Alexei Yagudin - biography, information, personal life. Yagudin Alexey Konstantinovich figure skating

Alexei Yagudin is a famous Russian figure skater, about whose career a lot is known today. In his sports biography there were a huge number of various victories, and therefore today his name is strongly associated with figure skating and Russian sports in general. However, after completing his professional career, our today's hero has successfully proved that he can prove himself well in some other industries.

That is why in our article we will try to tell more about the career of a figure skater outside of sports. After all, this topic, traditionally, remains a mystery to ordinary readers.

Early years, childhood and the family of Alexei Yagudin

Perhaps it is for this reason that our today's hero was not serious about sports for a long time. He regularly attended classes, but in his heart he cherished the dream of a profession ... a driver. As a child, Alexei dreamed of driving a truck or, at worst, a regular bus. However, fate decreed otherwise. And it is unlikely that Yagudin ever had to regret it.

At the age of twelve, our today's hero fell into a group with the famous teacher Alexei Mishin. Studying with him, the young guy managed for the first time to achieve serious success in sports, and also to become one of the best athletes in Russia.

Already at the age of thirteen, Yagudin became the fourth in the junior world championship. After that, two years later, the young Russian managed to win this championship at all. In parallel with this, he achieved good results in other competitions. In the same season 1995/1996, our today's hero managed to become the bronze medalist of the Russian Championship, and a year later - to climb the podium one more step up. From that moment on, Alexei Yagudin was talked about as the main hope of the Russian national figure skating team.

Sports career of figure skater Alexei Yagudin

So, in particular, in different years, Alexei Yagudin managed to become a three-time European champion, a four-time world champion and a two-time winner of the finals of the Grand Prix World Series in figure skating.

Alone with everyone. Alexey Yagudin

All these outstanding achievements brought our today's hero the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia, as well as the State Order for Services to the Fatherland (fourth degree). The bright performances of Alexei Yagudin attracted the attention of the public to him. He became a favorite of the stands, and also gained many personal fans among the stars of the world show business. Indicative in this regard is the case that took place in 2001. On that day, right before the next performance, a photo of Russell Crowe with his personal autograph was brought to the athlete's dressing room.

There was everything in the career of the star Russian athlete - victories and defeats, offensive injuries and triumphant returns to the ice. That is why the moment of the end of the career of Alexei Yagudin was perceived by many as a real loss.

However, leaving professional sports, our today's hero still has not disappeared from television screens.

Alexei Yagudin's career today

Alexei Yagudin "The Man in the Iron Mask"

Since 2006, the skater has performed on the projects of the Russian First Channel - Stars on Ice, Ice Age, Ice and Fire. Over the years, Oksana Pushkina, Valeria Lanskaya, Maria Kozhevnikova, Victoria Daineko became his partners on ice. With the last of these celebrities, our today's hero also recorded several joint musical compositions, showing himself in an unfamiliar quality.

In 2008, Alexei Yagudin also made his debut on the theater stage, playing in the play "President's Vacation". After that, the former athlete often appeared in private productions, as well as in "ice" performances.

Several times our today's hero also acted in films. The most famous was his role in the TV series "Hot Ice". At a certain period of time, Alexei Yagudin also began to work as a presenter. In this capacity, he worked for some time in the Professional Cup program, and then also began to appear in the educational program I Want to Know, for which he recorded short stories.

As an actor and TV presenter, the athlete still works today.

Personal life of Alexei Yagudin

Alexey achieved the main victory in life with Tatyana Tarasova. the site recalls those unforgettable Olympic moments in Salt Lake City and the epic rivalry with Evgeni Plushenko.

