Rafael Arutyunyan (, ''Harutyunyan''; ; born July 5, 1957) is an

Armenian-American Armenian Americans () are citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. They form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians in Russia. The first major wave of Armenian immig ...

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...

coach. He has coached in Armenia, Russia and the United States.

Personal life

Arutyunyan was born on July 5, 1957, in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

Georgian SSR The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Georgia, the Georgian SSR, or simply Georgia, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union from its second occupation (by the Red Army) in 1921 to its independence in 1991. Cotermin ...

, and studied in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics ...

at the

Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport () is a higher educational institution institute, located in Yerevan, Armenia. It was founded in 1945 and prepares coached, sport journalists, and specialists in the field of health improving ...

. Arutyunyan's mother brought him to an ice rink after watching figure skating on television; he was skating regularly in

by the age of seven. He is married to a skating coach, Vera, and moved to the United States in 2000. They have a son – a pianist born in the mid-1980s, and a daughter, who is an artist. On July 23, 2019, Arutyunyan and his wife became

U.S. citizens Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constitu ...

Coaching career

He coached young skaters in

from 1976. In the 1980–1981 season, one of his students, Saak Mkhitarian, became the Soviet junior champion and placed 6th at the World Junior Championships. Soviet officials then invited Arutyunyan 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 ...

, where he worked on his teaching certification and became an assistant to Tatiana Tarasova. Around 2000 or 2001, Arutyunyan joined the Ice Castle International Training Center, in

Lake Arrowhead, California Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest, and surrounding the eponymous Lake Arrowhe ...

. In August 2013, he relocated to the East West Ice Palace in

Artesia, California Artesia ( Spanish for " artesian aquifer") is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California. Artesia was incorporated on May 29, 1959, and is one of Los Angeles County's Gateway Cities. The city has a 2020 census population of 16,395. A ...

. He collaborates with his wife, Vera Arutyunyan, and Nadezda Kanaeva. He moved to Lakewood ICE in

Lakewood, California Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 82,496 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west, northwest and south, Bellflower on the north, Cerritos on the northeast, Cypress on t ...

on June 25, 2016. In 2019, he took on the role of Head Coach for Higher Performance Team at Great Park Ice & Fivepoint Arena in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

. His current students include: *

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(2023 – present), three-time Chinese national champion (2023–2025) *

Petr Gumennik Petr Olegovich Gumennik (, born 11 April 2002) is a Russian figure skater. He is the 2020 Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist and 2019 CS Warsaw Cup silver medalist. He is also the 2020 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, 2020 World Junior bron ...

(2021 – present), 2023 Russian silver medalist *

Ilia Malinin Ilia Malinin (born December 2, 2004) is an American competitive figure skater. He is a two-time World champion (2024 World Figure Skating Championships, 2024 & 2025 World Figure Skating Championships, 2025), two-time Grand Prix of Figure Skating ...

(2021 – present), two-time World Champion (2024–25), 2023 World bronze medalist, three-time U.S. national champion (2023–25), two-time Grand Prix Final champion (2023–24), 2022 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2022 Junior World Champion *

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(May 2022 – present), 2024-2025 U.S. National Bronze medalist *

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(2024 – present), *

Mihhail Selevko Mihhail Selevko (born 20 November 2002) is an Estonian figure skater. He is a three-time ISU Challenger Series medalist and a four-time Estonian national champion (2019, 2023–25). Personal life Selevko was born on November 20, 2002, in Talli ...

(2024 – present), * Eric Sjoberg (2013 – present), * Matthew Nielsen (2019 – present), *

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(2020 – present), 2023 U.S. national bronze medalist, 2025 U.S. national silver medalist *

Sofia Samodelkina Sofia Vladimirovna Samodelkina (; born 18 February 2007) is a Russian-Kazakhstani figure skater who currently competes for Kazakhstan. She is the Kazakhstani Figure Skating Championships, 2025 Kazakh national champion, Figure skating at the 2025 ...

