Ekaterina Gordeeva

Who is Ekaterina Gordeeva?

Ekaterina Gordeeva is a Russian professional figure skater. Ekaterina Gordeeva is a two-time Olympic and four-time World Champion, along with her ex-husband. Sergei Grinkov, her husband, was not a strong singles skater, but he was an unstoppable teammate with his wife.

Ekaterina began ice skating at the age of four and retired 37 years later.

Her father, a professional dancer, encouraged her to participate in figure skating.

Family, And Early Life

Ekaterina Gordeeva was born on May 28, 1971, in Moscow, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Soviet Union. 

He was born to Alexander Alexeyevich Gordeeva and Elena Lvovna Gordeeva.

Alexander used to be a dancer in the Alexandrov Ensemble, the Russian army’s official army choir.

Meanwhile, his wife worked as a teletype operator for Russian News Agency TASS, the country’s most important news agency.

Katina’s parents traveled a lot because of their jobs, thus she was raised by her grandma.

She has a younger sister named Maria Alexandrovna Gordeeva as well. The brothers and sisters are really close.

Despite the fact that they live in different countries, they have a tight friendship.

Her father’s success as a figure skater motivated her to pursue a career in the sport.

She first attempted to enroll in ballet school but was unsuccessful.

Despite this, she discovered her actual calling as a result of her rejection.

Gordeeva has also been ice skating since she was four years old. Skating introduced her to her first husband and love.

Education

Ekaterina attended CSKA Moscow’s Children and Youth Sports School.

The mother of two went to a local high school but decided against going to college.

Instead, she concentrated on her ice skating career, in which she excelled at.

Age, Height & Weight

As of 2022, Ekaterina Gordeeva is 50 years old. She is quite petite, weighing 90.4 pounds (41 kilograms).

She is also 5 feet and 1 inch tall.

Facts of Ekaterina Gordeeva

Net Worth And Salary

As of recent estimation, Ekaterina Gordeeva has a net worth of $10 million. Moreover, she has signed several endorsement deals, including one with American Retail Corporation, Target.

Through the contract, she has produced two perfumes named “Katia” and “Katia Sport.”

Besides that, she has appeared in movies and ads with her daughter. The two-time Olympic champion was on Snowden on Ice with her oldest child Daria.

Not to mention, she was a featured athlete in the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Professional Career

Career in Pairs

Her career as a figure skater began at a young age for the two-time Olympic champion. She enrolled in the Children and Youth Sports School of CSKA Moscow, a prominent Russian club when she was four years old.

She had to wear many socks to accommodate her skates since she was so little. Initially, she was coupled with Sergei Grinkov, her first spouse.

Her instructor, Vladimir Zaharov, insisted on changing her partners because he had lately missed practice.

She, on the other hand, disagreed, and instead of changing partners, she switched coaches. Since Katina was 11 years old and Sergei was 15, the two had been partners.

The couple went on to win yearly figure skating contests such as the World Junior Figure Skating Championships and the World Figure Skating Championships in 1985 and 1986.

They also won the championship in 1987, 1989, and 1990.

In 1987, what happened to Ekaterina?

Sergei accidentally caught a blade on the ice and dropped it on Gorrdeva’s forehead in 1987, forcing her to go to the hospital.

Despite the injury, they were able to compete and win a gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics. The couple is the youngest Olympic gold medalist to date.

Gordeeva and Grinkov won their first World Professional Championship in 1991, and then again in 1992 and 1994, after going pro in 1990.

The skaters as a group were a formidable force, winning nearly every tournament they entered.

In 1994, the couple earned their second Olympic gold medal after marrying and welcoming their daughter into the world.

Career as an individual

After Sergei died unexpectedly in 1996, the figure skater began her own career. She skated to Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 in her debut performance as an homage to her late husband.

During an interview, she stated that she sensed Sergei’s presence, which made her perform twice as well.

She revealed her husband to the world as she knew him with the help of author E.M. Swift. My Sergei: A Love Story, her book, was about how he lived and enjoyed his life.

In addition, she published A Letter For Daria, a second book dedicated to her daughter.

She placed second in the World Professional Championships as a solo skater in 1997.

She then worked at Stars on Ice from 1996 to 2000 before giving birth to her second daughter. She also sang a duet with her eldest daughter, Daria, in 2003.

She then performed a trio with both of her daughters later on. Katia also works as an instructor and choreographer.

Children and Marriage

Sergei Grinkov, Ekaterina Gordeeva’s skating partner, and first love were married. Their passion for figure skating brought them together when Gordeeva was 11 and Grinkov was 15.

Their connection began as friends, developed into partners, and ultimately to love.

Furthermore, on New Year’s Eve 1988, they kissed to profess their love. In April of 1991, the couple married in a church wedding and a state wedding.

They went on to tour with Stars on Ice before announcing their pregnancy with Daria, their first and only child.

The fairytale wedding, however, did not last long. Sergei died of a massive heart attack during rehearsal on November 20, 1995.

He died as a result of a congenital heart condition, which was discovered after his death.

Death of Ekaterina’s Husband

Sergei Grinkov, Gordeeva’s husband, died when she was 24 years old.

Ilia Kulik- Gordeeva’s second husband

Ilia Kulik, Gordeeva’s second husband, met her through figure skating as well. During the 1999-2000 season of Stars on Ice, they began dating and even performed a romantic duet.

Elizaveta Ilinichna Kulik, Katia’s second daughter, and first child with Ilia, was born on June 15, 2001.

Then, almost a year later, on June 10, 2002, they got married in a private ceremony in California. They resided there for a long time before moving to Connecticut.

Nevertheless, they constantly go back and forth between the USA and Russia to visit their family and hometown.

Moreover, the married couple opened an ice rink named Kulik’s Skating in California. They are frequently there and help with choreographing and training sometimes.

In 2016, the dreamy couple ended their fourteen years of marriage after getting a divorce. Nonetheless, for the sake of their daughter, the couple maintains a friendly relationship.

Who is Gordeeva Married to now?

Ekaterina is married to Canadian figure skater David Pelletier. The couple got married on July 25, 2020.

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Social Media Presence

Despite being almost 50, Katia is well acquainted with social media and is quite active. She is on Instagram with over 200 posts and 27 thousand followers.

Almost all her posts gravitate towards skating and family. She usually shares pictures of her daughter, sister, mother, and friends.

Furthermore, the skater also has photos of her admirers and fans. Besides that, she is also on Twitter, with over four thousand followers.

She joined in 2015 and has followed less than 50 people. Gordeeva is relatively less active on Twitter.

She hasn’t tweeted a lot this year. Nevertheless, she normally shares about Stars on Ice and skating in general.