Elena Rudolfovna Leonova (russian: Елена Рудольфовна Леонова; born 12 July 1973) 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 ...
. Representing the Soviet Union with
Gennadi Krasnitski, she won the
1987 NHK Trophy, the
1989 Skate Canada International, and two
World Junior Championships (1986, 1987).
Personal life
Leonova was born on 12 July 1973 in Moscow.
[ She married her skating partner Andrei Khvalko, with whom she has two daughters.][
]
Career
As a young child, Leonova trained under Elena Loboda. Vladimir Zakharov became her coach when she switched from singles to pairs, in 1983.
Leonova's first skating partner was Gennadi Krasnitski. The pair won gold at the 1986 World Junior Championships, held in December 1985 in Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
, Yugoslavia, and successfully defended their title at the
1987 World Junior Championships, held in December 1986 in Kitchener, Ontario
)
, image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg
, image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg
, image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg
, image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg
, blank_emblem_type = ...
, Canada.[
Leonova/Krasnitski won their first senior international title at the 1987 NHK Trophy. In their final season as a pair, 1989–1990, they received three gold medals — at the Skate Canada International, ]Nebelhorn Trophy
The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. It became part of the ISU Challenger Series in the 2014–15 season.
The competit ...
, and Grand Prix International St. Gervais The Grand Prix International St. Gervais was an annual senior-level international figure skating competition held in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France. For many years, beginning in 1969, it was paired with a similar competition in Germany, the Nebe ...
— and bronze at the Soviet Championships.
From 1990 to 1992, Leonova trained in Alexander Zaitsev's group. Skating with Sergey Petrovskiy, she placed fifth at the 1991 Skate America
The 1991 Skate America was held at the Oakland Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the Internati ...
.
After Leonova ended her ISU competitive career, she toured with a show produced by Tatiana Tarasova
Tatiana Anatolyevna Tarasova (; born 13 February 1947) is a Russian figure skating coach and national figure skating team adviser. Tarasova has been coach to more world and Olympic champions than any other coach in skating history. Her students h ...
.[ She teamed up with Andrei Khvalko in 1995.][ The pair competed at four World Professional Championships and won it twice, in 1999 and 2000.][
]
Results
With Krasnitski
With Petrovskiy
With Khvalko
References
External links
*
Navigation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonova, Elena
Living people
1973 births
Figure skaters from Moscow
Soviet female pair skaters
Russian female pair skaters
World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists