Natalia Filimonovna Bestemianova (or Bestemyanova ) (born 6 January 1960 in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

) is a Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n ice dancer who represented the Soviet Union

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....

 in her competitive career. With her partner Andrei Bukin

Andrei Bukin

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, she is the 1988 Olympic Champion

1988 Winter Olympics

The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...

, 1984 Olympic silver medalist

1984 Winter Olympics

The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...

, four-time World champion

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...

, three-time World silver medalist, and five-time European champion

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...

.

Biography

Bestemianova was coached by Tatiana Tarasova

Tatiana Tarasova

Tatiana Anatolyevna Tarasova is a Russian figure skating coach and national figure skating team adviser. Tarasova has been coach to more world and Olympic champions than any other coach in skating history. As of 2003, her students have won a total of 41 gold medals at the European and World...

. In 1984 she became the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR. She competed in ice dance

Ice dancing

Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....

 with Andrei Bukin

Andrei Bukin

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. The duo capped their lengthy career by winning the gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics

1988 Winter Olympics

The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...

 and that year's World Figure Skating 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...

. The Besti Squat

Besti squat

A Besti squat is a figure skating move. It is similar to the spread eagle in that the skater travels along an edge with both skates on the ice, the toes turned out to the sides and the heels facing each other...

 was her signature move and is unofficially named for her.

In 1983, Bestemianova married Igor Bobrin

Igor Bobrin

Igor Anatolyevich Bobrin is a former Soviet competitive figure skater. He is the 1981 European Champion and World bronze medalist. He was the 1978, 1980-1982 Soviet National Champion and placed 6th at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Following his competitive career, he created his own ice theater...

. After she finished her career she performed in the Ice Miniature Theater, led by her husband.

In 2006-2008 acted as a coach and show-host in Russian version of the British show Dancing on Ice

Dancing on Ice

Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...

, shown on Russian RTR (РТР).

In early 2007, she appeared as a member of the ice panel for the British show Dancing on Ice

Dancing on Ice

Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...

, shown on ITV1

ITV1

ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...

.

Competitive highlights

(with Bukin)

Event	1977-78	1978-79	1979-80	1980-81	1981-82	1982-83	1983-84	1984-85	1985-86	1986-87	1987-88
Olympics Figure skating at the Olympic Games Figure skating has been contested in the Olympic Games since the 1908 Summer Olympics. In 1908 and 1920, the figure skating competitions were held in conjunction with the Games of the Olympiad...			8th				2nd				1st
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...		10th		3rd	2nd	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st
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...			6th	4th	2nd	1st	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st
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...	3rd	4th	2nd	3rd	1st	1st		2nd		1st
Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly...			2nd
NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....										1st	1st
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...		4th	2nd	3rd	1st	1st	1st	2nd	1st

See also

• Besti Squat
  Besti squat
  A Besti squat is a figure skating move. It is similar to the spread eagle in that the skater travels along an edge with both skates on the ice, the toes turned out to the sides and the heels facing each other...