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Maya Usova

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Maya Usova
Usova/Zhulin at a 1989 exhibition in West Berlin.
Full nameMaya Valentinovna Usova
Other namesMaia Usova
Born (1964-05-22) 22 May 1964 (age 60)
Gorky, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Figure skating career
CountryRussia
Skating clubProfsoyuz Moskva / Sportsclub Moskva
Retired1994
Medal record
Figure skating
Ice dancing
Representing  Russia
Winter Olympics
Silver medal – second place 1994 Lillehammer Ice dancing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1993 Prague Ice dancing
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Copenhagen Ice dancing
Gold medal – first place 1993 Helsinki Ice dancing
Representing  Unified Team and  CIS
Winter Olympics
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Albertville Ice dancing
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1992 Oakland Ice dancing
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1992 Lausanne Ice dancing
Representing  Soviet Union
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Munich Ice dancing
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Halifax Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 1989 Paris Ice dancing
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Sofia Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 1990 Leningrad Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 1989 Birmingham Ice dancing

Maya Valentinovna Usova (Russian: Майя Валентиновна Усова, born 22 May 1964) is a Russian former ice dancer. With Alexander Zhulin, she is a two-time Olympic medalist (1994 silver, 1992 bronze), the 1993 World champion, and the 1993 European champion. They also won gold medals at Skate America, NHK Trophy, Nations Cup, and Winter Universiade. They represented the Soviet Union, the Unified Team, and Russia.

Career

Maya Usova initially competed with Alexei Batalov. At the age of nine, she moved from Gorky to Moscow to train with coach Natalia Dubova.[2] Dubova paired her with Alexander Zhulin in 1980. In 1988, they made their first appearance at the European Championships, placing fourth. The next season, they won silver at the 1989 European Championships in Birmingham, England and silver in their World Championships debut, in Paris. The next two seasons, they took bronze at Worlds.

In the 1991–92 season, Usova/Zhulin won silver at the 1992 European Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland and then captured their first Olympic medal, bronze, at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Usova/Zhulin ended their season with silver at the 1992 World Championships in Oakland, California. They moved with Dubova from Moscow to Lake Placid, New York in September 1992.[1][3]

In the 1992–93 season, Usova/Zhulin won the 1993 European Championships in Helsinki and the 1993 World Championships in Prague. The next season, they were third at the 1994 European Championships in Copenhagen, behind Jayne Torvill / Christopher Dean and Oksana Grishuk / Evgeni Platov. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, they won the silver medal behind Grishuk/Platov.

Usova/Zhulin skated together professionally from 1994 to 1997. They toured with Champions on Ice and won the World Professional Championships. From 1998 to 2000, Usova performed with former rival, Evgeni Platov.

From 2002 to 2004, Usova was an assistant coach to Tatiana Tarasova and Platov, working with Galit Chait / Sergei Sakhnovsky and Shizuka Arakawa. She has coached at the Igloo in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey and Odintsovo, near Moscow. She is an International Technical Specialist for Russia.[4]

Personal life

Usova and Zhulin were married in 1986[3] but later divorced.[5] She is remarried to a Russian professor in medicine, Anatoly Orletsky.[6] In 2010, she gave birth to their daughter, Anastasia.

Off the ice, she has appeared in several Marlboro advertisements in Russia.

Programs

With Zhulin

Usova/Zhulin in 1994
Usova/Zhulin in 1989
Season Original dance Free dance[7] Exhibition[8]
1993–1994
  • A Day In The Life Of A Fool
1992–1993
  • Ausencias
  • Autumn Leaves
1991–1992
  • A Paris
1990–1991
  • Autumn Leaves
1989–1990
1988–1989
  • A Paris
1987–1988
  • Indian Temple dance
Post-1994[8]
  • La Belle Dame Sans Regret
    by Sting
  • L'Oiseau (from Cirque du Soleil)
  • The Hunchback
  • Blues For Klook

With Platov

Season Programs[7][8][9]
2000–2001
1999–2000
  • Copa de la Vida
  • Historia de un Amor
1998–1999
  • When You Came Into My Life

Results

Amateur career

With Zhulin for the Soviet Union (URS), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Unified Team at the Olympics (EUN), and Russia (RUS):

International
Event 1982–83
(URS) 		1983–84
(URS) 		1984–85
(URS) 		1985–86
(URS) 		1986–87
(URS) 		1987–88
(URS) 		1988–89
(URS) 		1989–90
(URS) 		1990–91
(URS) 		1991–92
(CIS, EUN) 		1992–93
(RUS) 		1993–94
(RUS)
Olympics 3rd 2nd
Worlds 2nd 3rd 3rd 2nd 1st
Europeans 4th 2nd 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 3rd
Skate America 1st 1st
Nations Cup 1st
NHK Trophy 2nd 1st 1st 1st
Moscow News 6th 4th 3rd 2nd
Goodwill Games 2nd
Nebelhorn 1st
St. Gervais 1st
St. Ivel / Electric 1st 1st
Universiade 1st 2nd
National
Soviet Champ. 2nd 5th 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 2nd 1st
Spartakiada 1st
USSR Cup 3rd

Post-eligible career

Event 1994–95 1998–99
World Professional Champ. 1st 1st

References

  1. ^ a b Reiter, Susan (1995-03-01). "Ice dancing: a dance form frozen in place by hostile rules". Dance Magazine. The Free Library. (FindArticles)
  2. ^ Harvey, Randy (February 22, 1994). "'94 WINTER LILLEHAMMER OLYMPICS : Torvill and Dean Must Face Music as Russians Win : Ice dancing: British routine doesn't go over with judges. Gritschuk and Platov get gold". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Hersh, Phil (February 22, 1994). "Love Triangle (plus 1) Tops Torvill And Dean". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  4. ^ "ISU Communication No. 1467". International Skating Union.
  5. ^ Sports-reference: Maiya Usova
  6. ^ Vaytsekhovskaya, Elena (2009-01-24). Майя Усова: "Тем, кто не уехал, надо ставить памятники". Sport Express (in Russian). {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |trans_title= (help) (Translation - Maya Usova: “Those who remained are real heroes”)
  7. ^ a b Skate Music List
  8. ^ a b c World Professional Figure Skating Championships – Landover, MD
  9. ^ Japan Open

Media related to Maya Usova at Wikimedia Commons

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