26 Facts About Maria Butyrskaya

1.

Maria Viktorovna Butyrskaya is a Russian retired figure skater.

2.

Maria Butyrskaya was born on 28 June 1972 in Moscow.

3.

Maria Butyrskaya's parents divorced after the birth of her younger brother.

4.

In summer 2006, Maria Butyrskaya married an ice hockey player, Vadim Khomitsky.

5.

Maria Butyrskaya improved her compulsory figures but they were then dropped from competitions.

6.

Maria Butyrskaya competed for the Soviet Union until its dissolution and then began representing Russia.

7.

Maria Butyrskaya first showed promise with a victory ahead of veterans Josee Chouinard and Tonya Harding at the 1992 Skate Canada International, with her free skate including five triples, and then placed 5th in her European Championship debut.

8.

At the 1993 World Championships, Maria Butyrskaya did not advance past the qualifying round, which resulted in Russia having no entry in ladies' singles at the 1994 Olympics.

9.

Maria Butyrskaya again missed a berth to the World Championships.

10.

Maria Butyrskaya was one of two women to beat Kwan that year at Centennial on Ice, taking silver behind Slutskaya in front of her home fans.

11.

Maria Butyrskaya won her first European medal, a bronze, at the 1996 European Championships.

12.

Maria Butyrskaya won her first European title at the 1998 European Championships.

13.

Maria Butyrskaya beat that year's Grand Prix Final silver medalist, Tanja Szewczenko, who had beaten her twice that season.

14.

Maria Butyrskaya was selected to represent Russia at the 1998 Winter Olympics and finished 4th in Nagano, finishing behind bronze medalist Chen Lu by a narrow margin.

15.

Maria Butyrskaya went on to take her first World medal, bronze, at the 1998 World Championships.

16.

Maria Butyrskaya took silver behind Uzbekistan's Tatiana Malinina at that year's Grand Prix Final after falling twice in the long program.

17.

Maria Butyrskaya then won gold at the 1999 World Championships, finishing ahead of defending World champion Michelle Kwan.

18.

Maria Butyrskaya received all first place ordinals in both the short and the long programs at the event, landing seven triples in her long program and receiving seven 5.9s for presentation.

19.

Maria Butyrskaya's car exploded outside her Moscow apartment on 23 December 1999.

20.

At the 2000 European Championships, Maria Butyrskaya was fourth in the short program but came away with a silver medal after a long program containing six triples, including a triple-triple sequence.

21.

Maria Butyrskaya took bronze at the Russian Nationals and silver at the 2001 European Championships, finishing behind Slutskaya at both events.

22.

Maria Butyrskaya won her third European title at the 2002 European Championships, defeating Slutskaya in a major event for the first time in three years.

23.

Maria Butyrskaya finished sixth at her second Olympics and ended her amateur career at the 2002 World Championships, withdrawing from the competition after skating poorly in the qualifying round.

24.

Maria Butyrskaya performed a combination spin that involved clasping her arms and hands behind her back while transitioning to back camel, sit and scratch spins.

25.

Maria Butyrskaya often participated in choreographing her programs and in designing her costumes.

26.

Maria Butyrskaya is based at the Olympic Reserve Skating School in Moscow.