Ilia Tkachenko

Ilia Alexeyevich Tkachenko (Russian: Илья Алексеевич Ткаченко, born 26 December 1986) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. Skating for Russia with Ekaterina Riazanova, he became the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard silver medalist, the 2012 Skate Canada International bronze medalist, and a three-time Russian national medalist. Competing with Isabella Tobias for Israel, he won four medals on the ISU Challenger Series.

Ilia Tkachenko
Tobias and Tkachenko in 2017
Personal information
Native nameИлья Алексеевич Ткаченко
Full nameIlia Alexeyevich Tkachenko
Country representedIsrael
Former country(ies) representedRussia
Born (1986-12-26) 26 December 1986
Perm, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Home townDetroit, United States
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
PartnerIsabella Tobias
Former partnerEkaterina Riazanova, Maria Monko, Anastasia Gorshkova
CoachMarina Zueva, Johnny Johns, Massimo Scali, Oleg Epstein
Former coachIgor Shpilband, Adrienne Lenda, Alexei Gorshkov
ChoreographerMarina Zueva, Massimo Scali
Former choreographerIgor Shpilband, Oleg Volkov, Sergei Petukhov
Skating clubIce Holon Israel
Former skating clubOdintsovo FSC
Training locationsDetroit, Michigan
Former training locationsOdintsovo
Began skating1991
ISU personal best scores
Combined total160.98
2015 CS Mordovian Ornament
Short dance65.28
2015 CS Mordovian Ornament
Free dance98.94
2015 CS Tallinn Trophy
Medal record
Figure skating: Ice dancing
Representing  Russia
(with Riazanova)
Russian Championships
2011 SaranskIce dancing
2012 SaranskIce dancing
2013 SochiIce dancing
Representing  Russia
(with Monko)
Junior Grand Prix Final
2007–08 GdanskIce dancing
Representing  Russia
(with Gorshkova)
World Junior Championships
2005 KitchenerIce dancing

Personal life

Tkachenko was born on 26 December 1986 in Perm, Russian SFSR,[1] the elder of two boys.[2] He studied municipal administration.[3] He married his wife, Ksenia,[4] who is also from Perm, on 15 June 2012.[5]

After deciding to compete for Israel, Tkachenko applied for Israeli citizenship. In November 2017, news media reported that his application had been unsuccessful.[6]

Career

Early career

Tkachenko began skating at the age of four in Perm. Initially, he was a single skater, training in Andrei Kislukhin's group, but when it dissolved he took up ice dancing.[2] He moved with his grandmother to Moscow at age 13.[2]

Tkachenko competed with Anastasia Gorshkova from 2002 to 2006, coached by her father, Alexei Gorshkov.[7] They won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Junior Championships and four medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series — two gold, one silver, one bronze. They finished 7th at the 2006 World Junior Championships. Gorshkova retired from competition in July 2006 due to a hip injury.[8]

2006–2007 season: Debut of Monko/Tkachenko

Around late August 2006, Tkachenko began training with Maria Monko in Odintsovo under Gorshkov.[8] They won the silver medal at the 2007 Russian Junior Championships and placed fifth at the 2007 World Junior Championships.

2007–2008 season

Monko/Tkachenko won a pair of medals on the Junior Grand Prix series and qualified for the JGP Final where they took gold. They finished fourth at the 2008 World Junior Championships after Monko fell on twizzles in both the original and free dance.

2008–2009 season

Monko/Tkachenko received two senior Grand Prix assignments, 2008 Skate America and 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, and prepared new programs.[8] They withdrew, however, from both events.

After their partnership ended, Tkachenko briefly skated with Isabella Tobias in 2008.[9] Tobias and Tkachenko did not compete together. In spring 2009, Tkachenko expressed interest in skating with Ekaterina Riazanova. After a tryout, they both felt it would be a good partnership, despite her needing time to adapt to his different technique and some disapproval from the Russian skating federation.[3] They decided to be coached by Gorshkov at Odintsovo FSC, near Moscow.[3]

2009–2010 season: Debut of Riazanova/Tkachenko

Riazanova/Tkachenko began competing together during the 2009–2010 season. They finished fourth at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, sixth at their sole Grand Prix event, the 2009 Cup of Russia, and fourth at the Russian Nationals.

