Maxim Trankov

Maxim Leonidovich Trankov (; born 7 October 1983) is a Russian pair skater. With Tatiana Volosozhar, he is a two-time 2014 Olympic champion in the pairs and in team events, the 2013 World champion, a four-time (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016) European champion, the 2012 Grand Prix Final champion, and a three-time (2011, 2013, 2016) Russian national champion. They have also won six events on the Grand Prix series.

With former partner Maria Mukhortova, Trankov is the 2008 European silver medalist, the 2007 Russian national champion, and the 2005 World Junior champion.

Trankov and Volosozhar are the first figure skaters to win two gold medals at the same Olympics, having taken gold in pairs and in the inaugural team event.

Personal life

Maxim Trankov was born in Perm. His mother competed in running and 400 meter hurdles, while his father Leonid was involved in equestrian sports and taught him to ride a horse. Leonid Trankov died on 20 January 2013.

Trankov is a fan of Russian hip-hop and writes music himself. He has an older brother, Alexei.

In February 2015, it was publicly announced that he and his skating partner, Tatiana Volosozhar became engaged. They got married on 18 August 2015. They welcomed a daughter, Angelika, in February 2017. On 27 January 2021, Volosozhar announced that they were expecting a son in late May/early June 2021. They welcomed a son, Theodore, in May 2021.

Early years

Trankov first stepped onto the ice in the fall of 1987 in Perm; his parents wanted him involved in a sport. He left skating for a while but returned and joined the husband-and-wife coaches Valeri Tiukov and Valentina Tiukova. Trankov was growing quite tall and a coach suggested he take up pair skating when he was 11. He recalled, "I said no at first because I was afraid to grab the hand of a girl, but I tried it and then I liked it."

He first skated with Olesya Korchagina for two years, then Ksenia Vasilieva for two years, then Irina Bogomolova. In the summer of 1999 at age 15, he was invited to Saint Petersburg to skate with Irina Ulanova, the daughter of Lyudmila Smirnova and Alexei Ulanov.

Trankov and fellow pair skater Alexander Smirnov lived at the rink, sleeping in the stands or in the coaches' room, and struggled for food but told their parents they were staying in a dormitory. After about a year and a half, Trankov moved in with soldiers who had quarters under the tribune. He was given one free cafeteria meal a day and someone would occasionally bring him food. After three years, he was able to get his own apartment.

Ulanova/Trankov skated together for three years and were fifth at the Russian Junior Championships, but the partnership dissolved when he was 18 due to height and jumping issues. An acquaintance suggested a partner in the United States but Trankov's visa application was declined. He joined husband-and-wife coaches Ludmila Velikova and Nikolai Velikov shortly after in 2002. He skated for one year with Natalia Shestakova; had he joined the group a few months earlier, the Velikovs would have paired him with Julia Obertas. Maria Mukhortova / Pavel Lebedev were also in the same practice group; in 2002, Mukhortova declined to switch partners due to her good results with Lebedev but friction with him would lead her to accept Trankov's offer a year later.

Partnership with Mukhortova

Trankov teamed up with Mukhortova in 2003. They were coached by Ludmila Velikova and Nikolai Velikov. In their first season together, they won the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final and at the World Junior Championships, both times placing behind Shestakova/Lebedev. They also won the Russian junior title. The following season, they won gold medals on the junior Grand Prix circuit and also debuted on the senior Grand Prix circuit at 2004 Cup of Russia where they finished 6th. They went on to win the Junior Grand Prix Final and then the 2005 World Junior title.

During the 2005–06 season, Mukhortova/Trankov were given two senior Grand Prix assignments. They placed seventh at Skate Canada and fourth at Cup of Russia. Having taken the bronze medal at the senior Russian Nationals, the pair was sent to the 2006 World Championships following the withdrawal of Olympic champions Tatiana Totmianina / Maxim Marinin. They finished 12th in their senior World debut.

Early in their career together, they were known for their stormy partnership and frequent coaching changes. The Velikovs suggested he team up with Tatiana Volosozhar but the topic was dropped following the 2006 World Championships when the pair switched coaches to Tamara Moskvina. Arguments between Trankov and Mukhortova were frequent and they split up briefly. Although Trankov was interested in skating with Volosozhar, he assumed she would decline because she appeared happy in her partnership with Stanislav Morozov. He resumed skating with Mukhortova but the quarrels continued and Moskvina transferred the pair to Artur Dmitriev in August 2006. In a 2011 interview, Trankov conceded they had not been ideal students, "Frankly, if I were her I would have kicked us out even earlier." In late 2006, they were on the verge of ending their career together, however, Tatiana Tarasova dissuaded them and contacted Oleg Vasiliev to take them on as students. The pair began working with him in December 2006.

During the 2006–07 season, Mukhortova/Trankov placed fifth at Skate America and seventh at Cup of Russia. They then won the Russian national title, finishing nearly 14 points ahead of silver medalists Julia Obertas / Sergei Slavnov, but had to withdraw from the 2007 European Championships after Mukhortova sustained an injury in practice. The pair returned in time for the World Championships but made little improvement on their previous season's result, placing 11th.

