Elena Valova

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Family name hatnote Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Elena Aleksandrovna Valova (Template:Langx; born 4 January 1963) is a Russian former pair skater who competed internationally for the Soviet Union. With her then-husband Oleg Vasiliev, she 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.

Personal life

Valova was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, to parents Alla Borisovna Valova and Aleksander Dmitrievich Valov. She graduated from the P.F. Lesgaft University of Sports. She and Vasiliev were married from 1984 to 1992.[1] Valova is now remarried to German Galusha and has a son, Roman, born in 1996. She moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1997 and currently lives in Moon Township.

Career

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1983-0325-025, Jelena Walowa, Oleg Wasslijew.jpg
Oleg Vasiliev and Valova in Karl-Marx-Stadt, 1983

Valova began training at age seven under Tatiana Mishina, Alexei Mishin, and Nina Monahova. As a pair skater, she was coached by Tamara Moskvina, who partnered her with Oleg Vasiliev.[2] The pair trained in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg).[3]

Valova/Vasiliev's breakthrough came in the 1982–83 season. They won bronze at the Prize of Moscow News, gold at the 1982 Skate America, and then silver at the 1983 European Championships. The pair concluded their season by winning their first World title. They missed the 1983 national championships due to Vasiliev's broken jaw.[3]

In 1984, Valova/Vasiliev won their first European title and then took gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. The deaths of several Soviet government officials, including one during the Olympics, cast a pall over the Soviet team and the athletes were told not to show too much joy.[3] The pair took silver at their final event of the season, the 1984 World Championships.

In 1985, the pair won gold at both the European and World Championships but 1986 saw the emergence of the young Moscow pair Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov. Although Valova/Vasiliev were awarded gold at the 1986 Europeans, they finished second to the Muscovites at both the 1986 and 1987 Worlds.

In their final amateur season, Valova/Vasiliev took silver at the 1988 Winter Olympics behind Gordeeva/Grinkov but then prevailed over the reigning Olympic champions at the 1988 World Championships. After winning their third World title, Valova/Vasiliev retired from ISU competition. After performing for a year in Igor Bobrin's ice theatre, they signed a U.S. contract – the first Soviets to do so without losing their citizenship.[3] The pair performed together in various shows and events until the end of 1997.[2][3]

Valova was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1984).[4] She represented VSS Trud.

She currently teaches skating at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center. She coached Kylie Gleason / Taylor Toth, who were the 2002 U.S. champions in juvenile pairs and the 2003 U.S. champions in intermediate pairs.

Programs

(with Vasiliev)

1979–1988

Season Short program[5][6] Free skating[5][6] Exhibition[5][6]
1987–1988
  • Stampede soundtrack

  • Romance
    (from The Blizzard)
    by Georgy Sviridov
1986–1987 Georgian folk:

  • Romance
    (from The Blizzard)
    by Georgy Sviridov
1985–1986
  • Romance
    (from The Blizzard)
    by Georgy Sviridov
1984–1985
1983–1984
  • Baba-Yaga
    (from Pictures at an Exhibition)
    by Modest Mussorgsky

1982–1983
  • Sibaney
  • Solveig's Song
    by Edvard Grieg

  • Circus
1981–1982
1980–1981
  • Scheherazade
    by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

1979–1980
  • Demon

1989–1997

Programs [5][6]



  • The Story of My Life
    by Michael Crawford








Results

Amateur career with Vasiliev

International[1][7]
Event <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />79–80Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 80–81 81–82 82–83 83–84 84–85 85–86 86–87 87–88
Winter Olympics 1st 2nd
World Champ. 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 1st
European Champ. 2nd 1st 1st 1st 2nd
Skate America 3rd 1st
NHK Trophy 1st
Nebelhorn Trophy 1st
Moscow News 6th 3rd 3rd 1st 2nd
St. Gervais 2nd
National[8][9]
Soviet Champ. 3rd 2nd 1st

Professional career with Vasiliev

Event <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />89–90Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 90–91 91–92 92–93 93–94 94–95 97–98
World Professional Champ. 2nd 4th 4th 4th 3rd
World Challenge of Champions 2nd 5th 4th 2nd 3rd
US Open 5th 2nd 5th
Masters Miko 3rd
Canadian Professional Champ. 4th
Legends 2nd

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

External links

Template:Sister-inline

Template:NavigationOlympicChampionsFigureSkatingPairs Template:NavigationWorldChampionsFigureSkatingPairs Template:NavigationEuropeanChampionsFigureSkatingPairs Template:NavigationSkateAmericaChampionsFigureSkatingPairs Template:NavigationNHKTrophyChampionsFigureSkatingPairs Template:NavigationSovietChampionsFigureSkatingPairs