2010–2011 season

Riazanova/Tkachenko decided to scrap the free dance they had planned for the 2010–2011 season and prepare a new one.[10] They placed fifth at their first Grand Prix event of the season, the 2010 Skate America, and then won silver at the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. At the 2011 Russian Nationals, they won the silver medal and their first berth to the European Championships.[10] At the 2011 Europeans, Riazanova/Tkachenko placed fifth in the short dance, sixth in the free dance, and sixth overall.[11] Russia had only two spots to the World Championships and since both Bobrova/Soloviev and Ilinykh/Katsalapov had placed ahead of them at Europeans, they did not make the team, however, they continued training as first alternates and also worked on new programs until the end of May; after vacation, they resumed training for the new season on 20 June, including a three-week camp in Bulgaria.[3]

2011–2012 season
Riazanova and Tkachenko with coach Alexei Gorshkov (right) and choreographer Sergei Petukhov (left)

For the 2011–2012 season, Riazanova/Tkachenko were assigned to 2011 Skate Canada and 2011 Cup of Russia as their Grand Prix events. On their free dance, which was choreographed by Sergei Petukhov, Riazanova said, "A young woman remembers her beloved, who is no longer alive. She is so deeply immersed in the memories of happy times that her dreams seem to become reality for a short while."[2] They had to withdraw from 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy because Tkachenko's new passport was not ready.[12][13] On 13 December 2011 Riazanova sustained a concussion and a broken nose when Tkachenko accidentally elbowed her in practice; she was released from hospital at her own risk on 20 December [14][15] At the Russian Championships which began on December 25, Riazanova/Tkachenko won the bronze medal after placing third in the short dance and fourth in the free dance.[16][15] They finished 5th overall at the 2012 European Championships but received a small bronze medal for their 3rd place in the short dance. They finished 9th at the 2012 World Championships.

2012–2013 season

In April 2012, Tkachenko said that they would spend some time preparing for the following season in Marina Zueva and Igor Shpilband's group in the United States,[17] however, the coaches parted ways so the skaters decided to train with Shpilband in Novi, Michigan.[18][19] At a camp in Bulgaria, Tkachenko lost his balance while practicing a lift on the floor in skates and stepped on Riazanova's hand; she had surgery on her hand and recovered well.[19] At the suggestion of Tatiana Tarasova, they decided to scrap a new free dance to Pink Floyd's Hey You and made a new one to a waltz from the Godfather films.[19] Riazanova/Tkachenko won bronze medals at the 2012 Skate Canada and 2012 Trophée Eric Bompard. They repeated as bronze medalists at the 2013 Russian Championships.

2013–2014 season

Riazanova/Tkachenko finished fourth at their two Grand Prix events, the 2013 Skate Canada International and the 2013 Rostelecom Cup. They then finished fourth at the 2014 Russian Championships behind Victoria Sinitsina / Ruslan Zhiganshin. In April 2014, Tkachenko left the partnership.[20]

2014–2015 season

Tkachenko and Isabella Tobias teamed up in the summer of 2014 to represent Israel. They had skated together for six months in 2008.[21] On their decision regarding which country to represent, Tobias stated: "The U.S. would have granted him citizenship one year too late at best; Russia wanted me to give away my American passport, which I would never do; and the experts we consulted assured (us) that Lithuania would never grant him citizenship (I barely got mine). So we chose Israel, as I am of Jewish origin, and Ilia has also some Jewish roots via his mother, which makes it easier."[22] The two sat out the 2014–2015 season in order to become eligible to compete for the following season.[23]

2015–2016 season: Debut of Tobias/Tkachenko

Tobias/Tkachenko began the season on the Challenger Series (CS), winning silver medals at the Finlandia Trophy and Mordovian Ornament.[23] They placed 10th at the 2016 European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, and 12th at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, United States. They were coached by Igor Shpilband and Adrienne Lenda in Novi, Michigan.[24]

2016–2017 season

Tobias/Tkachenko ranked 4th at the 2016 CS Autumn Classic International in Canada before making their Grand Prix debut as a team. After placing 6th at the 2016 Skate America and 5th at the 2016 Trophée de France, they won silver behind Elena Ilinykh / Ruslan Zhiganshin at the 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy.

