Maya Usova

Maya Usova
Usova/Zhulin at a 1989 exhibition in West Berlin.
Personal information
Full name Maya Valentinovna Usova
Alternative names Maia Usova
Country represented Russia
Former country(ies) represented Unified Team
Soviet Union
Born (1964-05-22) 22 May 1964
Gorky, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Former partner Alexander Zhulin
Evgeni Platov
Alexei Batalov
Former coach Natalia Dubova
Former choreographer Giuseppe Arena[1]
Skating club Profsoyuz Moskva / Sportsclub Moskva
Retired 1994
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

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.

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 Duchensays to 3rd at the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships in Halifax.

After being 3rd 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 Duchensays 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 4 1st place ordinals in the free dance, a strange ordinal situation caused them to place 3rd in the free dance and drop from 1st to 3rd 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 3 1st 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 4 phases of the competition at both events, and received straight 1st place ordinals, apart from losing 2 1st 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 1st 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 3rd in the free dance behind Torvill & Dean and dropped to 3rd overall. They were heavily criticized for their new free program which was said by critics to lack speed and be too far a deperature 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 1st with Torvill & Dean, with Grishuk & Platov in 3rd, 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 3 1sts and 6 2nd to 5 1sts, 1 2nd, and 3 3rds for Grishuk & Platov, they lost gold by the majority rule, Grishuk & Platov having the 5 1st 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 immeidately 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.

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] 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
1992–1993
  • Ausencias
  • Autumn Leaves
1991–1992
  • A Paris
1990–1991
  • Autumn Leaves
1989–1990
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
  • 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

References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 Skate Music List Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. 1 2 3 World Professional Figure Skating Championships – Landover, MD
  9. ↑ Japan Open

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