Natalya Vladimirovna Linichuk (; born 6 February 1956) is a Russian ice dancing coach and former competitive

ice dancer Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. A ...

for the Soviet Union. With partner and husband

Gennadi Karponosov Gennadi Mikhailovich Karponosov (; born 21 November 1950) is an ice dancing coach and a former competitive ice dancer for the Soviet Union. With Natalia Linichuk, he is the 1980 Olympic champion and a two-time World champion. Competitive car ...

, she is the 1980 Olympic champion and a two-time

World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

champion.

Competitive career

Linichuk began skating due to her mother who enjoyed figure skating. She had a dozen coaches before ending up in the group of

Elena Tchaikovskaia Elena Anatolyevna Tchaikovskaia, also spelled as Chaykovskaya or Chaikovskaia (, née Osipova (); born 30 December 1939) is a Russian figure skating coach, choreographer, and former competitor for the Soviet Union. She runs a skating school at t ...

, who Linichuk soon sensed was the right coach for her. Linichuk and Karponosov trained at

Dynamo "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos employed electromagnets for self-starting by using residual magnetic field left in the iron cores ...

in Moscow. They won the World Universiade in 1972, and were bronze medalists at the 1974 and 1977 World Championships. They also finished 4th at the

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (, ) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 (), were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976. The games were awarded to Inn ...

, the year ice dancing was introduced as an Olympic sport. Linichuk and Karponosov became World champions in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

and

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. They won the European Championships in

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, after winning a silver medal in

, and bronze medals from

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

through

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

. Linichuk and Karponosov won the 1980 Olympics, but failed to defend their World title, making them the only team ever to unsuccessfully defend a World title after winning the Olympics. In 1981, Linichuk and Karponosov retired from competition.

Coaching career

After coaching in Moscow, Linichuk and Karponosov accepted an offer to coach in the U.S. They moved with their students in June 1994 and coached at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

Newark, Delaware Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 31,454. The University of Delaware is ...

. In September 2007, they moved to the Ice Works Skating Complex in

Aston, Pennsylvania Aston Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 16,791 at the 2020 census. History Aston was first settled in 1682 as a municipality and was incorporated as a township in 1688 (one of the first ...

. Their current and former senior-level students include: *

Tanith Belbin Tanith Jessica Louise Belbin White (born July 11, 1984) is a Canadian American ice dancing, ice dancer and Olympic program host for NBC Sports. Though born in Canada, she holds Multiple citizenship, dual citizenship and has competed for the Unite ...

Benjamin Agosto Benjamin Alexandro Agosto (born January 15, 1982) is an American ice dancer. With partner Tanith Belbin, Agosto is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2004–2006 Four Continents champion, and 2004–2008 U.S. ...

(coached from mid-2008 to 2010). 2009 World silver medalists for the U.S. *

Galit Chait Galit Chait (, ''Galit Hayat''; born on January 29, 1975) is an Israeli former competitive ice dancer. She and her partner Sergei Sakhnovski competed internationally for Israel from 1995 to 2006, becoming the 2002 World bronze medalists. Person ...

/ Sergei Sakhnovsky (World bronze medalists) *

Albena Denkova Albena Petrova Denkova (, born 3 December 1974) is a Bulgarian ice dancer. With partner and fiance Maxim Staviski, she is a two-time (2006– 2007) World champion, a two-time (2003– 2004) European silver medalist, and the 2006 Grand Prix Fina ...

Maxim Staviski Maxim Staviski (, born 16 November 1977) is a Russian-born naturalized Bulgarian ice dancer. With partner and fiancée Albena Denkova, he is a two-time (2006– 2007) World champion, a two-time (2003– 2004) European silver medalist, and the 2 ...

(coached from mid-2005 to 2007). 2006, 2007 World Champions for Bulgaria. *

Oksana Domnina Oksana Alexandrovna Domnina (, born 17 August 1984) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. She and partner Maxim Shabalin are the 2010 Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Olympic bronze medalists, the 2009 World Figure Skating Champi ...

/ Maxim Shabalin (coached from mid-2008 to 2010). 2010 Olympic bronze medalists for Russia. *

Oksana Grishuk Oksana (Pasha) Vladimirovna Grishuk (, ; born 17 March 1972) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. She is best known for her partnership with Evgeni Platov from 1989 to 1998. With Platov, she is a two-time Olympic champion (1994, 1998), ...

Evgeni Platov Evgeni Arkadievich Platov (Ukrainian to English: Ev'heni Arkadievich Platov) (; born August 7, 1967; Ukrainian: Євген Аркадійович Платов) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. He is best known for his partnership with ...

(Olympic and World champions). Coached Grishuk from the age of 11 until 1989 and then from 1992 to 1996. * Natalia Gudina / Alexei Beletski *

Anjelika Krylova Anjelika Alexeyevna Krylova (; born 4 July 1973) is a Russian retired ice dancer. With partner Oleg Ovsyannikov, she is the 1998 Olympic silver medalist and two-time (1998, 1999) World champion. She currently works as a coach and choreographer ...

/ Vladimir Fedorov (World bronze medalists) * Anjelika Krylova /

Oleg Ovsyannikov Oleg Vladimirovich Ovsyannikov (; born 23 January 1970) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. With partner Anjelika Krylova, he is the 1998 Olympic silver medalist and two-time (1998, 1999) World champion. Career As a four-year-old, ...

(World champions, Olympic silver medalists) *

Irina Lobacheva Irina Viktorovna Lobacheva (; born 18 February 1973) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. With partner and former husband Ilia Averbukh, she is the 2002 Olympic silver medalist, the 2002 World champion and the 2003 European champion. ...

Ilia Averbukh Ilia Izyaslavich Averbukh (, correctly spelled "Ilya"; born 18 December 1973) is a Russian Ice dancing, ice dancer. With his then-wife Irina Lobacheva, he is the 2002 Winter Olympics, 2002 Olympic silver medalist, the 2002 2002 World Figure Skat ...

(World champions, Olympic silver medalists) Their current and former junior-level students include: *

Lauri Bonacorsi Lauri Bonacorsi (born January 17, 1993) is an American ice dancer. With former partner Travis Mager, she is the 2011 and 2012 U.S. Junior silver medalist. Career Bonacorsi began skating at age four. She moved from St. Louis, Missouri, to Plan ...

/ Travis Mager (from May 2010) 2011 U.S. Junior silver medalists * Ekaterina Pushkash and Jonathan Guerreiro (coached from mid-2010 to 2014). 2011 World Junior silver medalists for Russia.

Personal life

Linichuk accepted Karponosov's proposal after they retired from competition. She had one prior marriage. Linichuk and Karponosov were married on 31 July 1981. Their daughter, Anastasiya Karponosova, was born in February 1985. The couple initially lived in Moscow and then moved to the United States in the early '90s.

Competitive highlights

References

External links

Picture of Linichuk and Karponosov, 1979-1980 seasonPicture of Linichuk with students Margaglio and Mezzadri

Navigation

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linichuk, Natalia 1956 births Living people Figure skaters from Moscow Soviet female ice dancers Russian female ice dancers Dynamo Sports Club sportspeople Olympic figure skaters for the Soviet Union Figure skaters at the 1976 Winter Olympics Figure skaters at the 1980 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Russian figure skating coaches Olympic medalists in figure skating World Figure Skating Championships medalists European Figure Skating Championships medalists Female sports coaches Medalists at the 1980 Winter Olympics 20th-century Russian sportswomen