The Man in the Iron Mask

In 2002, the XIX Winter Olympic Games were held in the American Salt Lake City. Figure skater Alexei Yagudin won a triumphant victory there. His program "The Man in the Iron Mask" and "Winter" are recognized as the best in the history of single men's skating. After the speech, Yagudin kissed the ice, it was clear how much desperation of resentment and pain lies behind this gesture. To win, the St. Petersburg boy had to overcome many obstacles. The inner fear that accumulated in the athlete from childhood destroyed everything: his career and even his personality. After all, he could not go to this historic Olympics at all. Just a week before the main start of life, Yagudin had a violent quarrel with coach Tatyana Tarasova. The skater complained of constant pain in his hip and refused to train. Tarasova believed that Yagudin was inventing everything, mocking and acting up. She was sure that the guy was just afraid of the Olympics and was experiencing panic attacks. After all, numerous in-depth examinations did not show any pathologies!

Indeed, Yagudin could be afraid of his former coach Alexei Mishin and his eternal rival Evgeni Plushenko. In 1998, Alexei left this coach with a scandal, although he had been studying under his wing since early childhood. He was tired of being on the sidelines. It's no secret that Mishin was simply in love with Plushenko, he always put him in first place, and Yagudin always, from childhood, relegated him to secondary roles.

When young Lesha came to study with Alexei Nikolaevich Mishin, Alexei Urmanov was the first number. Yagudin dreamed that someday he would become a favorite. Mishin did a lot for a talented and ambitious guy. He actually replaced his father, Alexei grew up in an incomplete family. But Yagudin did not become a favorite ward for Mishin.

Forever second

In 1998 he became the European champion. It would seem that the time has come for the coach to devote all his time to the rising star. But it turned out differently. Suddenly, 16-year-old Evgeni Plushenko appeared in the team, who became the favorite of the strict coach. And this fact knocked down the athlete. At the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Yagudin made many mistakes, and the cold that the skater caught the day before also affected. He was shocked and crushed, especially since the coach did not support him in difficult times. And on his return to St. Petersburg, Alexei left Mishin. A few months later, he himself came to Tatyana Tarasova and asked under her wing.

Aleksey Yagudin's programs are still considered the best in men's single skating. Photo: AiF / Dmitry Ovchinnikov

Together, they began not to study a new program, but struggled with the guy’s internal complexes that he had accumulated over the years of cooperation with a former mentor. The problem of "always number two" was eradicated over the next few years. In January 1999, the Russian Figure Skating Championship took place. Despite the fact that Yagudin is in great shape, Plushenko wins there. At the next competition in Japan, Lesha is second again! Yagudin admitted then that even before entering the ice, he began to be terribly afraid of his younger rival. In addition, one after another, injuries rained down. The athlete had a psychological breakdown, he was seriously thinking about leaving the big sport.

Tatyana Tarasova even had to invite a psychologist who could help the athlete cope with fears. The main start of life was getting closer and closer.

Congenital dislocation of the hip

The closer I got to the Salk Lake City gig, the worse the pain in my hip got. Yagudin took the strongest painkillers. Even in a dream, Lesha saw his performance and he always fell there. With an incredible effort of will, the athlete forced himself to return to the ice. During the short program at the Olympics, Yagudin performed flawlessly! He managed to cope with his "demons" and even the presence of the formidable Mishin at the side did not unbalance the skater. But Plushenko fell in the short program!

In the free program, it was enough just not to make a rude mistake. And Yagudin could no longer be stopped, he did not want to be told later that he won the medal only thanks to the fall of his main rival. Four judges gave sixes, the whole hall stood up after the skate of the St. Petersburg figure skater! It was a real triumph, not just a sports victory, but a victory over oneself, over one's own fear. A few months later, at the next competition, Alexei was forced to withdraw due to a troubling injury. After an in-depth examination, everyone was shocked: the Olympic champion has a congenital leg disease - hip dysplasia. Simply put, this is a "congenital dislocation of the hip." That is why Yagudin experienced inhuman pain during training and performances, although those around him thought that these were just “hops” of a frightened boy. Pain tormented Yagudin from childhood, he just got used to enduring them. Due to the high loads, the hip joint almost collapsed. The doctors were adamant: an urgent departure from big sport! Throughout 2003, Yagudin performed on injections, he literally dragged his leg. And in November of the same year, the athlete announced the end of his sports career. At that time he was only 23 years old!

