 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tatiana Andreyеvna Volosozhar |
| Born | (1986-05-22)22 May 1986 (age 39) |
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  Russia |
| Partner | Maxim Trankov |
| Coach | Nina Mozer,Stanislav Morozov |
| Skating club | Vorobyovy Gory |
| Began skating | 1991 |
Medal record | |
Tatiana Andreyеvna Volosozhar (Russian:Татьяна Андреевна Волосожар,Ukrainian:Тетяна Андріївна Волосожар; born 22 May 1986) is a Ukrainian-born Russianpair skater. WithMaxim Trankov, she is the two-time2014 Olympic champion in the pairs and in team events, the2013 World champion, a four-time (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016)European champion, the 2012Grand Prix Final champion, and a three-time (2011, 2013 and 2016)Russian national champion. They have also won six events on the Grand Prix series.
Volosozhar competed forUkraine withPetr Kharchenko in 2000–04 and withStanislav Morozov in 2004–10. She and Morozov are four-timeUkrainian national champions (2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010) and finished as high as fourth at the World Championships. In December 2010 she was granted expedited Russian citizenship, as both her parents are Russian.
Volosozhar and Trankov are the historicWorld record holders for theshort program, before the scoring change in the 2018–19 season. They are the first figure skaters to win two gold medals at the same Olympics, having taken gold in pairs and in the inaugural team event.
Volosozhar began skating at the age of four.[1] The instructors at her skating class were initially dismissive, saying she was overweight, but gave her three months and eventually agreed to keep her.[1] At age 14, she switched fromsingles topairs, to her father's dismay.[1][2]
As a junior, Volosozhar skated for four years withPetr Kharchenko.[1] They trained inDnipropetrovsk in very poor conditions until they were able to move toKyiv in 2003; Volosozhar was accompanied by her mother.[3] Their coach in Kyiv wasGalina Kukhar. The pair won several medals on the Junior Grand Prix circuit and were the Ukrainian national champions in 2004. That same season, they finished fifth atJunior Worlds and 14th atsenior Worlds. They split at the end of the 2003–04 season.
Volosozhar andStanislav Morozov teamed up prior to the 2004–05 season and were coached by Galina Kukhar.[4] In their first season together, they were silver medalists at theWinter Universiade and finished fifth at theEuropean Championships. Volosozhar/Morozov began the 2005–06 season with a win at the2005 Karl Schäfer Memorial and placed 12th at the2006 Winter Olympics. In 2006–07, the pair finished fifth again at theEuropean Championships and fourth at theWorld Championships.
During the 2007–08 season, Volosozhar/Morozov came close to winning a medal at theEuropean Championships but placed ninth at theWorld Championships. At the end of the season, the pair changed coaches and began working withIngo Steuer inChemnitz, Germany. Conditions in Ukraine had steadily deteriorated until there was only one good rink, although Morozov said reaching it was not simple, "You can't get to the entrance; you need to jump over holes, it's like a precipice."[5] After moving to train in Chemnitz, they won their first Grand Prix medals—silver at the2008 Cup of China and bronze at the2008 Cup of Russia—and qualified for the2008–09 Grand Prix Final, where they placed fourth. They also placed fourth at the2009 European Championships and were sixth at the2009 World Championships.
In the 2009–10 season, Volosozhar/Morozov won a bronze medal at the2009 Cup of China and silver at the2009 Skate America. They again placed fourth at theEuropean Championships and then came in eighth at the2010 Winter Olympics. Morozov retired from competition before the2010 World Championships.[6] The pair performed in shows together in the spring of 2010.[5]
Volosozhar decided to continue her competitive career.[6] In March 2010, rumors emerged that she might team up withMaxim Trankov.[7] Trankov later said that he had been interested in skating with Volosozhar since 2006.[6]
The head of the Ukrainian trainers' council admitted there were no partners for her in the country who could compete at a high level,[8] and on 14 May 2010, it was reported that Ukraine would not interfere with her decision to compete for Russia.[9] Russian coachLudmila Velikova confirmed that Russia had attempted years earlier to persuade Volosozhar to skate under its colors, however, the Ukrainian skating federation believed she would be successful with Stanislav Morozov.[9]
Volosozhar left her previous training base in Germany to train in Moscow,[10] beginning training with Trankov the week of 17 May.[9] They are coached by Nina Mozer.[11][12] Stanislav Morozov is their assistant coach, helping them with their elements.[13] Igor Tchinaev was their short program choreographer, withNikolai Morozov choreographing the long program.[6][10] Nikolai Morozov also worked with them on their stroking to reduce energy loss.[3] The pair had some differences in technique—Volosozhar had to change pace on the entry to the twist as well as adapt to a different hold during throw jumps, while Trankov had to adjust his jumps to match his new partner.[14]
Volosozhar/Trankov initially performed in domestic Russian cup events and other tests.[11] In late December 2010, they won gold at the2011 Russian Championships,[15][16] defeatingYuko Kavaguti /Alexander Smirnov, the reigning national champions and World bronze medalists.
