Maya Usova

Maya Valentinovna Usova (Russian: Майя Валентиновна Усова, born 22 May 1964) is a Russian former ice dancer. With Alexander Zhulin, she is a two-time Olympic medalist (1994 silver, 1992 bronze), the 1993 World champion, and the 1993 European champion. They also won gold medals at Skate America, NHK Trophy, Nations Cup, and Winter Universiade. They represented the Soviet Union, the Unified Team, and Russia.

Maya Usova
Usova/Zhulin at a 1989 exhibition in West Berlin.
Personal information
Full nameMaya Valentinovna Usova
Alternative namesMaia Usova
Country representedRussia
Former country(ies) representedUnified Team
Soviet Union
Born (1964-05-22) 22 May 1964
Gorky, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Former partnerAlexander Zhulin
Evgeni Platov
Alexei Batalov
Former coachNatalia Dubova
Former choreographerGiuseppe Arena[1]
Skating clubProfsoyuz Moskva / Sportsclub Moskva
Retired1994
Medal record
Figure skating
Ice dancing
Representing  Russia
Winter Olympics
1994 LillehammerIce dancing
World Championships
1993 PragueIce dancing
European Championships
1994 CopenhagenIce dancing
1993 HelsinkiIce dancing
Representing  Unified Team and  CIS
Winter Olympics
1992 AlbertvilleIce dancing
World Championships
1992 OaklandIce dancing
European Championships
1992 LausanneIce dancing
Representing  Soviet Union
World Championships
1991 MunichIce dancing
1990 HalifaxIce dancing
1989 ParisIce dancing
European Championships
1991 SofiaIce dancing
1990 LeningradIce dancing
1989 BirminghamIce dancing

Career

Maya Usova initially competed with Alexei Batalov. At the age of nine, she moved from Gorky to Moscow to train with coach Natalia Dubova.[2] Dubova paired her with Alexander Zhulin in 1980. In 1988, they made their first appearance at the European Championships, placing fourth. The next season, they won silver at the 1989 European Championships in Birmingham, England and silver in their World Championships debut, in Paris. They maintained their silver medal standing in the world with a silver at the 1990 European Figure Skating Championships, but for the first time dropped behind the Duchesnays to third at the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships in Halifax.

After being third again at the 1991 European Figure Skating Championships, they looked poised for the big breakthrough, for the first time leading their teammates Klimova & Ponomarenko after the compulsories, then leading both the Duchesnays and Klimova & Ponomarenko into the free dance at the 1991 World Figure Skating Championships. However the top 3 teams were so close the final finish of the free dance order would determine the final results. Maya Usova & Alexander Zhulin skated a strong free dance that seemed to ensure the title, but had drawn first in the final flight, and received a wide spread of marks from the judges. Despite receiving four first place ordinals in the free dance, a strange ordinal situation caused them to place third in the free dance and drop from first to third in the end.

In the 1991–92 season, Usova/Zhulin won silver at the 1992 European Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland and then captured their first Olympic medal, bronze, at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. Usova/Zhulin ended their season with silver at the 1992 World Championships in Oakland, California. They seemed to be threatening for victory at the Worlds, with three first place ordinals ahead of Klimova & Ponomarenko in the original dance, but a fall in the free dance ended any hopes. They moved with Dubova from Moscow to Lake Placid, New York in September 1992.[1][3]

In the 1992–93 season, Usova/Zhulin won the 1993 European Championships in Helsinki and the 1993 World Championships in Prague. This was a commanding victory as they won all four phases of the competition at both events, and received straight first place ordinals, apart from losing two first place ordinals to the up-and-coming Russians Anjelika Krylova & Vladimir Fedorov at Worlds.

The next season, they were third at the 1994 European Championships in Copenhagen, behind Jayne Torvill / Christopher Dean and Oksana Grishuk / Evgeni Platov. They appeared to have the gold medal won as they entered the free dance tied for first with Torvill & Dean, and Grishuk & Platov were mathematically out of contention for the gold medal entering the free dance. However the free dance of Grishuk & Platov which handily won that phase changed the ordinals, and Usova & Zhulin were pushed to third in the free dance behind Torvill & Dean and dropped to third overall. They were heavily criticized for their new free program which was said by critics to lack speed and be too far a departure from their usual sensual and elegant style of dancing.

At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, they won the silver medal behind Grishuk/Platov. They entered the free dance tied for first with Torvill & Dean, with Grishuk & Platov in third, but with all 3 teams in contention for the gold by winning the free dance. Despite a better overall set of ordinals in the free dance than Grishuk & Platov with three first and six seconds to five firsts, one second, and three thirds for Grishuk & Platov, they lost gold by the majority rule, Grishuk & Platov having the five first place ordinals they needed to win the free dance. After the controversial and upsetting loss Usova & Zhulin withdrew from the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, where they had planned to end their amateur career and immediately went professional.

