A Rare Love: Sergei Grinkov and Ekaterina Gordeeva

I wonder what he would have been like if he had lived, but Sergei Grinkov died at 28. On Monday, February 4th he would have been 41.

Sergei and his wife Ekaterina Gordeeva or Katia were two of the greatest figure skating pairs in history, winning gold medals at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and in 1994 in Lillehammer. They literally grew up together on the ice and fell in love skating. Both were Russians born in Moscow, Sergei in 1967 and Katia in 1971. Like many children born in the Soviet Union who appeared to have talent, both Sergei and Katia began training early in their craft. Sergei was 5 when he began ice skating. Katia was only four with feet so tiny that ice skates to fit her were impossible to come by, so her mother had her wear several pairs of socks in order to keep her too big skates on her feet. Katia would remain alway petite even into adulthood which would be an advantage for the much taller, bigger, and athletic Sergei who would in the future lift and toss her as if she were light as a feather. Katia's father had planned for her to go into ballet, but Katia was determined to do otherwise. Her determination to go her own way would put her and a boy she was yet to meet in the history books, and also lead to the creation of one of the great love stories of our time.

Alone Sergei showed early signs that he would have only been an mediocre skater, but when he was paired with 11 year Katia when he was 15, the magic began. By 1985, Sergei and Katia had burst onto the world scene. Throughout their career, they rarely faltered and lost a competition.

Katia was the first to fall in love, developing a shy, but intense secret crush on Sergei. In 1989 while touring in Europe, they had fallen in madly in love with one another. 1991 was the year they married in Moscow. Sergei and Katia became professional skaters with the show Stars on Ice. They relocated to the US where their daughter Daria was born in New Jersey. The family finally settled in Connecticut.

This happy family did not know that over them a very dark cloud hung. In 1990, Sergei's father had died of a heart attack because of a weak heart. Sergei unknowingly carried the same propensity for heart attacks like his father. On November 20, 1995 in Lake Placid, New York Sergei collapsed and died of a heart attack while practicing with Katia for an upcoming Stars on Ice tour. His body was later taken to Moscow where he was buried.

Watching Sergei and Katia skate was to see their grace, artistry, professionalism, and love. They were artists of the highest level and order. Few ranked with them before or since. Fans and admirers of their art and love have created sites honoring them like Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov , gg-corner.de and Ekaterina Gordeeva: A Kind of Magic.

During their brief time in the international spotlight, Sergei and Katia offered a rare example of love and Romance both on and off the ice.

One of my favorites of their performances can be seen in this video.