Per ISU regulations, Volosozhar was barred from international competition for one year from her last event representing Ukraine, the2010 Winter Olympics.[10][17] As a result, the pair missed much of the2010–11 season, including theGrand Prix series and theEuropean Championships. She became eligible for international competition on 16 February 2011, in time for the Mont Blanc Trophy, where the pair competed to meet the ISU's minimum technical score requirements for theWorld Championships.[18] They did so easily and won the event by a sizable margin.[19] The pair decided to fly in early for the World Championships and landed in Tokyo three hours before theearthquake.[citation needed] The event was rescheduled and moved to Moscow.
At the2011 World Championships, Volosozhar/Trankov placed third in the short program,[20] second in the free skate, and won the silver medal behind 2009 championsAliona Savchenko /Robin Szolkowy and ahead of the defending champions,Qing Pang /Jian Tong.[21] It was the first World medal for both partners. The pair are one of few in modern times to reach the World podium in their first season together and in their first appearance at a major international event. Media coverage of the event noted their fast development and their potential for the future.[22][23] Volosozhar said, "We didn't even think about the silver medal (before Worlds). We thought, maybe we can get the bronze. The result was completely unexpected for us. The most impressive moment of the championships was how enthusiastic the spectators were even before our short program, and I'll never forget how they gave us a standing ovation after the free program."[2][10]
During the off-season, Volosozhar/Trankov performed in shows and prepared for the new season in Novogorsk, as well as a few weeks inNew Jersey.[10][24] In the summer, Trankov sustained a shoulder injury while skating on unsharpened blades since no one with the expertise was available at the time; As a result, they stopped working on lifts for a while.[25]
Volosozhar/Trankov began the2011–12 season with wins at their two September competitions, the2011 Nebelhorn Trophy and the2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial. Trankov partly tore a groin tendon at the Nepela Memorial.[25] On theGrand Prix series, the pair wonSkate Canada with a combined score of 201.38 points and then won the2011 Trophée Eric Bompard to qualify for theGrand Prix Final.[26] Trankov's inguinal rings (groin) injury caused them to change a pair spin at the Grand Prix Final.[27] Volosozhar/Trankov were the leaders after the short program but placed second to Savchenko/Szolkowy in the free skate and were awarded the silver medal – only 0.18 of a point separating the two teams at the end of the competition. At the post-event press conference, they said they would missRussian Nationals to recover fully from their injuries.[25][28]
At the2012 European Championships, Volosozhar/Trankov placed first in both programs and won their first European title.[29] They were eighth in the short program at the2012 World Championships in Nice, France, after both fell on adeath spiral.[30] Trankov commented on the ice quality, saying "It is soft in some places, brittle in others. I guess it is ok if you skate right after ice resurfacing, but if you are the last one to skate in the second group, it is quite another story."[31] Volosozhar/Trankov rebounded to place first in the free skate with a new personal best score of 140.90 in the segment.[32] With a total score 0.11 points less than Savchenko/Szolkowy, they won their second World silver medal and received a small gold medal for the free skate.
In preparation for the2012–13 season, the pair spent nearly three months in the U.S. in the summer of 2012 and then spent some time training in Italy.[33] Volosozhar/Trankov won both of their Grand Prix assignments, the2012 Skate America and the2012 Cup of Russia, and qualified for the2012–13 Grand Prix Final inSochi, Russia. At the Final, they were first in the short program, second in the long program, and won the gold medal ahead of Russian teammatesVera Bazarova /Yuri Larionov. Volosozhar/Trankov then won their second national title, at the2013 Russian Championships.
