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October 31, 2004

MAGIC ON THE ICE

by Sandra Cuiña
translated by ascurra1

Gordeeva & Grinkov made history when they won the olympic medal twice in the olympic games. However, they shared something more besides aspiring in sports, they lived through a great love story.

While training on the ice they met and on the ice they said 'goodbye' forever. It was the 20th of November, the year 1995, a day of entertainment like the others in Lake Placid, NY. No one could guess that it would be Katya's and Sergei's last moves together. They were executing a move- a double axel-, Sergei had an impulse to lift Katya, like so many times as he did before in their professional career, but something failed and he fell suddenly on the ice. Horrified, Katya took him in her arms with the hope that it was just a simple fall, but that instant when Katya took his hand, she realized that everything had come to an end. Her husband and her skating partner had just died, an attack of the heart took his life at 28 years of age. Katya was a widow at 22 years old, with a 3 year old daughter, the small Dasha, and her life stopped from having passion- the art of skating, and her only and grand love- her husband Sergei Grinkov.

While Ekaterina Gordeeva was dealing with what was happening, the sports world took notice of the terrible news: Sergei Grinkov, the twice- olympic champion, in the discipline of artistic skating in the category of pairs, had died of a heart attack. The best pair of all time, would never return to the ice. The Moonlight Sonata, from Beethoven, with what they won in the 2nd olympic games in 1994 in Lillahammer- has stayed in the minds of plenty admirers as the best program they ever saw, it was the most saddest November.

Grinkov & Gordeeva met on the ice at CSKA from Moscow, she (Katia) was four years old and he (Sergei) was eight. They entered as single skaters, however after years of preparing, they (the people from CSKA) thought that they (GG) could have some possibilities as a pair, it was then that they (GG) were working together. The results (from the skating competition) were not late in arriving, and in the year 1985 they won their first Junior World (competition). But there plan was like other athletes- the gold medal and in Calgary Canada, in 1988 they had their chance, and they did not turn it down, although the road to the gold (medal) they had to overcome some obstacles.

A few months before the olympics, Ekaterina suffered a serious accident while training with Sergei. While executing a lift, Katya fell and hit her head on the ice. As a result from the fall, Katya was in the hospital for 2 months and her 'Sheriosha'- as she called him affectionetly, went to visit her on a daily basis. Sergei felt guilty from letting Katya fall and he would not forgive himself. He stayed by the entrance (of the room) and little Katya reminded him that the Olympics were waiting for him, so he had to keep working while she was in the hospital. After that moment, Sergei changed and began to develop a small affection for his skating partner. Without knowing, he was falling in love, and thanks to the small lesson, they struggle to win their olympic dream, their heart were united for there after.

On the ice in Calgary they demonstated that they were the best- they were only 14 & 18 years of age, and they crowned themselves as the leaders of skating. With the music (Bella Durmiente- Sleeping Beauty) they rose to perfection and captivated the public, but few knew that the story had come to life.

After winnin the Olympics and various competitions around the world, Gordeeva & Grinkov retired from official competitions. They wanted to start a family, so they got married and they had a daughter, Daria. However, two years after they felt the need to compete again. In 1994 and for the first time in history, the olympic games was allowing professional skaters to compete. Lillhammer offered them an opportunity that they could not resist- being the first skating pair to win the Olympics twice. Although there were also other skaters there- Russians Arthur Dimitriev & Natalia Miskutianov, the judges in to the elegance and magic of Gordeeva & Grinkov.

One more time they had accomplished (winning the gold). They had arrived at the height of their career and they lived happily with their daughter. Perhaps, as Katia once said "everything was too perfec to be real". The dream was broken and although Gordeeva returned to the ice, she no longer returned as a pair skater.