Oleg Vasiliev (figure skater)
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Figure skating | ||
 |
1984 Sarajevo | Pairs |
 |
1988 Calgary | Pairs |
| Oleg Vasiliev | |
|---|---|
 Vasiliev (far left) in 2004. | |
| Born | November 22, 1959 Leningrad |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  Soviet Union/ Russia |
| Retired | 1988 |
Oleg Kimovich Vasiliev (Russian: Олег Кимович Васильев; born November 22, 1959) is a Russian pair skater who competed internationally for the Soviet Union. With partner Elena Valova, he is the 1984 Olympic Champion, 1988 Olympic silver medalist, and three-time World Champion (1983, 1985, 1988). Their coach throughout their career was Tamara Moskvina. After the pair ended their career, Vasiliev became a pair skating coach, leading the team of Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin to the 2006 Olympic title.
Biography
Vasiliev was born in Leningrad, Russia, to parents Ludmila Konstantinovna Vasilieva, a nurse, and Kim Mihailovich Vasiliev. He was a sickly child, and his doctor recommended he get exercise and fresh air. Thus he began skating at age five, and his health improved greatly.
As a single skater, Vasiliev won a Junior Nationals title. Later he became interested in pair skating. Coach Tamara Moskvina paired him with Elena Valova. Vasiliev was 18 years old, Valova just 15. He represented Armed Forces sports society.
Valova and Vasiliev enjoyed success throughout their career, winning gold at the 1984 Olympics and silver in 1988, as well as the 1983, 1985 and 1988 world championship titles. They competed in the amateur ranks from 1979 to 1988, and as professionals until 1998. They were the first Soviet skaters to skate in professional events after retiring from eligible competition. Oleg Vasiliev was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples.[1]
Valova and Vasiliev were married from 1984-1992. He later married a woman named Valentina and had a daughter, Katia (or Katenka in the familiar form), but they have since divorced.[2]
Vasiliev moved to the United States in December 1997 and currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. He coached the team of Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, 2006 Olympic and two-time World champions (2004, 2005), and the team of Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov (2008 European silver medalists), until the pair decided to split after the 2010 World championships.
Competitive highlights
| Event | 1979–80 | 1980–81 | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | 1983–84 | 1984–85 | 1985–86 | 1986–87 | 1987–88 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 1st | 2nd | |||||||
| World Championships | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | |||
| European Championships | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | ||||
| Soviet Championships | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | ||||||
| Skate America | 3rd | 1st | |||||||
| NHK Trophy | 1st | ||||||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 1st | ||||||||
| Prize of Moscow News | 6th | 3rd | 3rd | 1st |
Other events
- Coup des Alpes - 1st
- Grand Prix de Gervais - 2nd
- USSR National Championships - 5th
- World Professional Championships - 2nd
- World Challenge of Champions - 2nd
- World Professional Championships - 4th
- World Challenge of Champions - 5th
- World Professional Championships - 4th
- World Challenge of Champions - 4th
- US Open - 5th
- World Professional Championships - 4th
- World Challenge of Champions - 2nd
- Masters Miko - 3rd
- US Open - 2nd
- World Professional Championships - 3rd
- World Challenge of Champions - 3rd
- Canadian Professional Championships - 4th
- Legends - 2nd
- US Open - 5th
References
- ^ Panorama of the 1984 Sports Year (in Russian). Moscow: Fizkultura i sport. 1985. p. 37.
- ^ Язева, Елена (25 November 2009). "Я тренировал психически больного человека!" (in Russian). mk-piter.ru. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
External links
Navigation
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Russian pair skaters
- Soviet pair skaters
- Olympic figure skaters of the Soviet Union
- Figure skaters at the 1984 Winter Olympics
- Figure skaters at the 1988 Winter Olympics
- Russian figure skating coaches
- Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union
- Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union
- Sportspeople from Saint Petersburg
- Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples
- Olympic medalists in figure skating