(2024 – present), 2025 Kazakh national champion, 2025 World University Games bronze medalist His former students include: Rafael Arutunian Mao Asada and Tatiana Tarasova

Rafael Arutunian Mao Asada and Tatiana Tarasova

Alexander Abt Alexander "Sasha" Viktorovich Abt (; born October 22, 1976) is a Russian figure skater and coach. He is a two-time European medalist and placed fifth at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Career Abt's first experience with figure skating came at the age ...

(early 1990s – 2002) 2003 Russian National Champion, 2002 European silver medalist, 1998 European bronze medalist *

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(summer 2006 – January 2008), 2010 Olympic silver medalist, 2008 World Champion, 2010 World Champion, 2014 World Champion, 4 x Grand Prix Final Champion (2006, 2009, 2013, 2014), 3x Four Continents Champion (2008, 2010, 2013), 6 x Japanese National Champion *

Mariah Bell Mariah Cheyenne Bell (born April 18, 1996) is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, 2022 U.S. national champion, 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, 2020 U.S. national silver medalist, ...

(August 2016 – October 2022), 2022 U.S. national champion. *

Michal Březina Michal Březina (; born 30 March 1990) is a retired Czech figure skater. He is the 2013 European bronze medalist, 2011 Skate America champion, 2009 World Junior silver medalist and four-time Czech national champion. He also won the 2014-15 IS ...

(June 2016 – March 2022) *

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(2004 – 2008), 2006 Olympic bronze medalist, 2008 World Champion, 2004-2007 Canadian National Champion *

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(2011 – 2022), 2022 men’s singles Olympic Champion, 2018, 2019 and 2021 World champion, 2022 Olympic team gold medalist, 2018 Olympic team bronze medalist, 2017–2022 U.S. National Champion, 2017–2019 Grand Prix Final champion and 2017 4CC champion *

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(2018 – 2020) *

Sasha Cohen Alexandra Pauline "Sasha" Cohen (born October 26, 1984) is a retired American figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World Championship medalist, the 2003 Grand Prix Final Champion, and the 2006 U.S. Champion. S ...

(2009), *

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(2002 – 2003), *

Stephen Gogolev Stephen Gogolev (born December 22, 2004) is a Canadian figure skater. He is the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International, 2023 CS Autumn Classic bronze medalist and the 2019 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, Canadian national silver medalist. Go ...

(June 2019 – 2024), 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final Champion *

Marin Honda is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2016 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, 2016 World Junior champion, the 2017 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, 2017 World Junior silver medalist, the 2015–16 Grand Prix of Figure ...

(March 2018 – 2019), 2016 Junior World Champion, 2017 Junior World silver medalist * Taichi Honda , (March 2018 – 2021) *

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/ Brandon Frazier (2020 – 2022), 2022 World Champions, 2022 Grand Prix Final silver medalists * Alexa Knierim /

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(2003 – 2006), 5 x World Champion (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003), 1998 Olympic silver medalist, 2002 Olympic bronze medalist, 9 x U.S. National Champion (1996, 1998-2005) * Hiu Ching Kwong (2019 – 2020), * Alexandra Ievleva (1996 – 2000) (2008 – 2010), * Vivian Le (June 2016 – December 2017), *

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(April 2018 – September 2019), * Amy Lin (2017 – 2018), * Hannah Miller (June 2015 – August 2016), * Hovhannes Mkrtchyan (unknown – 2011), *

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(August 2016 – March 2022), *

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(September 2012 – March 2018), 2016 U.S. national champion. 2018 Winter Olympics U.S. Team bronze medalist *

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Alexander Shubin Alexander Alexandrovich Shubin (; born 14 July 1983) is a Russian former competitive figure skater. He is the 2003 World Junior champion and the 2002 JGP Final champion. He retired from competition in 2007. He works as a coach in Moscow. Progr ...

(unknown – 2001), * Sergei Voronov (unknown – 2000), *

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arutyunyan, Rafael Armenian figure skaters Figure skating coaches Sportspeople from Tbilisi 1957 births Living people Soviet figure skaters Georgian people of Armenian descent Sportspeople from Artesia, California Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport alumni