The two placed 12th at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Due to their result, Israel qualified a spot in the ice dancing event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. They were coached by Shpilband and Lenda in Novi, Michigan.[4]

On 12 April 2017, Tobias/Tkachenko announced a coaching change, having decided to join Marina Zoueva, Oleg Epstein, Massimo Scali, and Johnny Johns at the Arctic Edge in Canton, Michigan.[25]

2017–2018 season

Tobias/Tkachenko withdrew from both of their Grand Prix assignments – the 2017 NHK Trophy and 2017 Skate America. Due to Tkachenko's unsuccessful application for Israeli citizenship, they were not included in Israel's team to the 2018 Winter Olympics.[6]

Post-competitive career

In January 2019, Tkachenko moved to Estero, Florida, to coach at the Hertz Arena's International Skating Academy.[26]

Programs

With Tobias
Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2017–2018
[1]
2016–2017
[4]
2015–2016
[27][24]

With Riazanova
Riazanova and Tkachenko at the 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard
Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2013–2014
[28]
2012–2013
[29][5]
2011–2012
[30][2]
  • Paxi Ni Ngongo
    by Bonga
  • Cuba
2010–2011
[31]
Original dance
2009–2010
[32]

With Monko
Season Original dance Free dance Exhibition
2007–2008
[33][8]
  • I'm Going Out on the Street
    (Russian: Вдоль по улице)
2006–2007
[34]
  • Tango Passion
    by Ástor Piazzolla
  • Romeo and Juliet
    (soundtrack)

With Gorshkova
Season Original dance Free dance
2005–2006
[7]
  • Baila Son
2004–2005
[35]
  • Selection from Kill Bill
  • Bang, Bang
    (from Kill Bill)
  • Hu Ha

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Tobias for Israel
International[36]
Event 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18
World Champ.12th12th
European Champ.10th4th
GP NHK TrophyWD
GP Skate America6thWD
GP Trophée de France5th
CS Autumn Classic4th
CS Finlandia Trophy2nd
CS Mordovian Ornament2nd
CS Tallinn Trophy1st2nd
Lake Placid IDI1st
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew

With Riazanova
Riazanova and Tkachenko at 2009 Cup of Russia
International[37]
Event 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14
World Champ.9th11th
European Champ.6th5th4th5th
GP Bompard2nd3rd
GP Rostelecom Cup6th4th4th
GP Skate America5th
GP Skate Canada5th3rd4th
Golden Spin2nd1st
Nebelhorn Trophy4th3rd
National[38]
Russian Champ.4th2nd3rd3rd4th

With Monko
Monko and Tkachenko at the 2007–08 JGP Final
International
Event 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09
GP Skate AmericaWD
GP Trophée BompardWD
International: Junior[39]
World Junior Champ.5th4th
JGP Final1st
JGP Austria2nd
JGP United Kingdom1st
National[38]
Russian Junior Champ.2nd2nd
WD = Withdrew