Trankov's father died of a sudden heart attack on 20 January 2013, a few days before the2013 European Championships; an official confirmed the pair would compete at the event.[34] They placed first in both programs and won the gold medal with a total score of 212.45—more than seven points ahead of silver medalistsAliona Savchenko /Robin Szolkowy. At the post-event press conference, Volosozhar said, "It is difficult to raise the mood at this time, but I am glad we made the decision to compete here."[35] Volosozhar/Trankov spent some time training inWest Orange, New Jersey just prior to the2013 World Championships inLondon, Ontario.[36] In March, the pair won their first World title, placing first in both programs and finishing 20.15 points overall ahead of Savchenko/Szolkowy. They set a new pairs' world record in the free skate and combined score (225.71 points) and became Russia's first pairs gold medalists since 2005 whenTotmianina/Marinin won the World title. At their first team event, the2013 World Team Trophy, Volosozhar/Trankov placed first in pairs and Team Russia finished fourth overall.
Volosozhar/Trankov trained in Moscow,Sochi,West Orange, New Jersey, and Italy in preparation for the 2013–14 season and planned to perform in a reduced number of shows.[36][37] The pair started their season with gold at the2013 Nebelhorn Trophy, breaking their own world record scores and scoring a total of 231.96 points. They also won gold at their twoGrand Prix events, the2013 Skate America and2013 NHK Trophy. At Skate America, Volosozhar/Trankov broke theirworld records again—posting scores of 83.05 (SP), 154.66 (FS), and 237.71 (total)—while at the NHK Trophy they obtained a total of 236.49 points. Having qualified for their thirdGrand Prix Final, they were second to Savchenko/Szolkowy inFukuoka, Japan, and then took the gold medal at the2014 European Championships inBudapest, Hungary.
Volosozhar/Trankov were sent to the2014 Winter Olympics inSochi and assigned to the short program in the inaugural team event. The pair placed first in their segment and Team Russia went on to win the gold medal. Volosozhar/Trankov broke theirworld record again in the pairs skate, posting a score of 84.17 to come in first in the short program and placed first in the free skate with an overall score of 236.86 points, winning the gold medal by more than 18.18 points from silver medalists, teammatesKsenia Stolbova andFedor Klimov. Volosozhar/Trankov received theOrder "For Merit to the Fatherland" 4th class with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin handing the state awards.[38]
For the 2014–2015 Grand Prix season, Volosozhar and Trankov were assigned toSkate America andRostelecom Cup.[39] However, the pair ultimately decided to withdraw due to Trankov's shoulder injury that will require a surgery. They decided to sit out the whole season for Trankov's surgery rehabilitation.[40]
For the 2015–2016 Grand Prix season, after sitting out the previous season, Volosozhar and Trankov returned to competition at the2015 Nebelhorn Trophy where they won the gold medal with a score of 202.79 points. They were assigned to the2015 Trophée Éric Bompard and the2015 NHK Trophy as their Grand Prix events. Volosozhar and Trankov were first in the short program at the Trophee Eric Bompard, a result that became final after the second day of the competition was cancelled in the wake of theNovember 2015 Paris attacks.[41] They withdrew from the NHK Trophy after she suffered an injury in practice.[42] Recovering from her injury, Volosozhar and Trankov decided to compete at the2016 Russian Championships scheduled on 24–27 December inEkaterinburg, Russia. They placed first in both the short program and free skate to win their third national title.
On 27–31 January, Volosozhar and Trankov competed at the2016 European Championships inBratislava, Slovakia,took their fourth European title with a total of 222.66 points, outclassing the second-place finishers, GermansAliona Savchenko and her new pairs partnerBruno Massot, by more than 22 points.[43][44]
Volosozhar and Trankov decided to skip the season, and announced they were expecting a baby.[45]
She appeared in the seventh season of ice show contestIce Age.
