Alexei Urmanov: Appreciation post
Today's Olympic champion 1994 - Alexei Urmanov's birthday
So I thouht it was a good idea to post something about him :)
First a little bio(mostly from his Wiki page + some bits from other places):
Urmanov was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, and competed for the Soviet Union internationally. He started skating at the age of 4. Since the 1989 he strted to train under Mishin. He won the silver medal at the 1990 World Junior Figure Skating Championships for that country. The same year he became the first Eropean to perform a quad (some sources say it was the first flawless quad at the Soviet nationals in Minsk. He was the last Soviet national champion. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Urmanov chose to compete for Russia. In 1991, at age 17, he became the first skater to perform a quadruple jump at the European Figure Skating Championships (bitches better recognize, lol).
He competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics, where he placed 5th.
Following his gold medal at the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre at the 1994 Winter Olympics, Urmanov chose to remain in the competitive ranks. By the way, you may be know, that was a contoversla victory. Some people say that he won just because he was better-looking than Canadian champ Elvis Stojko. He was European champion in 1997, but an injury forced him out of the 1997 Figure Skating World Championships after the short program and kept him from earning a trip to the 1998 Olympics. He also placed the third at the 1999 Euros sharing podium with other papa Mishin's pupils - Yagudin and Plushenko. Alexei always had a lot of traumas, there's was a possability of him retiring because of them right after the 1994 Olympics. Alexei turned pro after 1998 and he won the World Professional championships in 1999.
Throughout his career, Urmanov was known for his flamboyant costuming and balletic style.
Currently he is a skating coach and an International Skating Union technical specialist. He has coached Sergei Voronov and is now coaching Polina Agafonova (she won ladies bronze at the previous World Junior championship) , Gordei Gorshkov and Zhan Bush.
In 2001, he and his partner, Viktoria, welcomed twins, Ivan and Andrei. In 2004 the couple married.
Results
_____________________________________________________________________________
His programs (the list taken from Alexei's webpage):
1991
Short Program:
"Sacre du printemps" by Igor Stravinski
Free Program:
"Metamorphoses" by Peter von Cornelius
This was Alexei's program in his first international season. In Sofia, Alexei became the first skater to complete sucessfully a quad to in at a European Championship. Although Alexei was only 17 years old at this time, this program to a modern and flowing synthesizer music already reflected his talent for artistic skating. His typical, sweeping movements which cover the enitre space on the ice were even back then his trademark.
1992 & 1993
Short Program 1993:
"Piano Concerto No 1" by Peter Tchaikovski
1992
Short Program:
"Bolero" by Maurice Ravel
Free Program:
"Don Quixote" by Leon Minkus
In his second senior year, Alexei had developed already a lot in the field of artistry and expression on the ice. This program to ballet music by Leon Minkus reflected the progress he made. It was also a powerful, athletic program, radiating with Alexei's joy of skating.
"Don Quixote" contained already quite a few of "typical Alexei" choreographic elements. It won him his first medal in an international senior championship - a bronze medal at the Europeans in Lausanne and also his first World medal on year later in Prague. Alexei kept this program two seasons.
1994
Short Program:
Rigoletto by Guiseppe Verdi
Free Program:
Ouvertures of "Semiramis", "Die diebische Elster", "Wilhelm Tell" by Giacomo Rossini
This program was the one that made Alexei famous, because it won him his 1994 Olympic Gold medal. It was a very flowing, strong and musical program. The music was optimistic and joyful. It was the perfect choice for a great moment in Alexei's career.
Pics:
This one makes me lol for some reason
1995
Short Program:
"Rigoletto" by Guiseppe Verdi
Free Program:
"Swan Lake" by Petr I. Tchaikovski
Many of his fans consider this to be his best long program so far. It's also one of Alexei's favorites, because he even told his coach once that "we maybe should go back to Swan Lake". It was a very sophisticated, balletic yet modern program. Alexei wore a black and white costume - to impersonate the "black" and the "white swan" at the same time. Unfortunaly, Alexei kept this beautiful program only one season.
Pics (the Swan costume is so ridiculous and fierce in the same time):
1996 & 1997
Short Program 1997:
"Yello" by Yello
Short Program 1996:
"Night on the Bald Mountain" by Modest Mussorgsky
Free Program:
"Princess of the Circus"
by Emmerich Kalman
This operetta music was an elegant program for a maturing skater. Alexei used again his famous gloves (which by the way have according to him no special meaning, they just go with the costume).
Pictures:
1998 & 1999
Short Program:
"Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor"
by Johann Sebastian Bach played by V. Mae
Free Program:
"Tango" by M. Mores and A.Villoldo
Alexei started already to work on this program in the 1997/98 season, but unfortunaly was unable to perform it in competition. This melanchonic "Tango" is a new step in Alexei's career. "It is still in my style, but it is different", he explained. It has "quirky" moments (which his fans love so much), it is interesting and suits Alexei's character very well. It is a wounderful program for a comeback.
2000
Exhibition & Competition Programs:
"Georgian Variations"
(modern Georgian music)
"Phantom of the Opera"
by Andrew Lloyd Weber (I LOVE IT)
"Swan Lake"
by Petr I. Tchaikovski
"Nessun Dorma"
by G. Puccini
Prince Of Egypt ;D
Pictures:
________________________________________________________________________________
Some off-ice pictures:
Baby Alyosha with his grandma:
Alexei is 4 here:
With his wife and sons:
With his coach (and co-students :))
so small :(
Random pics:
With Katya Gordeeva:
I like the way he smiles:
A bit emo:
With his medal
With ex-pupil Voronov:
And as a bonus a totally adorable little video with Alexei and his sons skating:
P.S. Thaank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed the post, lol
So I thouht it was a good idea to post something about him :)
First a little bio(mostly from his Wiki page + some bits from other places):
Urmanov was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, and competed for the Soviet Union internationally. He started skating at the age of 4. Since the 1989 he strted to train under Mishin. He won the silver medal at the 1990 World Junior Figure Skating Championships for that country. The same year he became the first Eropean to perform a quad (some sources say it was the first flawless quad at the Soviet nationals in Minsk. He was the last Soviet national champion. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Urmanov chose to compete for Russia. In 1991, at age 17, he became the first skater to perform a quadruple jump at the European Figure Skating Championships (bitches better recognize, lol).
He competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics, where he placed 5th.
Following his gold medal at the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre at the 1994 Winter Olympics, Urmanov chose to remain in the competitive ranks. By the way, you may be know, that was a contoversla victory. Some people say that he won just because he was better-looking than Canadian champ Elvis Stojko. He was European champion in 1997, but an injury forced him out of the 1997 Figure Skating World Championships after the short program and kept him from earning a trip to the 1998 Olympics. He also placed the third at the 1999 Euros sharing podium with other papa Mishin's pupils - Yagudin and Plushenko. Alexei always had a lot of traumas, there's was a possability of him retiring because of them right after the 1994 Olympics. Alexei turned pro after 1998 and he won the World Professional championships in 1999.
Throughout his career, Urmanov was known for his flamboyant costuming and balletic style.
Currently he is a skating coach and an International Skating Union technical specialist. He has coached Sergei Voronov and is now coaching Polina Agafonova (she won ladies bronze at the previous World Junior championship) , Gordei Gorshkov and Zhan Bush.
In 2001, he and his partner, Viktoria, welcomed twins, Ivan and Andrei. In 2004 the couple married.
Results
_____________________________________________________________________________
His programs (the list taken from Alexei's webpage):
1991
Short Program:
"Sacre du printemps" by Igor Stravinski
Free Program:
"Metamorphoses" by Peter von Cornelius
This was Alexei's program in his first international season. In Sofia, Alexei became the first skater to complete sucessfully a quad to in at a European Championship. Although Alexei was only 17 years old at this time, this program to a modern and flowing synthesizer music already reflected his talent for artistic skating. His typical, sweeping movements which cover the enitre space on the ice were even back then his trademark.
1992 & 1993
Short Program 1993:
"Piano Concerto No 1" by Peter Tchaikovski
1992
Short Program:
"Bolero" by Maurice Ravel
Free Program:
"Don Quixote" by Leon Minkus
In his second senior year, Alexei had developed already a lot in the field of artistry and expression on the ice. This program to ballet music by Leon Minkus reflected the progress he made. It was also a powerful, athletic program, radiating with Alexei's joy of skating.
"Don Quixote" contained already quite a few of "typical Alexei" choreographic elements. It won him his first medal in an international senior championship - a bronze medal at the Europeans in Lausanne and also his first World medal on year later in Prague. Alexei kept this program two seasons.
1994
Short Program:
Rigoletto by Guiseppe Verdi
Click to viewFree Program:
Ouvertures of "Semiramis", "Die diebische Elster", "Wilhelm Tell" by Giacomo Rossini
This program was the one that made Alexei famous, because it won him his 1994 Olympic Gold medal. It was a very flowing, strong and musical program. The music was optimistic and joyful. It was the perfect choice for a great moment in Alexei's career.
Pics:
This one makes me lol for some reason
1995
Short Program:
"Rigoletto" by Guiseppe Verdi
Free Program:
"Swan Lake" by Petr I. Tchaikovski
Many of his fans consider this to be his best long program so far. It's also one of Alexei's favorites, because he even told his coach once that "we maybe should go back to Swan Lake". It was a very sophisticated, balletic yet modern program. Alexei wore a black and white costume - to impersonate the "black" and the "white swan" at the same time. Unfortunaly, Alexei kept this beautiful program only one season.
Pics (the Swan costume is so ridiculous and fierce in the same time):
1996 & 1997
Short Program 1997:
"Yello" by Yello
Short Program 1996:
"Night on the Bald Mountain" by Modest Mussorgsky
Free Program:
"Princess of the Circus"
by Emmerich Kalman
This operetta music was an elegant program for a maturing skater. Alexei used again his famous gloves (which by the way have according to him no special meaning, they just go with the costume).
Pictures:
1998 & 1999
Short Program:
"Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor"
by Johann Sebastian Bach played by V. Mae
Free Program:
"Tango" by M. Mores and A.Villoldo
Alexei started already to work on this program in the 1997/98 season, but unfortunaly was unable to perform it in competition. This melanchonic "Tango" is a new step in Alexei's career. "It is still in my style, but it is different", he explained. It has "quirky" moments (which his fans love so much), it is interesting and suits Alexei's character very well. It is a wounderful program for a comeback.
2000
Exhibition & Competition Programs:
"Georgian Variations"
(modern Georgian music)
"Phantom of the Opera"
by Andrew Lloyd Weber (I LOVE IT)
"Swan Lake"
by Petr I. Tchaikovski
"Nessun Dorma"
by G. Puccini
Prince Of Egypt ;D
Pictures:
________________________________________________________________________________
Some off-ice pictures:
Baby Alyosha with his grandma:
Alexei is 4 here:
With his wife and sons:
With his coach (and co-students :))
so small :(
Random pics:
With Katya Gordeeva:
I like the way he smiles:
A bit emo:
With his medal
With ex-pupil Voronov:
And as a bonus a totally adorable little video with Alexei and his sons skating:
P.S. Thaank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed the post, lol