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Ekaterina Gordeeva
This page is dedicated to
Ekaterina Gordeeva,and the new life she created for herself and her
daughter, Daria, after she lost her husband, Sergei Grinkov, on
November 25, 1995.
It's hard to believe it's
been almost 11 years since the world lost G&G. But time marchs
on, and despite fans missing the two - as perhaps the greatest pair
team ever to grace the ice - we have had the honor of watching Katia
become a best-selling author, return to the ice as a singles skater,
find love again with Ilia Kulik, marry and have another daughter, Elizaveta.
Katia... Thank you for both
the memories of G&G and for the new memories you allow us to make
each time you step onto the ice!
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© Photos
copyrighted to Tina Tyan at www.kurtfiles.com |
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After Katia's
life changed, that unforgettable day November 20th, 1995, her fans held
their breaths as we awaited her decision whether to return to the ice
she and Sergei had loved so much or not. Would she find comfort and
strength on the ice, or would the memories of all they had shared for
so many years suffocate her?
Thankfully,
she found she was able to stand on her own, despite her fears, and
has gone on to make a successful singles career.
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*****
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Video scan
courtesy of A Kind of Magic |
1999/2000
Katia continued to be an
integral member of the Stars
on Ice tour, and
found herself surrounded by the friends whose encouragement, support
and love made her return to the ice as a single skater so easy. |
In 1999, Katia returned to
her first love - skating with someone beside her ...
Click HERE
to view Si Tu No Estas
*****
Much to the surprise of her
fans, Katia announced in November, 2000, she would be taking a leave
of absence from the Stars on Ice 2000/2001 tour to 'devote more time
to her family'. Speculation swirled as to why she would choose now to
take time off, especially with this tour of Stars on Ice being Scott
Hamilton's final season, however no other information has been forthcoming.
April 7, 2001, it became
quite clear to her fans that not only was Katia spending time with
her family, she was adding to it! On June 15, 2001, Katia and Olympic
Gold Medalist, Ilia Kulik, welcomed Elizaveta Ilinichna Kulik into
the world. The couple were married in a private ceremony on June 10,
2002, in San Francisco, California.
* * * * *
New Year's Day, 2002, we got
to see Katia back on the ice after more than a year off. She
performed her 'Ribbon' number in Brian
Boitano's Skating Spectacular
special taped on December 16th, 2001 at the Mandalay Hotel in Las
Vegas, Nevada. Looking beautiful and confident, it was wonderful to
finally see her skate again and we even got to catch glimpses of
Daria during rehearsals.
During the 2002 holidays, we
were granted the gift of seeing Katia back on the ice again. Looking
gorgeous, as usual, happy and content, we were all treated to seeing
her skate her 'Russian Folk Dance' program and another new program,
'Adagio'. Word also came out that she would be making special
appearances during a handful of SOI shows.
* * * * *
2003 started off with Katia
skating in Katarina Witt's Divas
on Ice. A
Valentine's Special
by Hallmark once again gave us a glimpse of Katia skating pairs and
reminding us of the magic pairs skating brings her and wishing we
could see more.
Katia also was featured in
Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition and set the skating forums
talking. Looking anything but like a 30 year old mother of two, all
we could say was WOW!
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On April 25, 2003, in
Colorado Springs, Colorado, Katia skated in the a Hallmark Skating
special in celebration of Mother's Day. Looking happy, healthy, and
as lovely as ever, we had the added pleasure of seeing her skate with
Daria for the first time. Both looked as if they had a wonderful time
on the ice, and it was great getting to see how Daria's grown. Now 10
years old, she is vivacious, energetic and completely comfortable in
the spotlight. Still sporting her father's famous smile, we can only
believe that Sergei had to be smiling down on two of the important
women in his life as he watched them hit the ice together! Well done
ladies... you had us smiling and crying at the same time!
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During the Holiday season of
2003, we got to see Katia perform "A Sunday Kind of Love",
and had the added bonus of seeing more of Daria.
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"A SundayKind of Love"
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Finally... pictures of Elizaveta began to emerge.
Isn't it amazing how both of Katia's daughters look so much like
their fathers? Two gorgeous young ladies destined for greatness.
In December of 2005, we were
treated to Katia skating to "A Mother's Prayer" and a 'full
family interview' with Katia, Ilia, Daria and a very precocious Liza who obviously wasn't bothered by the cameras at all!