With Gorshkova
International: Junior[40]
Event 2004–05 2005–06
World Junior Champ.3rd7th
JGP Final5th5th
JGP Estonia1st
JGP Poland1st
JGP Serbia2nd
JGP United States3rd
National[38]
Russian Junior Champ.2nd2nd
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References
  1. "Isabella TOBIAS / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017.
  2. Ermolina, Olga (26 August 2011). Надо выходить на лед с мыслью, что мы лучшие [You have to go out on the ice believing you're the best]. Moskovskiye Novosti (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 August 2011.
  3. Flade, Tatjana (24 July 2011). "Riazanova and Tkachenko get into starting position for Sochi". GoldenSkate.
  4. "Isabella TOBIAS / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016.
  5. Екатерина Рязанова и Илья Ткаченко: в новом сезоне мы ставим перед собой максимальные задачи [Ekaterina Riazanova and Ilia Tkachenko: On the new season]. team-russia2014.ru (in Russian). 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 30 April 2014.
  6. Sinai, Allon (November 22, 2017). "Israeli athletes set to don gloves for Winter Olympics". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017.
  7. "Anastasia GORSHKOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 10 May 2006.
  8. Flade, Tatjana (20 July 2008). "Monko and Tkachenko look for a strong senior debut". GoldenSkate.com.
  9. Yermolina, Olga (13 November 2008). Алексей Горшков: Из любой ситуации надо извлекать позитив [Alexei Gorshkov: From any case, you must extract the positive]. Vremya Novostei (in Russian). Archived from the original on 26 April 2012.
  10. Kondakova, Anna (28 December 2010). "Bobrova and Soloviev win first Russian National title". GoldenSkate.com.
  11. Flade, Tatjana (29 January 2011). "Pechalat and Bourzat dance to first European title". GoldenSkate.com.
  12. Flade, Tatjana (16 September 2011). "Russian Skaters Preview New Programs". IFS Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011.
  13. Kulinicheva, Ekaterina (9 September 2011). Илья Ткаченко: "С акробатами работаем до сих пор" [Ilia Tkachenko: "We still work with acrobats"]. Sport Express (in Russian). Archived from the original on 1 April 2012.
  14. Flade, Tatjana (28 December 2011). "Plushenko Captures Ninth Title: A Recap of Russian Nationals". IFS Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012.
  15. Kondakova, Anna (26 December 2011). "Bobrova and Soloviev defend national title". Golden Skate.
  16. Kondakova, Anna (25 December 2011). "Bobrova and Soloviev skate last to finish first". Golden Skate.
  17. Simonenko, Andrei (24 April 2012). Работа в группе Шпильбанда/Зуевой пойдет на пользу - фигурист Ткаченко [Figure skater Tkachenko: Working in Shpilband/Zueva's group will be of benefit]. rsport.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 15 November 2013.
  18. Luchianov, Vladislav (14 November 2012). "Shpilband opens new horizons for Russian duo". IceNetwork. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014.
  19. Kulinicheva, Ekaterina (22 August 2012). Екатерина РЯЗАНОВА: "САМА СЕБЕ ЗАВИДУЮ, ЧТО РАБОТАЮ СО ШПИЛЬБАНДОМ". Sport Express (in Russian). Archived from the original on 25 August 2012.
  20. Kuznetsova, Inna (27 April 2014). Илья Ткаченко: я вообще не уверен, что продолжу кататься дальше [Ilia Tkachenko: I'm not sure that I will continue to skate]. team-russia2014.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 April 2014.
  21. Yofis, Andrey (15 January 2017). "Isabella Tobias and Ilia Tkachenko: "We always push ourselves"". Absolute Skating.
  22. Berlot, Jean-Christophe (January 29, 2016). "Bratislava Rolls: Tobias explains Israeli connections". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018.
  23. Flade, Tatjana (26 October 2015). "Tobias and Tkachenko seize second chance". Golden Skate.
  24. "Isabella TOBIAS / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.
  25. Tobias Lites, Isabella; Tkachenko, Ilya (April 12, 2017). "We would like to announce that our new coaching team is Marina Zoueva, Oleg Epstein, Massimo Scali and Johnny Johns". Facebook.
  26. McKinnis, Mimi (15 January 2019). "Marina Zoueva Relocates International Skating Academy". U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019.
  27. Tobias, Isabella; Tkachenko, Ilya (March 14, 2015). "Programs". Facebook of Isabella Tobias & Ilya Tkachenko. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  28. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014.
  29. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013.
  30. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012.
  31. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010.
  32. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 21 April 2010.
  33. "Maria MONKO / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008.
  34. "Maria MONKO / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007.
  35. "Anastasia GORSHKOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005.
  36. "Competition Results: Isabella TOBIAS / Ilia TKACHENKO". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018.
  37. "Competition Results: Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014.
  38. "Илья Алексеевич Ткаченко" [Ilia Alexeyevich Tkachenko]. fskate.ru (in Russian).
  39. "Competition Results: Maria MONKO / Ilia TKACHENKO". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014.
  40. "Anastasia GORSHKOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
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