The following season, Mukhortova/Trankov won their first Grand Prix medal, bronze at 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard and placed fourth at Cup of Russia. They were unable to defend their national title, placing second to Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Smirnov with a gap of ten points. They finished ahead of Kavaguti/Smirnov by two points at the 2008 European Championships and won the silver medal. Mukhortova/Trankov then placed seventh at the 2008 World Championships. They had to take a short break in the middle of their long program at Worlds due to swelling in Trankov's arm and completed the program after some alterations to his costume. Vasiliev said Trankov had a problem with his arm which took a couple months to ascertain and treat. When the season ended, Vasiliev focused on improving Trankov's basic skating, noting Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy's deep edges and flow. His coaches in Perm had not emphasized these skills but Vasiliev was pleased by Trankov's progress toward making up the deficit. They also worked on the triple twist to improve the split and add more difficulty.

During the preceding season, Trankov had been skating with a neck injury, which first appeared during the Grand Prix events. He said, "I luxated the first cervical vertebrae, and this is the one that holds the head. The doctor told me that you can't fix it with massage but only with osteopathy which needs a lot of time. We're doing that now and I feel that my body is adjusting. My body already orientated itself to the left. I adjusted to the left, for the jumps and for everything else, and that wasn't good. It's better now and I didn't have any problems anymore with my arm during the last one and a half months. Obviously I was doing less lifts and twists, but I started doing more now and so far it's fine." For a time, however, the injury had put his future in doubt and led Mukhortova to try out with a French skater.

In the 2008–09 season, Mukhortova/Trankov enjoyed considerable success with their short program, but tended to struggle in the long. They won the bronze medal at 2008 Skate America and silver at 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, qualifying them for their first senior Grand Prix Final where they finished sixth. After placing second behind Kavaguti/Smirnov for the second year at the Russian Championships, they took the bronze medal at the 2009 European Championships and finished fifth at the 2009 World Championships.

For the 2009–10 season, Mukhortova/Trankov were assigned to the Trophee Eric Bompard. They set a new overall personal best score and won the gold medal ahead of two-time World champions Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy. They were silver medalists at their second Grand Prix event, Skate Canada, and won another bronze medal at the 2010 European Championships. The pair finished seventh at the 2010 Winter Olympics and fourth at the 2010 World Championships held in Turin, Italy, in March 2010. Shortly thereafter, they decided to split. Trankov cited tensions in the working relationship with Vasiliev and said he even considered retiring from competitive skating. He and Mukhortova continued skating together in shows until the end of April due to contractual obligations.

Partnership with Volosozhar

Beginnings

In March 2010, rumors emerged that Trankov might team up with the Ukrainian Tatiana Volosozhar.

Trankov moved from Saint Petersburg to train in Moscow, beginning training with Volosozhar the week of May 17. They are coached by Nina Mozer. Stanislav Morozov is their assistant coach, helping them with their elements. Igor Tchinaev was their short program choreographer, with Nikolai Morozov choreographing the long program. Nikolai Morozov also worked with them on their stroking to reduce energy loss. The pair had some differences in technique—Volosozhar had to change pace on the entry to the twist as well as adapt to a different hold during throw jumps, while Trankov had to adjust his jumps to match his new partner.

2010–2011 season

Volosozhar/Trankov initially performed in domestic Russian cup events and other tests. In late December 2010, they won gold at the 2011 Russian Championships, defeating Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Smirnov, the reigning national champions and World bronze medalists.

Per ISU regulations, Volosozhar was barred from international competition for one year from her last event representing Ukraine, the 2010 Winter Olympics. As a result, the pair missed much of the 2010–11 season, including the Grand Prix series and the European Championships. She became eligible for international competition on 16 February 2011, in time for the Mont Blanc Trophy, where the pair competed in order to meet the ISU's minimum technical score requirements for the World Championships. They did so easily and won the event by a sizable margin. The pair decided to fly in early for the World Championships and landed in Tokyo three hours before the earthquake. The event was rescheduled and moved to Moscow.

At the 2011 Worlds, Volosozhar/Trankov placed third in the short program, second in the free skate, and won the silver medal behind 2008–09 champions Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy and ahead of the defending champions, Qing Pang / Jian Tong. It was the first World medal for both partners. The pair are one of few in modern times to reach the World podium in their first season together and in their first appearance at a major international event. Media coverage of the event noted their fast development and their potential for the future. Volosozhar said, "We didn't even think about the silver medal (before Worlds). We thought, maybe we can get the bronze. The result was completely unexpected for us. The most impressive moment of the championships was how enthusiastic the spectators were even before our short program, and I'll never forget how they gave us a standing ovation after the free program."

2011–2012 season

During the off-season, Volosozhar/Trankov performed in shows and prepared for the new season in Novogorsk, as well as a few weeks in New Jersey. In the summer, Trankov sustained a shoulder injury while skating on unsharpened blades since no one with the expertise was available at the time; As a result, they stopped working on lifts for a while.

Volosozhar/Trankov began the 2011–12 season with wins at their two September competitions, the 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial. Trankov partly tore a groin tendon at the Nepela Memorial. On the Grand Prix series, the pair won Skate Canada with a combined score of 201.38 points and then won the 2011 Trophée Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. Trankov's inguinal rings (groin) injury caused them to change a pair spin at the Grand Prix Final. Volosozhar/Trankov were the leaders after the short program but placed second to Savchenko/Szolkowy in the free skate and were awarded the silver medal — only 0.18 of point separating the two teams at the end of the competition. At the post-event press conference, they said they would miss Russian Nationals in order to recover fully from their injuries.

At the 2012 European Championships, Volosozhar/Trankov placed first in both programs and won their first European title. They were eighth in the short program at the 2012 World Championships in Nice

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