Volosozhar was born inDnipropetrovsk,Ukrainian SSR, to parents of Russian origin – her mother was born inKaliningrad and her father inNizhny Tagil.[46] Her father is in the army and she also has a sister.[3] Her first language is Russian and she also understandsUkrainian very well, although she does not speak it perfectly.[46] Volosozhar was eligible for expedited Russian citizenship,[47] which she received in December 2010.[46] Volosozhar also communicates in English. In February 2015, it was publicly announced that she and her skating partner, Maxim Trankov became engaged.[48] They got married on 18 August 2015.[49] On 23 September 2016, Volosozhar confirmed that she and Trankov were expecting their first child, a daughter, due February 2017. On 16 February 2017, Tatiana gave birth to their daughter, Angelica Maximovna Volosozhar-Trankova. On 27 January 2021, Volosozhar confirmed that she and Trankov were expecting their second child, a son, due end of May/early June 2021.[50] On 27 May 2021, Tatiana gave birth to their son, Fedor ('Theodore Maximovich').[51][52]
| Combined total records[53] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Score | Event | Note |
| 20 October 2013 | 237.71 | 2013 Skate America | The record was broken byAliona Savchenko /Bruno Massot on 22 March 2018. |
| 27 September 2013 | 231.96 | 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy | They became the first pair to score above 230 points. |
| 15 March 2013 | 225.71 | 2013 World Championships | They became the first pair to score above 220 points. |
| Short program records[54] | |||
| Date | Score | Event | Note |
| 11 February 2014 | 84.17 | 2014 Winter Olympics | Standing world record score until the GOE system were changed on 1 July 2018. |
| 17 January 2014 | 83.98 | 2014 European Championships | |
| 19 October 2013 | 83.05 | 2013 Skate America | |
| 26 September 2013 | 81.65 | 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy | They became the first pair to score above 80 points inSP. |
| Free skating records[55] | |||
| Date | Score | Event | Note |
| 20 October 2013 | 154.66 | 2013 Skate America | The record was broken bySui Wenjing /Han Cong on 11 November 2017. |
| 27 September 2013 | 150.31 | 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy | They became the first pair to score above 150 points inFS. |
| 15 March 2013 | 149.87 | 2013 World Championships | |
.jpg)
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2010 [65] |
| ||
| 2008–2009 [66] | |||
| 2007–2008 [67] | |||
| 2006–2007 [68] | |||
| 2005–2006 [69] | |||
| 2004–2005 [70] |
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–2004 [71] |
| |
| 2002–2003 [72] |
| |
| 2001–2002 [73] |
|
|
| Results[74] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | |||||||
| Event | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 |
| Olympics | 1st | ||||||
| Worlds | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 6th | |||
| Europeans | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||
| Grand Prix Final | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | ||||
| GPBompard | 1st | 1st[75] | |||||
| GPCup of China | WD | ||||||
| GPNHK Trophy | 1st | WD | |||||
| GPRostelecom | 1st | ||||||
| GPSkate America | 1st | 1st | WD | ||||
| GPSkate Canada | 1st | ||||||
| Nebelhorn | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||
| Ondrej Nepela | 1st | ||||||
| Mont Blanc | 1st | ||||||
| National | |||||||
| Russian Champ. | 1st | 1st | 1st | WD | |||
| Team events | |||||||
| Olympics | 1st T 1st P | ||||||
| World Team | 4th T 1st P | ||||||
| GP = Grand Prix T = Team result; P = Personal result; Medals awarded for team result only. | |||||||
| Results[76] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | ||||||
| Event | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 |
| Olympics | 12th | 8th | ||||
| Worlds | 10th | 10th | 4th | 9th | 6th | |
| Europeans | 5th | 5th | 4th | 4th | 4th | |
| Grand Prix Final | 4th | |||||
| GPBompard | 5th | |||||
| GPCup of China | 2nd | 3rd | ||||
| GPCup of Russia | 5th | 3rd | ||||
| GPNHK Trophy | 4th | |||||
| GPSkate America | 2nd | |||||
| Karl Schäfer | 1st | |||||
| Nebelhorn | 3rd | 2nd | ||||
| Universiade | 2nd | 2nd | ||||
| National | ||||||
| Ukrainian Champ. | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| GP = Grand Prix | ||||||
| Results[71][72][73] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | ||||
| Event | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 |
| Worlds | 17th | 14th | ||
| Europeans | 7th | WD | ||
| GPCup of China | 7th | |||
| GPCup of Russia | 9th | |||
| GPNHK Trophy | 6th | |||
| International: Junior | ||||
| Junior Worlds | 13th | 10th | 7th | 5th |
| JGP Final | 7th | 4th | ||
| JGP Bulgaria | 2nd | |||
| JGP Czech Rep. | 3rd | 2nd | ||
| JGP Germany | 4th | |||
| JGP Italy | 4th | |||
| JGP Poland | 2nd | |||
| National | ||||
| Ukrainian Champ. | 4th | 1st J. | 2nd | 1st |
| GP = Grand Prix; JGP = Junior Grand Prix | ||||
(Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships – Worlds, Europeans, and Junior Worlds. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.)
