The story of two time gold medallist, Ekaterina Gordeeva, is an example of strength, endurance, and hope. With a celebrated career in the world of pairs figure skating, she and Sergei Grinkov mesmerized audiences with their classic romantic style. Partners on and off of the ice, Gordeeva tragically became a widow and single mother at the age of 24. With courage and support from the skating community and fans, she returned to the ice to become an award-winning singles skater, Stars On Ice performer, and author of two books.
Gordeeva began skating with the Central Red Army Club in Moscow, Russia at the age of four, despite her father s hopes that she would dance with the Bolshoi Ballet Company. Showing a great skating talent, but lacking in jumps, a coach teamed her with 15-year-old Sergei Grinkov in 1982. Together, they were a love story on ice, winning the 1988 and 1994 Winter Olympics and four World Championships. A favorite of the Stars On Ice cast, they enjoyed a successful professional career as well.
Tragedy struck in 1995, when Grinkov died of a heart attack while rehearsing for the upcoming Stars On Ice season. Depressed and facing life alone as a single mother, her love of skating and her daughter provided the purposes to carry on. In 1996, when many friends and figure skating associates organized a tribute for Grinkov, Gordeeva shocked them by announcing that she would skate in the tribute. Choreographer Marina Zueva created a breathtaking program for Gordeeva to the music of Mahler. She returned to the ice skating alone for the first time in her husband s tribute, titled Sergei Grinkov: Celebration of a Life. Encouraged by the acceptance of her skating, she rejoined Stars On Ice and began touring with them as a singles skater.
A model for widows and single women starting over, Gordeeva wrote My Sergei: A Love Story, chronicling her life with Grinkov. The book was made into a television special in which Gordeeva starred in 1998. She followed up her writing success with the book A Letter For Daria in 1998. She became a spokesperson for Target Stores in 1997 and launched two fragrance lines, Katia and Katia Sport . In 1999, she joined Scott Hamilton, Amy Grant, and Tiger Woods, who participated in the opening of Target House in Memphis, Tennessee. Gordeeva dedicated Sergei s Garden at the house in memory of her late husband. She continues to be an inspiration to many, even outside the figure skating world.
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