's Death
On November 20, 1995, Sergei Grinkov sadly passed away. He collapsed during a practice session for the "Stars on Ice" tour in Lake Placid, New York. Doctors found that he had a severe heart attack.
Tests later showed that Sergei had very clogged heart arteries. He also had a genetic risk factor that can lead to early heart attacks. This risk factor is now sometimes called the "Grinkov Risk Factor." Sergei was only 28 years old when he died. His wife, Ekaterina, was 24, and their daughter, Daria, was just three.
Sergei Grinkov is buried in the Vagan'kovskoye Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.
Tributes and Legacy
After Sergei's death, his widow, Ekaterina Gordeeva, organized a special skating tribute called "Celebration of a Life." Many famous skaters took part in this show in February 1996.
Ekaterina also wrote a book about their life and partnership called My Sergei: A Love Story. This book was later made into a TV movie. Sergei was also the subject of a book for young readers called They Died Too Young: Sergei Grinkov.
Sergei Grinkov and Ekaterina Gordeeva are often remembered in the world of figure skating. Their beautiful and powerful skating continues to inspire many people.
See also
In Spanish: Serguéi Grinkov para niños