In 2009, Alexei and figure skater Tatyana Totmyanina had a daughter, Elizabeth, and in 2015, a girl, Michelle. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Later there was a difficult operation with a complete replacement of the hip joint with a titanium prosthesis. Alexey got used to the life of an ordinary person for a long time, participated in Ice shows, social events. He started his career in television and acting in films. In 2009, Alexei and figure skater Tatyana Totmyanina had a daughter, Elizabeth, and in 2015, a girl, Michelle. The happy couple got married as recently as February 2016. Aleksey Yagudin's programs are still considered not only the best in men's single skating, they are legendary!

Sports achievements of Alexei Yagudin:

• Olympic champion in 2002;
• Four-time world champion (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002)
• Two-time world champion among professionals (1998, 2002)
• Three-time European champion (1998, 1999, 2002)
• Four-time silver medalist of the Russian Championship (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

Alexei Konstantinovich Yagudin. Born March 18, 1980 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Russian figure skater, Olympic champion (2002), four-time world champion (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002), three-time European champion (1998, 1999, 2002). Honored Master of Sports of Russia.

Father - Konstantin Yagudin, left the family almost immediately after the birth of Alexei. Lives in Germany.

Mother - Zoya Alekseevna Yagudina, worked at the Institute of Informatics and Computer Engineering.

Grandparents also took part in the upbringing of the boy. They lived together in two rooms in a communal apartment.

From birth, he was a very sickly child, often caught colds. And on the advice of doctors, my mother decided to send him to the sports section. When he was only four years old - in the fall of 1984 - Alexei Yagudin was brought to the rink. As it turned out, the boy is very capable.

A great merit in the sporting success of Alexei belongs to his mother and grandmother. “Grandma picked me up from school, handed me a sports bag, a bag of sandwiches and put me on the bus. Mom was waiting at the next stop. She is a very demanding person. She was tougher in class than any mentor,” he recalled. The exactingness of the mother disciplined the guy, developed perseverance and determination in him. If the jump didn’t work out, my mother insisted that he finish the job and still fulfill his plan. As Aleksey admitted, it was tough, but effective.

In the summer, he got up early and began to train - he did push-ups from the floor, ran, pulled himself up, sat on the twine, stood in a swallow for a long time. As a result, he turned out to be a brilliant athlete with a champion character.

It is worth noting that he studied excellently at school. After training, I studied homework, it happened that I sat on the task until three in the morning. He was especially good at precise objects. He lacked quite a bit to graduate from high school with a gold medal - there was one four in the certificate.

After graduating from school in 1997 with a silver medal, he entered the St. Petersburg State Academy of Physical Culture named after P.F. Lesgaft (now - National State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Health named after P.F. Lesgaft).

Until the age of 12, Alexei Yagudin trained under the guidance of Alexander Mayorov (a student of Alexei Nikolaevich Mishin). Since 1992, he worked in the group of Alexei Mishin at the Yubileiny Sports Palace.

Already at the age of 13, Alexei Yagudin took fourth place at his first World Junior Championships, and in 1996 he won the championship.

In 1997 he won a bronze medal at the World Championships. Then he won the 1998 European Championship, was fifth at the Nagano Olympics and became the 1998 world champion. In the same year, at the Trophee Lalique tournament, for the first time in his career, Alexey successfully performs an ultra-si jump - a four-turn toe loop.

In 1998, Yagudin left Alexei Mishin and moved to another coach -. With her, he went to train in the United States.

In the 1998-1999 season, Yagudin won eleven tournaments out of thirteen, including victories at Skate America, Sparkassen Cup (Nations Cup in Germany), Trophee Lalique. He won the World Championship among professionals, where amateurs were admitted for the first time, defeating Kurt Browning himself, the former unconditional favorite of this tournament since 1994.

In 1999, there was a victory at the European Championship, in the Grand Prix finals and at the World Championships - Yagudin, having performed a four-turn toe loop jump cleanly, received 6.0 for technique from one of the judges and six marks of 5.9 for artistry.