| 2015–16 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 March – 3 April 2016 | 2016 World Championships | 3 77.13 | 7 128.68 | 6 205.81 |
| 26–31 January 2016 | 2016 European Championships | 1 79.77 | 1 142.89 | 1 222.66 |
| 23–27 December 2015 | 2016 Russian Championships | 1 83.65 | 1 145.31 | 1 228.96 |
| 13–15 November 2015 | 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard | 1 74.50 | cancelled | 1 74.50 |
| 24–26 September 2015 | 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 64.87 | 1 137.92 | 1 202.79 |
| 2013–14 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 6–22 February 2014 | 2014 Winter Olympics | 1 84.17 | 1 152.69 | 1 236.86 |
| 6–22 February 2014 | 2014 Winter Olympics (Team Event) | 1 83.79 | 1 | |
| 15–19 January 2014 | 2014 European Championships | 1 83.98 | 2 136.40 | 1 220.38 |
| 5–8 December 2013 | 2013–14 Grand Prix Final | 1 82.65 | 2 141.18 | 2 223.83 |
| 8–10 November 2013 | 2013 NHK Trophy | 1 82.03 | 1 154.46 | 1 236.49 |
| 18–20 October 2013 | 2013 Skate America | 1 83.05 | 1 154.66 | 1 237.71 |
| 26–28 September 2013 | 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 81.65 | 1 150.31 | 1 231.96 |
| 2012–2013 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 11–14 April 2013 | 2013 World Team Trophy | 1 74.41 | 1 136.06 | 4T/1P 210.47 |
| 13–15 March 2013 | 2013 World Championships | 1 75.84 | 1 149.87 | 1 225.71 |
| 23–27 January 2013 | 2013 European Championships | 1 73.23 | 1 139.22 | 1 212.45 |
| 25–28 December 2012 | 2013 Russian Championships | 1 78.69 | 1 150.23 | 1 228.92 |
| 6–9 December 2012 | 2012–13 Grand Prix Final | 1 73.46 | 2 131.09 | 1 204.55 |
| 9–11 November 2012 | 2012 Rostelecom Cup | 1 74.74 | 1 132.79 | 1 207.53 |
| 19–20 October 2012 | 2012 Skate America | 1 65.78 | 1 129.29 | 1 195.07 |
| 27–29 September 2012 | 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 65.24 | 1 131.31 | 1 196.55 |
| 2011–2012 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 26 March – 1 April 2012 | 2012 World Championships | 8 60.48 | 1 140.90 | 2 201.38 |
| 23–29 January 2012 | 2012 Europeans Championships | 1 72.80 | 1 137.65 | 1 210.45 |
| 8–11 December 2011 | 2011–12 Grand Prix Final | 1 71.57 | 2 140.51 | 2 212.08 |
| 18–20 November 2011 | 2011 Trophée Eric Bompard | 1 63.69 | 1 130.44 | 1 194.13 |
| 27–30 October 2011 | 2011 Skate Canada | 1 70.42 | 1 130.96 | 1 201.38 |
| 28 September – 2 October 2011 | 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 66.48 | 1 123.67 | 1 190.15 |
| 21–24 September 2011 | 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 57.91 | 1 125.74 | 1 183.65 |
| 2010–2011 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 25 April – 1 May 2011 | 2011 World Championships | 3 70.35 | 2 140.38 | 2 211.73 |
| 15–20 February 2011 | 2011 Mont Blanc Trophy | 1 68.30 | 1 131.54 | 1 199.84 |
| 26–29 December 2010 | 2011 Russian Championships | 1 72.71 | 1 141.95 | 1 214.66 |
Media related toTatiana Volosozhar at Wikimedia Commons
