Ekaterina Gordeeva is a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Russia, who achieved most of her success in pairs figure skating with Sergei Grinkov. Gordeeva began ice skating when she was 4 years old. When she was 11, she began pairs skating with Grinkov.

Birth

Ekaterina Alexandrovna Gordeeva, referred to by the nickname Katia, was born in Moscow, Russia on May 28, 1971, to Alexander Alexeyevich Gordeev and Elena Levovna.

Early Career

Gordeeva and Grinkov gained global recognition when they won a gold medal at the 1985 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. They went on to win gold medals at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1986 and 1987.

Olympic Games

In the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, Gordeeva and Grinkov won the gold medal for pairs skating. In the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, the pair won their second gold medal. Between the Olympics, they won two more gold medals in the 1989 and 1990 World Figure Skating Championships.

Marriage

Gordeeva and Grinkov married on April 28, 1991. In January 1992, Gordeeva found out she was pregnant, and on Sept. 11, 1992, she gave birth to a daughter, Daria.

Life After Grinkov

On Nov. 20, 1995, Sergei Grinkov died of a heart attack during a skating program run-through. In the wake of Grinkov's death, Gordeeva wrote a memoir and began a solo skating career. In 2001, Gordeeva had a second child with fellow skater Ilia Kulik and married him shortly thereafter.

Source:

Biography: Ekaterina Gordeeva

Statemaster: World Figure Skating Championships Records