In the 1999-2000 season, Leonid Moiseevich Raitsin, a specialist in speed-strength, functional technical and psycho-energetic training of athletes, joined to work with Yagudin. Choreographer Vladimir Ulyanov was replaced by Nikolai Morozov. At the same time, Alexey began to cooperate with one of the largest sports agencies in the world - IMG, Dmitry Goryachkin became his agent for many years.

In the fall of 1999, Yagudin won all the Grand Prix tournaments for which he was declared: Skate America, Skate Canada, Trophee Lalique (but did not take part in the Grand Prix final).

At the 2000 European Championships, Yagudin, speaking in a cast, won the short program. But he skated worse in the free skate and got a silver medal. Then he won the world championship. He became the first single skater in the history of Russia - a three-time world champion, moreover, who managed to win this title three times in a row.

The 2000-2001 season is notable for the appearance of one of Alexei Yagudin's famous free programs - "Gladiator", set to music for the film of the same name. But it was with the Gladiator, having won two stages of the Grand Prix series, the Canadian and Japanese Opens, that Yagudin lost all the big starts in 2001. At the 2001 World Championship, Yagudin lost.

At the 2001 Goodwill Games, Alexey received only third place. He even wanted to leave the sport. But Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova worked as a psychologist, who convinced him to stay.

Yagudin said: “In 2001, the Goodwill Games were held in Australia. I was very eager to go there, although Tarasova dissuaded me, I felt that I was not ready. As a result, I chatted the coach, went and took only third place. Complete moral devastation. He invited Tarasova to a restaurant, ordered a bottle of wine and said: "Thank you very much for everything, but I can't do it anymore. Three world titles and two - Europe will be enough, I'm tying up. " I wanted to continue the tirade, but Tatyana Anatolyevna interrupted, offered to order another bottle and under this case he says: "Lesh, let's go to the Olympics after all. Well, we'll be in the top three? You won't go lower. And the Olympic medal will definitely come in handy. " Subtle psychologist. Lowered the degree of tension, and the situation seemed not so sad. That season, he seemed to fly on wings. He won the 2002 Olympic Games, the World and European Championships. He collected all the trophies."

2002 - the peak of Yagudin's career. He won the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. His triumph was one of the brightest victories in the history of figure skating and Russian sports.

The short program “Winter”, brilliantly performed at the Games, staged by Tarasova and Morozov to the music of the Bond group, is now considered a reference in terms of choreography and creating an artistic image on ice. And the performance of the free program “The Man in the Iron Mask” brought Yagudin a kind of Olympic records - he was awarded the victory by all nine judges, he became the first Olympic champion to complete two jumps in four turns in the program, one of which was in a cascade, and the first winner of the Olympics in the category "men's single skating", which received four "6.0" marks from the judges for artistry.

Alexei Yagudin - 2002 Olympics

Interestingly, with all his high-profile titles, he never won the Russian championship - he became the vice-champion of the country four times.

The 2002 World Championship brought Yagudin a new title - he became a four-time world champion in figure skating. And he set a new record: he received six "sixes" from the judges for the short program "Winter" (one for the technique of performance and five for the presentation).

In the 2002-2003 season, Alexei Yagudin won a number of semi-professional tournaments, the Top Jumps tournament, became a two-time world champion among professionals (Halmark Skaters Championship). However, the pain in the hip, which previously could somehow be dealt with and skated, made itself felt with renewed vigor. And Alexei withdrew from the competition for the first time in his life: after performing the short program "Race" at Skate America in October 2002, he took first place, but a few minutes before the free program was forced to give up further struggle. The audience saw the skater off with a standing ovation.

In November 2003, Alexei Yagudin announced his retirement from sports. Cavalier of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2003).

Later, he performed in the show "Stars on Ice" and in professional tournaments, twice became the world champion among professionals.

