Alexei Yagudin

Alexei Yagudin was born on 18 March 1980 in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. When Yagudin was four, his father moved to Germany, severing all contact with his wife and son. He graduated from the Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health. ==Skating career overview==

Early career Yagudin was introduced to skating at age four by his mother, Zoya, who saw the activity as a way to improve his health. Senior career In 1997, Yagudin competed in the World Championships for the first time and won a bronze medal. In 1998, Yagudin led a Russian sweep of the medals at the 1998 European Championships with Evgeni Plushenko in second and Alexander Abt in third. Later that year, he competed at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics despite a severe case of pneumonia, and finished in 5th place. He went on to win the silver medal after ranking second in the free skate. Yagudin started the 2001–02 Olympic season with a bronze medal at the 2001 Goodwill Games in September. After the Olympics, Yagudin won his fourth World title, receiving six perfect 6.0s for his short program and another two for his free skating at the competition. He became the first singles skater to receive six perfect marks for the short program, including the first ever perfect mark for required elements. He never won the Russian Championships, losing mainly to Evgeni Plushenko. Professional career Yagudin then turned professional in 2003, touring with Stars on Ice and Ice Symphony in Russia. In 2004, Yagudin toured with Stars on Ice for the second year in a row. He also worked with the French figure skater Brian Joubert as a consultant coach. In November he won two professional competitions with two new programs, The Feeling Begins (music by Peter Gabriel) and Moon Over Bourbon Street (music by Sting). The next year, he continued with the Stars on Ice tour and his Passion program was choreographed with a difficult acrobatic routine that took place seven meters up in the air. Since returning to his hometown of Saint Petersburg in 2005, Yagudin has skated in various Russian ice shows and took part in the Russian TV show Stars on Ice, later renamed Ice Age. In 2006, after a full Olympic cycle since Salt Lake City, Yagudin performed his famous Winter program on tour and a new program Sway (music by Pussycat Dolls). In 2007, Yagudin first toured in the U.S. with the Stars on Ice, and then toured in Russia. He skated a comic number Blues for Klook and a flamenco number Legenda. In July 2007, Yagudin underwent surgery to have a titanium hip joint implanted. In 2019, he opened the Figure Skating Center Alexei Yagudin in Minsk, Belarus. ==Acting and host career==

In Russia, Yagudin has worked as a show host, actor and a figure skating commentator for Russian television networks. In fall of 2006, he took part in the Russian TV show Stars on Ice having a former gymnast, Oksana Viktorovna Pouchkina, as his partner. He later realized that a return to eligible skating would not be feasible, and continued his professional career, taking part in the Russian TV show again, which was renamed Ice Age. This time he was paired with a pop singer Victoria Dayneko with whom he also recorded a song Needle. It premiered at the Satire Theater in Moscow. He also adventured into a popular TV show Good evening, Moscow! as a host in 2009. In 2010, he performed in the ice musical City Lights, written by Ilia Averbukh. Since 2019, he hosts his own television show called Ice is melting with Alexei Yagudin where he interviews athletes. ==Public image==

Yagudin published his memoir Alexei Yagudin: Overcome in Japan in 2005. It was published in Russia in 2007 under the title, Напролом, with extra chapters and photos added to cover his recent life. In 2011, Yagudin joined a Russian campaign to promote healthy lifestyles. He took part in free physical trainings held in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Ekaterinburg, Samara, Kazan, and Novosibirsk. He stated, "I would like to achieve through this campaign at least the understanding of people that 30 or 40 minutes of their day can improve their health now and in the future." In 2020, Yagudin made controversial remarks about transgender people in an Instagram story post, calling them "mistakes of nature" and wishing them to die. The post came in reaction to fellow figure skater and activist Adam Rippon making a donation to the Okra Project, a charity aimed at helping underprivileged black transgender people. Yagudin soon deleted the post and apologized for his comments the next day. Rippon criticized Yagudin for the comments and made another $1000 donation, this time in Yagudin's name, to the same organization. He spoke out against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, posting an all-black image on his Instagram account with the message, "Stop this nonsense!" ==Personal life==

Yagudin moved to the United States in 1999 to train with Tatiana Tarasova. He lived in the United States for almost seven years before returning to Russia. In 1999, the Champions on Ice tour dismissed him because of his alleged excessive drinking. In 2016, Yagudin married Olympic pair skating champion Tatiana Totmianina. They also have a Yorkshire Terrier named Varia. He admitted that he only wore a cross during his skating career because he found it beautiful and his children were not baptized. The Yagudin family resides in Moscow and France, where his daughters attended a French school. ==Honors and awards==

• Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th class (5 May 2003) – for outstanding contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high achievements in sports at the XIX Olympic Games 2002 in Salt Lake City • National Sports Award "Glory," "Best Athlete of 2002" • 2017 World Figure Skating Hall of Fame inductee ==Programs==

GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix All events Amateur status, senior-level Amateur status, junior-level Professional status ==References==