Kira Ivanova
Encyclopedia
Kira Valentinovna Ivanova (10 January 1963 – 18 December, 2001) was a figure skater from the former Soviet Union
whose senior international career ran from 1979 to 1988. While she had won numerous medals at international events, such as World Junior Championships, Enia Challenge Cup, and Moscow News Trophy, her true breakthrough on the international skating scene came with a bronze medal at the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo
, Yugoslavia
. Ivanova shined at the 1985 World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo
, where she won the silver medal, finishing second to Katarina Witt
.
, then-current Soviet champion who had placed 6th in the world in 1978, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, Ivanova became the Soviet Union's best hope for the 1980s. Sure enough, Ivanova showed some promise. For example, while Ivanova had only placed 13th in the compulsory figures and was unknown to most of the judges at the 1981 World Championships, her strong short program was good enough to place her 4th in that portion of the competition. She won the Moscow News Trophy in the fall of 1982, completing a clean triple-triple jump combination, which remains rare to this day in women's figure skating.
Ivanova's behavior was controversial off the ice as well. At the age of 17, Ivanova reportedly became romantically involved with her coach, Vladimir Kovalev
, then in his late 20s, and they had some public outbursts that interfered with her training. Allegedly due to these problems, the Soviet skating federation banned her from competing outside the Soviet Union for two years, beginning in the fall of 1981. She returned to international competition just in time for the Sarajevo Games, where she won bronze. However, it has been speculated that the Soviet Union banned Ivanova and her coach from travelling overseas because they were considered a high risk for defecting to the West.
At the beginning of her career, Ivanova was known as a good free skater with triple jumps and strong ballet training; she later became known as the "queen of compulsory figures
" who had become an inconsistent free skater. At the 1988 Winter Olympics, for example, she finished first in the compulsory figures
, beating the defending Olympic champion Katarina Witt
, but skated poorly in both the short and long programs, which took her out of medal contention. Her free skating performance there was typical; she missed the opening triple lutz, and she eased up the rest of the program as though she had already given up her hopes for a medal. After her amateur career ended she skated professionally in an ice-show and went into coaching.
. She was 38 and had apparently died of stab wounds inflicted by a butcher's knife
in what police speculated was a random attack.
After her death, chairman of the Russian Figure Skating Federation Valentin Piseyev revealed to the press that Kira had been suffering from alcoholism. "Ivanova became addicted to alcohol in recent years and underwent several treatments, but with no visible results" Piseyev said. Her attempts to find effective treatment included a stay at Moscow Hospital no.17, later to become notorious as the site of the 2006 Moscow hospital fire. This information appeared to explain Ivanova's known erratic behavior, if not the circumstances of her murder.
She was the only female singles figure skater ever to win an Olympic medal for the USSR
or Russia until Irina Slutskaya won silver in Salt Lake City Games
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
whose senior international career ran from 1979 to 1988. While she had won numerous medals at international events, such as World Junior Championships, Enia Challenge Cup, and Moscow News Trophy, her true breakthrough on the international skating scene came with a bronze medal at the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. Ivanova shined at the 1985 World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, where she won the silver medal, finishing second to Katarina Witt
Katarina Witt
Katarina Witt is a German figure skater and model. In Germany she was commonly called "Kati" in the past, but today her full name is used more often....
.
Career
Her life was turbulent both on and off the ice. When another teenager, Elena VodorezovaElena Vodorezova
Elena Germanovna Vodorezova , is a Russian figure skating coach and retired competitive skater who represented the Soviet Union. She is the 1983 World bronze medalist and three-time European medalist.- Career :...
, then-current Soviet champion who had placed 6th in the world in 1978, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, Ivanova became the Soviet Union's best hope for the 1980s. Sure enough, Ivanova showed some promise. For example, while Ivanova had only placed 13th in the compulsory figures and was unknown to most of the judges at the 1981 World Championships, her strong short program was good enough to place her 4th in that portion of the competition. She won the Moscow News Trophy in the fall of 1982, completing a clean triple-triple jump combination, which remains rare to this day in women's figure skating.