In 2007, Yagudin underwent an operation to replace the right hip joint. After that, inspired by the absence of pain, Alexei told the press that he wanted to return to amateur sports. However, these plans were not destined to come true: in the process of preparing for his return, Yagudin faced new injuries - at a speech in Germany, he could not finish his performances and was carried off the ice. After that, Alexey parted with the dream of continuing his amateur career.

Since 2007, a frequent guest on the jury of KVN.

In 2008, on the stage of the Satire Theater, Alexei played the President of Russia in the satirical performance "President's Vacation". He also played on the theater stage in the private performances “Do not believe your eyes” (Louis Lamar) and “Panic, or Men on the verge of a nervous breakdown” based on the play by Finnish playwright Miki Mylluaho (Leo). Together with he took part in the theatrical production of "Stories of Adventures".

In 2010, he played one of the main roles in the ice performance "City Lights" (director).

Since 2008, he has been acting in films, making his debut with a leading role in a sports series "Hot Ice", where he played the role of the figure skater Roman. The painting "Hot Ice" is a beautiful and exciting story about the fate of people who have closely connected their lives with figure skating. The viewer was able to see all the ins and outs of big sport from the inside: tears and joys of victories, incorruptible love and betrayal, true friendship and behind-the-scenes intrigues, the struggle for happiness and success, both in a difficult ice career and in life.

Alexei Yagudin in the series "Hot Ice"

Alexei Yagudin in the series "The Heart of Captain Nemov"

On television, he recorded many stories for the transfer of Mikhail Shirvindt "I want to know."

Repeatedly participated in the projects of Channel One: in 2006 in the show "Stars on Ice" paired with a TV presenter, in 2007 in the "Ice Age" with a singer, in 2008 and 2009 paired with an actress.

In 2010, he participated in the Channel One project "Ice and Fire" in tandem with. In 2011, he participated in the show "Bolero" in a pair with ballerina Kristina Kretova.

In 2012, he was the host of the Professional Cup show, paired with. In 2013 and 2014 he was the host of the Ice Age paired with Irina Slutskaya, in 2016 he hosted the show with.

In 2017, he played the role of the Mouse King in the New Year's ice show The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The production is based on the original fairy tale by Hoffmann. The role of Marie was played by Tatyana Totmyanina, and Drosselmeyer's nephew Amadeus was played by Maxim Marinin.

Alexei Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina - Mirror for the hero

The growth of Alexei Yagudin: 175 centimeters.

Personal life of Alexei Yagudin:

His first love was a figure skater. At the age of 19, he was even going to propose to Elena Berezhnaya. Yagudin: “I even bought a ring and put my coach Tatyana Tarasova before the fact. However, it didn’t work out for us, and later I gave this ring to another girl, also a figure skater from Japan.”

He was in a relationship with the singer, soloist of the Factory group. Their romance began on the Ice Age show. However, marriage did not come to pass. As Savelyeva explained, at some point they stopped understanding each other. However, they remained on good terms. "Lesha is a very decent, well-mannered and intelligent young man, and at the same time a real romantic," Sasha Savelyeva said about him.

Then he began a relationship with a colleague - a figure skater, an Olympic champion in pair skating. They were brought together by a tragedy - Tatyana's mother died in a car accident, and Alexei was the first to lend a friendly shoulder. For a long time, the couple lived in a civil marriage.

November 20, 2009 the couple had a daughter, Elizabeth. On October 2, 2015, their second daughter, Michelle, was born.

February 2016 in Krasnoyarsk. The Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Viktor Tolokonsky came to congratulate the newlyweds.

Until 2017, their home was in France, where their daughter Lisa graduated from the first class. However, in connection with the work, Tatyana and Alexei decided to move to Moscow and transfer their eldest daughter to a Moscow school. Totmyanina explained: “There are more opportunities in Moscow, parents are nearby - we have a difficult tour schedule. After all, children should be nearby. When we had the opportunity to spend more time in France, we hoped that we could cope with the schedule. But, looking at the new schedule, realized that it was necessary to move to Moscow.

