Ivan Igorevich Bich (; born 14 February 1993) is a Russian

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 ...

. With former partner Kamilla Gainetdinova, he is the 2013 JGP Belarus champion and a two-time (2012, 2013) Russian junior national bronze medalist.

Personal life

Ivan Igorevich Bich was born 14 February 1993 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, Russia. His father, Igor, is a former pair skater and an

ISU ISU may refer to: Schools United States * Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho * Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois * Illinois State University (Springfield, Illinois) * Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana * Iowa State Uni ...

technical specialist.

Career

Bich initially trained as a singles skater, coached by Alla Piatova. He last competed in singles in September 2010, winning the junior bronze medal at the first stage of the Russian Cup series. He decided to begin training as a pairs skater. In May 2011, Bich formed a partnership with Kamilla Gainetdinova, who until then was a Moscow-based singles skater. Gainetdinova moved to Saint Petersburg to train with him. They were coached by

Oksana Kazakova Oksana Borisovna Kazakova (; born 8 April 1975) is a Russian former pair skater. With partner Artur Dmitriev, she is the 1998 Olympic champion and 1996 European champion. Personal life Oksana Borisovna Kazakova was born on 8 April 1975 in ...

in their first two seasons together. Gainetdinova/Bich made their international debut at the 2011

Warsaw Cup The Warsaw Cup is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Polish Figure Skating Association () and held in Warsaw, Poland. The Warsaw Cup debuted in 2002 as a junior-l ...

, winning the junior bronze medal. They won bronze at the 2012 Russian Junior Championships. In the free skate, Gainetdinova/Bich landed SBS 3Lz, receiving 6.70 points for the element. They also included a SBS 3Lo+2A sequence after the halfway point, receiving 5.99 points due to some negative grades of execution. They were assigned to the 2012 World Junior Championships, where they finished 11th. In their second season, Gainetdinova/Bich debuted on the

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...

series. They were 7th at their first event in

Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205. The village of Lake Placid ...

. At the 2012 JGP Croatia, they landed a SBS 3LZ+2T combination in the free skate, as well as upgrading their

twist Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

to a triple for the first time. They are the first pair to land the combination in a junior competition. Gainetdinova/Bich finished 4th at the event. They won bronze at the 2013 Russian Junior Championships with a free skate that included a SBS 3Lz+2T combination at the start of the program and SBS 3T after the halfway mark. They finished 8th at the 2013 World Junior Championships. In spring 2013, Gainetdinova/Bich moved to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and joined Natalia Pavlova and Artur Dmitriev. Beginning their third season with gold at the 2013 JGP Belarus, the pair then won the bronze medal at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic, 2013 JGP Czech Republic. Their results qualified them to the 2013–14 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, JGP Final in Fukuoka, Japan. At the final, Gainetdinova/Bich placed sixth in both segments and overall. Their partnership ended in early 2014.

Programs

(with Gainetdinova)

Competitive highlights

Pair skating with Gainetdinova

Single skating

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bich, Ivan Russian male pair skaters 1993 births Living people Figure skaters from Saint Petersburg 21st-century Russian sportsmen