Usova/Zhulin skated together professionally from 1994 to 1997. They toured with Champions on Ice and won the World Professional Championships. From 1998 to 2000, Usova performed with former rival, Evgeni Platov. Coach Tatiana Tarasova discussed the challenges of pairing Platov, in prime competitive shape, with Usova, a long-time smoker who was nearing retirement. She designed their programs to include many lifts, where Platov was carrying Usova around the ice. Their career started out with mixed results, with marks as low as 4.5 at the Canadian Open, but also an upset win at the World Professional Championships. After last-place finishes in nearly all events in 1999 and 2000, Usova & Platov ceased competing.

From 2002 to 2004, Usova was an assistant coach to Tatiana Tarasova and Platov, working with Galit Chait / Sergei Sakhnovsky and Shizuka Arakawa. She has coached at the Igloo in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey and Odintsovo, near Moscow. She is an International Technical Specialist for Russia.[4]

Personal life

Usova and Zhulin were married in 1986[3] but later divorced.[5] Zhulin claimed that their marriage was a sham to get a free apartment from the Soviet government, though Usova denied this claim. Following their loss at the Olympics and subsequent divorce, Usova fell into a deep depression. According to television interviews she gave in 1998, she was hospitalized 17 times for depression. She is remarried to a Russian professor in medicine, Anatoly Orletsky.[6] In 2010, she gave birth to their daughter, Anastasia.

Off the ice, she has appeared in several Marlboro advertisements in Russia.

Programs

With Zhulin
Usova/Zhulin in 1994
Usova/Zhulin in 1989
Season Original dance Free dance[7] Exhibition[8]
1993–1994
  • A Day In The Life Of A Fool
  • Ausencias
    by Ástor Piazzolla
1992–1993
  • Blues For Klook
    by Eddy Louis
  • Ausencias
  • Autumn Leaves
1991–1992
  • A Paris
1990–1991
  • Autumn Leaves
1989–1990
  • Adios Nonino
  • Oblivion
  • Duo de Amor
    by Ástor Piazzolla
1988–1989
  • A Paris
1987–1988
  • Indian Temple dance
Post-1994[8]
  • La Belle Dame Sans Regret
    by Sting
  • L'Oiseau (from Cirque du Soleil)
  • The Hunchback
  • Duo de Amor
  • Milonga Loca
  • Oblivion
    by Ástor Piazzolla
  • Blues For Klook

With Platov
Season Programs[7][8][9]
2000–2001
1999–2000
  • Copa de la Vida
  • Historia de un Amor
1998–1999
  • When You Came Into My Life

Results

Amateur career

With Zhulin for the Soviet Union (URS), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Unified Team at the Olympics (EUN), and Russia (RUS):

International
Event 1982–83
(URS)		 1983–84
(URS)		 1984–85
(URS)		 1985–86
(URS)		 1986–87
(URS)		 1987–88
(URS)		 1988–89
(URS)		 1989–90
(URS)		 1990–91
(URS)		 1991–92
(CIS, EUN)		 1992–93
(RUS)		 1993–94
(RUS)
Olympics3rd2nd
Worlds2nd3rd3rd2nd1st
Europeans4th2nd2nd3rd2nd1st3rd
Skate America1st1st
Nations Cup1st
NHK Trophy2nd1st1st1st
Moscow News6th4th3rd2nd
Goodwill Games2nd
Nebelhorn1st
St. Gervais1st
St. Ivel / Electric1st1st
Universiade1st2nd
National
Soviet Champ.2nd5th3rd3rd3rd3rd2nd1st
Spartakiada1st
USSR Cup3rd

Post-eligible career
Event 1994–95 1998–99
World Professional Champ.1st1st
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gollark: OLEDs still use polarizers except the shiny new Samsung stuff.
gollark: E-ink is kind of bad and expensive, same for CRTs, and micro-LED isn't there yet.
gollark: But then I can't use a computer.
gollark: Also also radio waves.

References
  1. Reiter, Susan (1995-03-01). "Ice dancing: a dance form frozen in place by hostile rules". Dance Magazine. The Free Library. (FindArticles)
  2. Harvey, Randy (February 22, 1994). "'94 WINTER LILLEHAMMER OLYMPICS : Torvill and Dean Must Face Music as Russians Win : Ice dancing: British routine doesn't go over with judges. Gritschuk and Platov get gold". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  3. Hersh, Phil (February 22, 1994). "Love Triangle (plus 1) Tops Torvill And Dean". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  4. "ISU Communication No. 1467". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 2009-02-03.
  5. Sports-reference: Maiya Usova
  6. Vaytsekhovskaya, Elena (2009-01-24). Майя Усова: "Тем, кто не уехал, надо ставить памятники". Sport Express (in Russian). (Translation - Maya Usova: “Those who remained are real heroes”)
  7. Skate Music List Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
  8. World Professional Figure Skating Championships – Landover, MD
  9. Japan Open

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