In 2003, Alexei Yagudin was detained by police in Avon, Connecticut, for speeding. After the examination, it turned out that the level of alcohol in his blood significantly exceeds the permissible norm. By decision of the Superior Court of the city of Hartford, he had to go through a "special program for the first time convicted of drunk driving."

In March 2008, while on tour with the show "Ice Age" in Krasnodar, Yagudin was hospitalized with inflammation of the appendix. The figure skater underwent surgery, and three days later he was discharged from the hospital.

In June 2008, unknown persons stole a Porsche Cayenne car belonging to a figure skater in Moscow; the car also contained a gold medal won by Yagudin at one of the world championships.

Olympic Games:

Gold - Salt Lake City 2002

World Championships:

Bronze - Lausanne 1997
Gold - Minneapolis 1998
Gold - Helsinki 1999
Gold - Nice 2000
Silver - Vancouver 2001
Gold - Nagano 2002

European Championships:

Gold - Milan 1998
Gold - Prague 1999
Silver - Vienna 2000
Silver - Bratislava 2001
Gold - Lausanne 2002

Grand Prix Final:

Gold - St. Petersburg 1998
Silver - Tokyo 2000
Gold - Kitchener 2001

Filmography of Alexei Yagudin:

2008 - Hot Ice - Roman
2009 - The Heart of Captain Nemov - Igor Petelin, sailor
2010 - Alexander Zhulin. The Steadfast Tin Soldier (documentary)
2011 - Alexey Yagudin. Chronicle of One Pain (cycle "Start over") (documentary)
2011 - Alexey Mishin. Torn Between the Stars (documentary)
2012 - I do not have an icy heart (documentary)
2012 - Masha and the Bear - Ilya
2015 - One left - cameo

Alexei Yagudin was born in St. Petersburg on March 18, 1980. Like many future figure skating stars, he came to the rink to improve his health. At first, Alexey trained with Alexander Mayorov. After the departure of the coach to Sweden, the promising athlete moved to another well-known specialist - Alexei Mishin. At that time, next to him, his future main rival, Evgeni Plushenko, also improved his sportsmanship.

Despite constant training, Yagudin studied very well at school and even received a silver medal. In 1997, the young man became a student at the Lesgaft St. Petersburg Academy of Physical Education. A year later, Alexei Yagudin changed his coach, moving to the group with Tatyana Tarasova. In the same year, he won the European and World Championships. The famous coach managed to discover a bright artistic beginning inherent in a young athlete.

Meanwhile, his old friend Evgeni Plushenko entered the world arena, who was not going to remain in the shadow of Yagudin and resolutely fought with him for victory in prestigious competitions. Interestingly, Plushenko constantly won the national championship, while at European and world level competitions he most often lost the palm to Alexei.

In total, Yagudin managed to become a three-time European champion and a four-time world champion. A slight decline in his career occurred only in 2001, when, after a serious injury, he lost the world championship for the only time, losing first place to Evgeni Plushenko. However, the very next year, 2002, was marked by a real triumph for Alexei Yagudin, who brilliantly won the Olympics in Salt Lake City.

At that time, the athlete who had already become a living legend was only 22 years old. It seemed that a series of new victories awaited him ahead. But old injuries and joint disease forced him to end his sports career.

Career after sport

In 2006, Alexei Yagudin was offered to participate in the First Channel show "Stars on Ice". In the future, the program that became popular was renamed the Ice Age. Yagudin constantly appeared in it both as a participant and as a host. In addition, he played one of the main roles in the television series "Hot Ice".

Today, the Olympic champion takes part in television programs, plays dramatic roles in private performances, and continues to perform in ice shows.

Personal life

Charming Alexei Yagudin has always been a success with the fair sex. There were rumors about his numerous novels with famous athletes. In 2007, on the set of the Ice Age show, the skater met the blonde beauty Sasha Savelyeva. The young singer immediately won his heart. However, in 2008 this beautiful and popular couple broke up. At the same time, Yagudin began a serious relationship with his old friend, figure skater Tatyana Totmyanina. For a long time they lived in a civil marriage. In 2009, the first child was born in a young family - daughter Liza. In 2015, Yagudin and Totmianina had a second daughter, Michelle. In the winter of 2016, famous athletes officially became husband and wife.

The four-time Olympic world champion, three-time European champion, Honored Master of Sports in single figure skating, Alexei Yagudin has many fans. They want to know information about his family, wife and children. Let's talk about it in our article.

Alexei Yagudin was born in 1980 in the northern capital. The boy's father left his family and went to Germany to another wife. The spouses had no children, except for Alyosha. Mom, who worked as an engineer, directed all her efforts to raising her only son.

Alyosha was often sick in childhood, so his mother decided to harden him with the help of sports. She gave him to the figure skating section, and did not lose. If she knew then what a famous person her son would grow up to be and what successes he would achieve in the sports field! Although in his victories there is a great merit of the mother: she carefully made sure that her son worked hard, diligently practiced every jump.

In addition to figure skating, Alexei went in for skiing in the winter, and in the summer he diligently performed various exercises to keep fit. Once the boy's patience snapped, and he told his mother that he wanted to quit figure skating. In response, he suddenly heard the following words: “If you don’t want to, don’t do it!”. After that, Alexei changed his mind and never spoke about it again.

Sports career

Yagudin's first coach was Alexander Mayorov, a student of the famous Alexei Mishin. Under his guidance, Alexei studied until the age of twelve. Then Mayorov went abroad, and Mishin himself became Alexei's coach. At the same time, another athlete Evgeni Plushenko was training in the group.

Thanks to studies with a renowned mentor, Alexey has achieved unprecedented success. At the age of 13, he finished fourth in the junior championship. And after only three years, the skater has already become the champion of this competition.

But the young skater did not want to stop there either. In 1997, Alexei participated in the European Championship and took an honorable third place. The next year was significant for the young athlete: Alexei took fifth place at the Winter Olympics and won the World Championship! His famous trick - a four-turn sheepskin coat shocked everyone, not only spectators, but also experienced professionals.

Alexei Yagudin - famous figure skater

All these works in the sports field could not distract the young man from studying in high school. Alexey graduated from high school with a silver medal! How he did it all remains a mystery. At school, the boy was more easily given the exact sciences, he was not a humanist. After leaving school, Alexei entered the Academy of Physical Education, where he received the title of Master of Sports.

In 1998, Alexei moved to the coach, the famous coach gladly took patronage of a talented athlete. In the same year, he had to leave for the United States, where he continued to play sports.

Tarasova's patronage brought unprecedented success to the young athlete: Alexey became the winner at the World Championship and the European Championship. However, in Russia, Evgeni Plushenko managed to get ahead of him.

The fight for the first place between the two strong skaters went on for quite a long time, but at the same time they remained friends in everyday life. There was never any enmity or envy between them.

It turned out that Plushenko always won the Russian championship, and Yagudin was the winner at the world and European championships. It was like that for several years.

In 1999, Alexei changed the choreographer, Nikolai Morozov became him. In 2001, Yagudin was injured, and doctors tried to dissuade him from participating in the World Championships. However, the stubborn skater still took part in the competition. He won the short program, but for the first time he became the world champion.

In the same year, Yagudin took part in the Goodwill Games, despite the coach's ban, as a result, he took third place. Such a defeat greatly crippled his mental strength, he even began to think about how to end his sports career. But Tarasova persuaded him to participate in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and he reluctantly agreed. And it turned out that not in vain.

The 2002 Olympic Games brought the skater an unprecedented success! He received a gold medal, his performance "The Man in the Iron Mask", which became his hallmark, was highly appreciated by professionals and sports fans.

Thanks to Alexei, the so-called "Yagudin tracks" appeared in sports. This is a series of complex steps along a curve, performed at high speed, with intricate movements of the hands and body.

The skater's performances have always been distinguished by great emotionality, by which one could recognize his style.

