1. Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun is a retired Russian figure skater.
36 Facts About Maxim Kovtun
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Maxim Kovtun is a three-time European medalist and four-time Russian national champion.
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On 23 April 2019, Maxim Kovtun announced his retirement from competition.
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Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun was born 18 June 1995 in Yekaterinburg.
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Maxim Kovtun's two older brothers formerly competed in figure skating and his father, Pavel, is a skating coach and former pair skater.
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Maxim Kovtun was in a relationship with a gymnast Chilita Bagdzhi from 2015 until 2016.
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Maxim Kovtun has been dating a Russian group rhythmic gymnast Evgeniia Levanova since 2019.
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Maxim Kovtun trained in ice hockey but chose skating at age ten.
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At the 2012 Russian Championships, Maxim Kovtun finished twelfth on the senior level and won the bronze medal on the junior level.
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Maxim Kovtun said he would try two quads in his free program at the 2013 Russian Championships.
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Maxim Kovtun finished seventeenth in his first World Championships, held in London, Ontario, Canada.
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Maxim Kovtun was eighth in the men's event at the 2013 World Team Trophy and Team Russia finished fourth.
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Maxim Kovtun won the silver medal overall behind China's Han Yan.
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Maxim Kovtun won another silver medal at the 2013 Rostelecom Cup.
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Maxim Kovtun finished fifth at the event in Fukuoka, Japan.
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At the 2014 Russian Championships, Maxim Kovtun placed second in the short program and first in the free skate.
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Maxim Kovtun was awarded the gold medal ahead of three-time Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko.
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Maxim Kovtun was sent to the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.
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Maxim Kovtun placed seventh in the short program, fifth in the free skate, and finished fourth overall behind Spain's Javier Fernandez.
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Maxim Kovtun placed first in both segments to win the gold medal in China, ahead of the Olympic champion, Yuzuru Hanyu, and Richard Dornbush.
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Maxim Kovtun then won the gold medal in France ahead of Tatsuki Machida and Denis Ten.
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Maxim Kovtun placed third in the short program, skating last, and then fifth in the free skate, finishing fourth overall behind his teammate Sergei Voronov.
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At the 2015 Russian Championships, Maxim Kovtun won his second national title.
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Maxim Kovtun then finished seventh at the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai, China.
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Maxim Kovtun finished tenth at his second GP event, the 2015 NHK Trophy, which meant he did not qualify for the Final.
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In late January, Maxim Kovtun was awarded the bronze medal at the 2016 European Championships in Bratislava, having placed second in the short and sixth in the free.
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Maxim Kovtun finished 18th at the 2016 World Championships in Boston.
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On 16 May 2016, Buyanova announced that Maxim Kovtun had left her group and joined Inna Goncharenko.
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Maxim Kovtun said that he had begun consulting a psychologist.
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Maxim Kovtun won the silver medal at the 2017 European Championships, earning new personal bests in the short program, free skate and overall.
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Maxim Kovtun withdrew from the 2017 Finlandia Trophy and his first Grand Prix assignment, 2017 Skate Canada, due to a back injury.
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Maxim Kovtun competed in the short program at 2017 Skate America, placing twelfth, and withdrew as a result of continued back and knee problems.
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At the 2019 European Championships, Maxim Kovtun placed fifth in the short program.
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Maxim Kovtun had serious problems in the free skate, popping several of his planned quad and triple jumps, and as a result placed sixteenth in the free and dropped to fourteenth overall.
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Maxim Kovtun withdrew from the 2019 World Championships, citing medical reasons.
36.
On 23 April 2019, Maxim Kovtun announced his retirement from competitive skating.