Maria Butyrskaya

Maria Butyrskaya
Personal information
Full name	Maria Viktorovna Butyrskaya
Country represented	Russia
Born	28 June 1972 (1972-06-28) Moscow
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Former coach	Elena Tchaikovskaya Vladimir Kotin
Medal record Competitor for Russia Ladies' Figure skating World Championships Bronze 2000 Nice Ladies' singles Gold 1999 Helsinki Ladies' singles Bronze 1998 Minneapolis Ladies' singles European Championships Gold 2002 Lausanne Ladies' singles Silver 2001 Bratislava Ladies' singles Silver 2000 Vienna Ladies' singles Gold 1999 Prague Ladies' singles Gold 1998 Milan Ladies' singles Bronze 1996 Sofia Ladies' singles Grand Prix Final Bronze 1999–00 Lyon Ladies' singles Silver 1998–99 St. Peters.. Ladies' singles Bronze 1997–98 Munich Ladies' singles

Maria Viktorovna Butyrskaya (Russian: Мария Викторовна Бутырская') (born 28 June 1972 in Moscow) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 1999 World champion, becoming the oldest woman to win that title and the first Russian woman to become a World champion. She is a three-time European champion and in 2002, at age 29, became the oldest woman to win that title. She is a six-time Russian national champion. She placed fourth at the 1998 Winter Olympics and sixth at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Career

Butyrskaya originally competed for the Soviet Union. After its dissolution, she began representing Russia.

As a teen, she was replaced by the Soviet Figure Skating Federation, and then lost coach after coach while struggling to finance her skating following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Her World Championship result in 1993 failed to qualify Russia for a spot in the 1994 Olympics. She came in 4th at the 1998 Olympics. Her persistence paid off when she defeated defending world champion Michelle Kwan at the 1999 World Championships. She received all first place ordinals in both the short and the long programs at the 1999 worlds, dominating the competition in an upset victory. She was never able to win a second world title, or an olympic medal, although she did win the short program at the 2000 Worlds, and captured her second bronze medal. She ended her amateur career at the 2002 World Championships, withdrawing from the competition after skating poorly in the qualifying round.

Butyrskaya was known for the beauty of her triple loop and true, outside-edge triple lutz. She was also known for a combination spin that involved clasping her arms and hands behind her back while transitioning to back camel, sit and scratch spins. She often participated in choreographing her programs and in designing her costumes. She often skated better in practice sessions than in competitive events, however, as she frequently succumbed to nervous tension when competing. In particular, Butyrskaya's car was blown up by the Russian mafia in December 1999, and speculation followed that the ensuing emotional distress caused her to lose the 1999 Russian Championships.

Besides the technical elements of figure skating, Butyrskaya won adulation for her artistry and ubridled femininity, which, especially toward the end of her professional career, was often in stark contrast to competitors half her age. She herself described her skating style as "a Woman on the ice". In 2000, the New York Times described her short program (Sarah Brightman's Scene d'Amour) as "flowing, lyrical skating...a performance of rare elegance and beauty."

Personal life

In 1998, Butyrskaya posed for the Russian edition of Playboy magazine. In summer 2006, she married a hockey player, Vadim Khomitski. As of 2010, he plays in Russia for Khimik's successor team Atlant Moscow Oblast. He is 10 years younger than her. [1] On 16 April 2007, Butyrskaya and Khomitski welcomed their first child, a son named Vladislav (Vlad for short.) At his birth, he weighed-in at 7.7 pounds and was 20 inches long. On 3 June 2009, their second child, a daughter, was born. After ending her career, Butyrskaya began coaching, working primarily with young skaters. She is based at the Olympic Reserve Skating School in Moscow.[2]

Results

Event	1990-91	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00	2000-01	2001-02
Winter Olympics								4th				6th
World Championships			29th			4th	5th	3rd	1st	3rd	4th	WD
European Championships			5th	4th	7th	3rd	4th	1st	1st	2nd	2nd	1st
Russian Championships			1st	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st	2nd	3rd	2nd
Soviet Championships		3rd
Grand Prix Final						7th	4th	3rd	2nd	3rd	4th	4th
Skate America							10th		1st
Skate Canada International			1st					2nd
Sparkassen Cup		7th		6th	8th	2nd				1st	1st	1st
Trophée Lalique					5th		2nd		1st	1st	1st	1st
NHK Trophy			5th			5th	1st	2nd		1st
Finlandia Trophy						4th	1st
Karl Schäfer Memorial					3rd
Nebelhorn Trophy	3rd	3rd
Piruetten				8th

References

• Sports-reference profile

External links

• Maria Butyrskaya at the International Skating Union
• Maria Butyrskaya: The Official Site