After the peak of popularity, the skater suddenly decided that he was leaving big sport. The fact is that he was increasingly worried about pain in the thigh, because of which it became increasingly difficult for him to go on the ice. After the examination, it turned out that the athlete had a congenital bone defect, and the injury only aggravated the situation. In 2003, Yagudin officially announced the end of his sports career, but he never parted with the ice arena.

Further work

After the end of his sports career, Alexei Yagudin decided to devote his life to his family, wife and children.

Since 2006, the skater began to appear at various ice shows, despite unbearable pain in his hip. He could go on the ice only after taking painkillers.

Once it all ended sadly - the athlete was carried away from the ice arena on a stretcher. Then Yagudin decided on the operation, which was successfully carried out in 2006. The figure skater was replaced by a hip joint, after which he tried to return to the sport. However, this was a hasty decision.

Yagudin was the host of the program "Children on Ice"

Then, the following year, he participated in the Ice Age show, where singer Victoria Daineko was his partner on ice. In the next two years, Yagudin skated with actress Valeria Lanskaya.

In 2010, Aleskey took part in the Ice and Fire project, where actress Maria Kozhevnikova became his partner. The following year, Yagudin was invited to the Bolero show, his partner was the ballerina Kristina Kretova. Then he led the program "Professional Cup" together with Irina Slutskaya. Then he hosted the Ice Age show with her, in 2016 Alla Mikheeva replaced Irina in this program.

Alexei was often invited as a jury to KVN. Yagudin also worked for the program "I want to know everything", acting in various subjects for this educational program.

Alexei Yagudin in the movie "Hot Ice"

In addition, Alexei decided to try his hand at acting. In 2008, he appeared on the stage of the Satire Theater in Moscow in the play "President's Vacation". The skater also starred in several films and TV series, both feature films and documentaries:

• "Deffchonki";
• "Masha and the Bear";
• "Hot Ice";
• "Heart of Captain Nemov".

In 2010, Yagudin took part in Averbukh's show City Lights. In 2003, the skater was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, fourth degree. In addition, he is the winner of the "Glory" award as the best athlete.

Interestingly, in 2008, while touring with the Ice Age show, Alexei was urgently hospitalized with suspected inflammation of appendicitis. He underwent surgery, after which he was discharged from the hospital.

Also known is the scandalous fact of the biography of the famous athlete, when in 2003 he was detained by the US police for speeding. Then it turned out that the content of alcohol in his blood was much higher than the permissible one. The figure skater had to undergo special punishment.

Personal life

All fans of the athlete Alexei Yagudin have always been interested in knowing about his family, wife and children. On the Internet you can find many photos of the athlete and his relatives.

Many people know that Alexei Yagudin, before he started a family and children, met for a long time with the soloist of the Fabrika group, the charming Alexandra Savelyeva. Some even thought that she would become his wife, however, this did not happen.

Yes, Alexey was in love with Sasha Savelyeva, he even said that he had always dreamed of such a wife, but suddenly Yagudin and Savelyeva broke up. Maybe because he began an affair with Tatyana Totmianina.

Alexei Yagudin with his wife Tatyana Totmyanina

They often saw Tanya on the ice when she skated with Marinin. Alexei knew that she was in a relationship with Evgeni Plushenko. But when Alexei found out that Eugene left Tanya and started a family and children, he began to look after her. When they began to participate together in the show "Ice Age", a romance broke out between them. In 2009, the couple had a daughter, who was called Lisa.

However, Alexei Yagudin said that he was not yet ready to start a family with Tatyana, despite the fact that she was already his common-law wife. And only when they already had two children (the second daughter Michelle was born in 2015), they got married. It happened on February 22, 2016.

In the photo, Alexei Yagudin with his family: wife Tatiana and daughter Elizaveta

According to both, spouses often quarrel for various reasons. There were even rumors that they intend to divorce, but so far this has not happened.

Tatyana was very worried about her last daughter, the baby was born two months ahead of schedule. She did not breathe for several days, mother shed many tears for this reason. But a miracle happened, and the girl began to breathe on her own.