My Sergei: A Love Story

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov. I had the honor of seeing these famous Russian pairs skaters perform live in 1992 at a Stars on Ice exhibition. With the perfect synchronization of their every move and the connectedness in their eyes, they radiated love and togetherness. And it’s no wonder, for what I didn’t know at the time was that this couple’s passion on the ice extended into real life. They had recently married.

Growing up in the Communist Soviet Union, Ekaterina and Sergei were thrown together when she was 11 and he was 15. It was a random pairing but somehow a fulfillment of fate, for as Sergei’s and Katia’s skating skills developed, so too did their feelings for each other.

They went on to win two Olympic gold medals, to marry and to produce a beautiful daughter named, Daria. They were one of the most celebrated pair’s skaters of all-time. They were living out a real-life fairytale. Then tragedy brought their whole dream to a screeching halt. At a routine practice session in 1995, Sergei dropped to the ice. A few hours later, he was dead, victim of a massive heart attack at the age of 28.

Life as Katia knew it had come to an end. She lost herself in depression. Not only had she lost her one true love, she had lost her career. Her only hope lay in her daughter’s future. She had Daria to think about. The outpouring of love and support from the skating world willed Katia to go on. So, three months after the death of Sergei, the only man she had ever loved, Katia stepped back out onto the ice ... this time alone. The show was called “A Celebration of Life”. In honor of Sergei, with his love and presence filling her heart, Katia skated flawlessly, thus embarking on a solo career. It was her only option. She could never imagine skating in another man’s arms. Katia put it best when she said, “My youth I am leaving behind. It will stay always with my precious Seriozha.”

Katia did move on. She continues to skate in singles' competitions. I most recently watched her perform with a rhythmic gymnastic ribbon in hand, as if she still needed something (or someone) to cling to. Though she now skates alone, her Sergei is never far from her thoughts. He lives on forever in her heart.

Go To Page: 1 2