Ivanova's behavior was controversial off the ice as well. At the age of 17, Ivanova reportedly became romantically involved with her coach, Vladimir Kovalev
Vladimir Kovalev
Vladimir Nikolaevich Kovalev is a retired figure skater who competed internationally for the USSR. He is an Olympic silver medalist and 2-time World champion. He trained at VSS Trud in Moscow. Kovalev is pronounced, "ko-va-lyov."...
, then in his late 20s, and they had some public outbursts that interfered with her training. Allegedly due to these problems, the Soviet skating federation banned her from competing outside the Soviet Union for two years, beginning in the fall of 1981. She returned to international competition just in time for the Sarajevo Games, where she won bronze. However, it has been speculated that the Soviet Union banned Ivanova and her coach from travelling overseas because they were considered a high risk for defecting to the West.
At the beginning of her career, Ivanova was known as a good free skater with triple jumps and strong ballet training; she later became known as the "queen of compulsory figures
Compulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Carving specific patterns or figures into the ice was the original focus of the sport. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight...
" who had become an inconsistent free skater. At the 1988 Winter Olympics, for example, she finished first in the compulsory figures
Compulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Carving specific patterns or figures into the ice was the original focus of the sport. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight...
, beating the defending Olympic champion Katarina Witt
Katarina Witt
Katarina Witt is a German figure skater and model. In Germany she was commonly called "Kati" in the past, but today her full name is used more often....
, but skated poorly in both the short and long programs, which took her out of medal contention. Her free skating performance there was typical; she missed the opening triple lutz, and she eased up the rest of the program as though she had already given up her hopes for a medal. After her amateur career ended she skated professionally in an ice-show and went into coaching.
Death
On 21 December 2001, Kira's body was found by neighbours in her apartment, situated in the northern outskirts of Moscow near the Otradnoye MetroOtradnoye (Metro)
Otradnoye is a station of the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. It was opened in 1991, and built to a single-vault technology. The station contains several mosaic artworks....
. She was 38 and had apparently died of stab wounds inflicted by a butcher's knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
in what police speculated was a random attack.
After her death, chairman of the Russian Figure Skating Federation Valentin Piseyev revealed to the press that Kira had been suffering from alcoholism. "Ivanova became addicted to alcohol in recent years and underwent several treatments, but with no visible results" Piseyev said. Her attempts to find effective treatment included a stay at Moscow Hospital no.17, later to become notorious as the site of the 2006 Moscow hospital fire. This information appeared to explain Ivanova's known erratic behavior, if not the circumstances of her murder.
She was the only female singles figure skater ever to win an Olympic medal for the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
or Russia until Irina Slutskaya won silver in Salt Lake City Games
Results
| Event | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 | 1980-81 | 1981-82 | 1982-83 | 1983-84 | 1984-85 | 1985-86 | 1986-87 | 1987-88 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
16th | 3rd | 7th | ||||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
18th | 12th | 4th | 2nd | 4th | 5th | |||||
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
10th | 11th | 7th | 4th | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | |||
| World Junior Championships World Junior Figure Skating Championships The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion... |
2nd | ||||||||||
| Soviet Championships Soviet Figure Skating Championships The Soviet Figure Skating Championships were a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of the Soviet Union... |
1st | 1st | 6th | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | ||||
| Skate Canada International Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's... |
? | 3rd | |||||||||
| Prize of Moscow News Prize of Moscow News The Prize of Moscow News , also known as the Moscow Skate, Nouvelles de Moscou, and the Moscow News Trophy, was an international, senior-level figure skating competition held in the former Soviet Union from 1966 to 1990... |
2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
External links
- Soviet skating star, found dead - Cincinnati Enquirer, Online
- Ivanova found dead - ESPN Sports
- Kira Ivanova - Unofficial site