Denis Alekseyevich Petrov (russian: Денис Алексеевич Петров; born 3 March 1968) is a Russian former
pair skater
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
who competed for the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
, and the
Unified Team. With his then-wife
Elena Bechke
Elena Yurievna Bechke (; born 7 January 1966) is a Russian former pair skater. She competed for the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Unified Team. With her then-husband Denis Petrov, she is the 1992 Olympic silv ...
, he is the
1992 Olympic silver medalist, the 1989
World bronze medalist, a two-time
European silver medalist (1991–92), 1992 Soviet national champion.
Career
Petrov began skating with Elena Bechke, two years his senior, in 1987. They trained with
Tamara Moskvina
Tamara Nikolayevna Moskvina (, née Bratus, Братусь; born 26 June 1941) is a Russian pair skating coach and former competitive skater. Competing in pairs with Alexei Mishin, she became the 1969 World silver medalist and Soviet national ...
at the
Yubileyny Sports Palace
Jubilee Sports Palace (russian: спортивный комплекс «Юбилейный»), ''Sportivniy kompleks Yubileyniy''; also translated as Jubilee Palace of Sports, is an indoor sports arena and concert complex that is located in St ...
in St. Petersburg. They won their first international title at the
1988 Grand Prix International de Paris
The 1988 Grand Prix International de Paris was held in Paris. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
Results Men
Ladies
Pairs
Ice dancing
External links
Skate Canada resu ...
, although they missed the 1988 Olympic team as they finished fourth at the
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. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ic ...
. Their first appearance at the Worlds was at the
1989 World Championships. Again, Bechke/Petrov had finished fourth and initially did not qualify for the Soviet Worlds team, but they won a skate-off to replace an injured team. They captured the bronze medal at their first Worlds showing, but they again placed fourth at the Soviet Nationals in 1990, missing the World Championships. In 1991, they placed third at the Nationals and fourth at the Worlds. In 1992, they won the Soviet Nationals over the teams of
Evgenia Shishkova
Evgenia Vasilievna Shishkova (russian: Евгения Васильевна Шишкова; born 18 December 1972) is a Russian figure skating coach and former competitor. With her husband Vadim Naumov, she is the 1994 World champion and the 199 ...
/
Vadim Naumov and
Marina Eltsova
Marina Alexeevna Eltsova (russian: Марина Алексеевна Ельцова; born 4 February 1970) is a Russian former pair skater. She represented the Soviet Union until its fall, and, after that, Russia. With partner Andrei Bushkov, sh ...
/
Andrei Bushkov
Andrei Vasilievich Bushkov (russian: Андрей Васильевич Бушков; born 13 October 1969) is a Russian former pair skater who represented the Soviet Union until its fall, and, after that, Russia. With partner Marina Eltsova, he ...
(Bechke/Petrov's training partners and chief rivals,
Natalia Mishkutenok /
Artur Dmitriev
Artur Valeryevich Dmitriev (russian: Артур Валерьевич Дмитриев; born 21 January 1968) is a Russian former pair skater who competed internationally for the Soviet Union, the Unified Team, and Russia. He is a two-time Olymp ...
, missed the Nationals but qualified for the Olympics as they were the reigning World Champions). Bechke/Petrov also won silver medals at the
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
and
1992 European Championships, and the silver medal at the
1992 Winter Olympics
)
, nations = 64
, athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women)
, events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines)
, opening = 8 February 1992
, closing = 23 February 1992
, opened_by = President François Mitterrand
, cauldron ...
behind Mishkutenok/Dmitriev. Their choreographer was Alexander Matveev. They retired from amateur competition after the 1992 Worlds.
After turning professional in 1992, the pair steadily improved as competitors and performers. They won every single competition they entered in 1996, including the World Professional Championships. They placed second at their last World Professional Championships, in 1999. The pair toured with
Stars on Ice for seven years (1994–2000). They resided and trained as professionals in
Lake Placid,
New York, before relocating to
Richmond,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, in 1997 to train and coach there. Bechke retired from skating after the 1999–2000 season, while Petrov continued to skate with Stars on Ice for another two seasons.
Bechke/Petrov were known for their great posture and lines, inventive moves (such as the "Impossible" death spiral), great unison and proximity on their jumps and side-by-side spins, as well as many difficult and intricate lift sequences.
Scott Hamilton once joked that Petrov is such a strong and consistent skater that he only falls once a year. Hamilton has also said that the
Stars on Ice cast nicknamed him "Conan" for getting bigger after every tour, while
Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an American former figure skater. In ladies' singles, Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1991 and 1992), and the 1992 U.S. champion. In 1992, she became the first ...
has said that he is also nicknamed "the human crane" because he has lifted just about everybody in the show, including performing a two-hand detroiter with Scott Hamilton in the 2000–01 group number, "Tunnel Vision."
Petrov and his wife work at the World Ice Arena in
Shenzhen
Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
, she as the manager and he as the head coach of the skating academy.
Personal life
Petrov was born on 3 March 1968, in
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
,
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. He began dating
Elena Bechke
Elena Yurievna Bechke (; born 7 January 1966) is a Russian former pair skater. She competed for the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Unified Team. With her then-husband Denis Petrov, she is the 1992 Olympic silv ...
in 1988 and the two married in 1990. They said that their friendship and skating improved after their divorce in 1995.
On 8 July 2005, Petrov married Chinese figure skater
Chen Lu, whom he met on the 1998–99 Stars on Ice tour. They lived in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
before moving to
Shenzhen
Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
,
China. Their son, Nikita, was born on 27 June 2006, and their daughter, Anastasia, on 8 July 2009, both in Shenzhen.
Programs
(with Bechke)
Competitive highlights
(with Bechke)
References
External links
*
Navigation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrov, Denis
1968 births
Living people
Russian male pair skaters
Soviet male pair skaters
Olympic figure skaters of the Unified Team
Figure skaters at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for the Unified Team
Figure skaters from Saint Petersburg
Olympic medalists in figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships medalists
European Figure Skating Championships medalists
Medalists at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Goodwill Games medalists in figure skating
Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games