Denis Alekseyevich Petrov (; 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 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...
, and the
Unified Team. With his then-wife
Elena Bechke, 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 at the
Yubileyny Sports Palace
Jubilee Sports Palace (), ''Sportivniy kompleks Yubileyniy''; also translated as Jubilee Palace of Sports, is an indoor sports arena and concert complex that is located in St. Petersburg, Russia. It houses more than 7,000 seats for ice hoc ...
in St. Petersburg. They won their first international title at the
1988 Grand Prix International de Paris, 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 (; 18 December 1972 – 29 January 2025) was a Russian figure skating coach and competitor. With her husband Vadim Naumov, she was the 1994 world champion and the 1995–96 Champions Series Final champion.
Shishk ...
/
Vadim Naumov
Vadim Vladimirovich Naumov (; 7 April 1969 – 29 January 2025) was a Russian pair skater. With his wife Evgenia Shishkova, he was the 1994 world champion and the 1995–96 Champions Series Final champion.
Naumov died on 29 January 2025, w ...
and
Marina Eltsova /
Andrei Bushkov (Bechke/Petrov's training partners and chief rivals,
Natalia Mishkutenok /
Artur Dmitriev
Artur Valeryevich Dmitriev (; 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 Olympic champion, having won gold with Natalia Mishkutionok ...
, missed the Nationals but qualified for the Olympics as they were the reigning World Champions). Bechke/Petrov also won silver medals at the
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
and
1992 European Championships, and the silver medal at the
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Albertville '92 (Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile '92''), were a winter multi-sport event held from 8 to 23 February 1992 in and aroun ...
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
Stars on Ice is a touring figure skating show produced by IMG. It was co-founded in 1986 by Bob Kain, IMG executive, and Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in men's figure skating. The production is a theatrical show featuring a ...
for seven years (1994–2000). They resided and trained as professionals in
Lake Placid,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, before relocating to
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, 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
Stars on Ice is a touring figure skating show produced by IMG. It was co-founded in 1986 by Bob Kain, IMG executive, and Scott Hamilton, the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in men's figure skating. The production is a theatrical show featuring a ...
cast nicknamed him "Conan" for getting bigger after every tour, while
Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an American former competitive figure skater, author and philanthropist. A former competitor in women's singles, Yamaguchi is the Figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics, 1992 Olympic champion, ...
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 is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...
, 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, 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 ...
,
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
,
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. He began dating
Elena Bechke 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, who he met on the 1998–99 Stars on Ice tour. They lived in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
before moving to
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. 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 for 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
20th-century Russian sportsmen