1. Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva is a Soviet and Russian figure skater.
26 Facts About Ekaterina Gordeeva
1. 2.
Ekaterina Gordeeva was born on 28 May 1971 in Moscow, Russia, then part of the Soviet Union.
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Ekaterina Gordeeva's father, Alexander Alexeyevich Gordeev, is a dancer for the Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble, while her mother, Elena Lvovna Gordeeva, is a teletype operator for TASS.
4.
Ekaterina Gordeeva began figure skating at age four, when she entered Children and Youth Sports School of CSKA Moscow.
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Ekaterina Gordeeva wore multiple pairs of socks inside skates many sizes too big because skates small enough for her feet were unavailable in the Soviet Union.
6.
Ekaterina Gordeeva was not a particularly strong jumper, and in August 1981, coach Vladimir Zaharov paired the 10-year-old Gordeeva with the 14-year-old Sergei Grinkov.
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Ekaterina Gordeeva was hospitalized for a time, but they were still able to compete in and win a gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics, which began the following February in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
8.
Shortly after Daria's birth, Ekaterina Gordeeva resumed training for the new season of Stars on Ice, which premiered in November 1992 and continued through the following April.
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That year, Ekaterina Gordeeva was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" by People Magazine.
10.
In February 1996, Ekaterina Gordeeva returned to the ice, this time as a solo performer.
11.
Ekaterina Gordeeva has said that she felt as if she skated with Sergei that night, that she was "double strong" because she felt him with her.
12.
Ekaterina Gordeeva published a second book in April 1998, titled A Letter for Daria.
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Ekaterina Gordeeva returned to Stars on Ice as a solo skater in 1996 and toured with the show every year until 2000, when she took time off to give birth to another daughter, Elizaveta Ilinichna Kulik, in June 2001.
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Ekaterina Gordeeva has returned to the tour as a guest star many times, but has never returned to full-time touring.
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Ekaterina Gordeeva stopped competing in 2000, but continues to skate in professional skating tours, shows and competitions.
16.
Ekaterina Gordeeva has signed several endorsement contracts, the most notable of which was with Target and led to two perfumes which were sold through Target stores.
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Ekaterina Gordeeva appeared in the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as a featured athlete.
18.
In 2007, Ekaterina Gordeeva starred in Skate for the Heart, a show designed to raise awareness of heart disease.
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Ekaterina Gordeeva was paired with Russian actor Egor Beroev and they won the show.
20.
Ekaterina Gordeeva dedicated a number to the memory of her father, Alexander Gordeev, who died of a heart attack in 2008.
21.
Ekaterina Gordeeva rejoined Stars on Ice in November 2010 for the 25th Anniversary Tour.
22.
Ekaterina Gordeeva is currently a member of the coaching team at the Ice Palace Figure Skating Club in West Edmonton Mall.
23.
On 15 June 2001, Ekaterina Gordeeva gave birth to her second daughter, Elizaveta Ilinichna Kulik.
24.
Ekaterina Gordeeva's father is 1998 Olympic men's singles champion Ilia Kulik.
25.
In 2012, Kulik and Ekaterina Gordeeva opened Kulik's Skating, an ice rink and figure skating training environment in Lake Forest, California.
26.
Ekaterina Gordeeva married Canadian figure skater and 2002 Olympic pairs champion David Pelletier on 25 July 2020.