Marina Vyacheslavovna Anissina (Russian: Марина Вячеславовна Анисина; born 30 August 1975) is a Franco-Russian ice dancer. Competing with Gwendal Peizerat for France, she is the 2002 Olympic champion, the 1998 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2000 World champion, and a six-time French national champion.

Marina Anissina
Anissina and partner Gwendal Peizerat compete in 2001.
Full nameMarina Vyacheslavovna Anissina
Other namesMarina Anisinaw
Marina Viatcheslavovna Anicina
Born (1975-08-30) 30 August 1975 (age 49)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Figure skating career
Country France
PartnerGwendal Peizerat
Skating clubCSG Lyon
Retired2002
Medal record
Figure skating
Ice dancing
Representing  France
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City Ice dancing
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Nagano Ice dancing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2000 Nice Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 1998 Minneapolis Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 1999 Helsinki Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 2001 Vancouver Ice dancing
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2000 Vienna Ice dancing
Gold medal – first place 2002 Lausanne Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 1999 Prague Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 2001 Bratislava Ice dancing
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Milan Ice dancing
Grand Prix Final
Gold medal – first place 1999–2000 Lyon Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 1998–1999 St. Petersburg Ice dancing
Silver medal – second place 2001–2002 Kitchener Ice dancing
Bronze medal – third place 1995–1996 Paris Ice dancing
Bronze medal – third place 1996–1997 Hamilton Ice dancing
Bronze medal – third place 1997–1998 Munich Ice dancing
Representing  Soviet Union
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1990 Colorado Springs Ice dancing
Gold medal – first place 1992 Hull Ice dancing

Earlier in her career, Anissina competed with Ilia Averbukh for Russia and the Soviet Union. They won gold at two World Junior Championships.

Personal life

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Born to Irina Cherniaeva, a former pair skater who placed sixth at the 1972 Winter Olympics,[1] and Vyacheslav Anisin, a World and European champion in ice hockey, Anissina had a comfortable childhood.[2] She is of Ukrainian descent on her mother's side.[3][4] Her brother is Mikhail Anisin, also a hockey player.

Anissina acquired French nationality by naturalization on 1 February 1996.[5][1][2] On 23 February 2008, she married Russian actor Nikita Djigurda in Moscow after the two met when they were partnered on a celebrity ice dancing television show.[6] They have two children.[7][8][9] The family currently lives in Moscow.[10] Anissina spends time in France and works with young ice dancers.[11]

Career

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Early years

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Born into an ice skating family,[12] Anissina began skating at the age of four.[13] By age nine she was determined to become a champion.[1] Her mother, having been injured in pair skating, discouraged her from following in her footsteps so the young skater went into ice dancing.[13][12]

Early in her career, Anissina competed with Sergei Sakhnovski, representing the Soviet Union. Following that partnership, she teamed up with Ilia Averbukh. They represented the Soviet Union and, after that country's dissolution, Russia. They were the 1990 and 1992 World Junior Champions. Their partnership ended at the end of the 1991–92 season;[14] Averbukh decided to leave Anissina to skate with Irina Lobacheva with whom he had fallen in love.[1]

Anissina trained for several months without a partner at the same rink as the new duo.[2] She received little help from the Russian federation in her search for a new partner.[12] She and her mother studied videotapes of international competitions and selected Gwendal Peizerat and Victor Kraatz.[1] Anissina sent letters to both but the one to Kraatz did not reach him.[1] Peizerat did not respond immediately but when his partnership with Marina Morel fell apart, he contacted Anissina.[15]

Partnership with Peizerat

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Anissina arrived in Lyon, France, in February 1993, declaring her goal of becoming World and Olympic champion.[14] She wanted to bring Peizerat back to Russia with her but his family was opposed.[14]

Anissina settled in France and began learning the language but experienced homesickness.[2] She focused intensely on skating and insisted her partner, who was dividing his time between skating and his education, be equally focused on their career.[14] Their first year together produced many quarrels and they came close to splitting up.[14] Their coach Muriel Boucher-Zazoui, however, immediately felt it was a promising partnership, saying "They are like fire and ice".[1]

Anissina and Peizerat were selected for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer but her French citizenship was granted a few weeks too late.[2] The Olympics, unlike most skating competitions, require both partners to be citizens of the country they are representing.[citation needed]

Anissina and Peizerat won the 1998 Olympic bronze medal and 1998 and 1999 World silver medals behind Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov. The Russians retired due to injury and Anissina and Peizerat then developed a rivalry with the Italians Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio.[citation needed] Annissina and Peizerat won the bronze medal at the 1998 European Championships.[16]

For their free dance program in the 1997—1998 season, Anissina and Peizerat used music from the Prokofiev ballet Romeo and Juliet. At one point in the free dance, Anissina carried Peizerat completely off the ice and supported him on her hip, "as if to represent Juliet's emotional strength within the relationship".[17] ABC correspondent Lesley Visser reported that this move had become their trademark and saw it as "a way of celebrating the opposite yet equal strengths of male and female".[18] Anissina and Peizerat continued to use the move in all of their free dances after 1998; figure skating writer and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum speculates that since they finished first or second in every competition during that period, they were not penalized for it, even though other dance teams might have used it as a gimmick rather than as an expression of their skating skills or an interpretation of their music.[18] They won the bronze medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics.[16]

In 1999, Anissina and Peizerat came in second place at the 1999 European Championship.[16] They won the 2000 European and World Championships, and the Grand Prix Final, also in 2000.[12] In 2001, Anissina and Peizerat won European and World silver behind the Italians but surged past them in 2002 to reclaim their European title and become the Olympic Champions.[16]

At the 2002 Olympics, they led after the compulsory dances and the original dance. Their free dance, Liberty, mixed music with sections from the famed freedom speech by Martin Luther King Jr.; a 5–4 split of the judges' panel had them in first place in this segment ahead of Lobecheva and Averbukh, and they became the first French ice dancers to win the Olympic gold medal.[19][16]

After the Olympics, Anissina and Peizerat retired from competition but continued skating together for many years in shows around the world.[11][16] During their career, they represented the club Lyon TSC. Their signature move was Anissina lifting Peizerat off the ice, switching the traditional gender roles in lifts.[citation needed]

Anissina coached for several years in Marseille at S.O.G.M.A. 13.[8] She has also done some choreography for other skaters.[20] In 2013, she said she hoped to qualify for the 2014 Sochi Olympics with Peizerat.[21]

Programs

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With Peizerat

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Season Original dance Free dance Exhibition
1993–1994
[22]
  • J'en ai Marre
    by Hugues Le Bars

  • Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
1994–1995
[22]

  • J'en ai Marre
    by Hugues Le Bars
1995–1996
[22]
  • Ay Mi Sombrero
    by Genaro Monreal
1996–1997
[22]
  • Ahla Leila
    by Muhammad Sultan

1997–1998
[22]
Romeo and Juliet
by Sergei Prokofiev:
  • The Montagues and the Capulets
  • Death of Juliet
1998–1999
[22]

The Man in the Iron Mask
by Nick Glennie-Smith:
  • Heart of a King
  • Surrounded
  • Time To Say Goodbye
    performed by Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli
1999–2000
[22]
  • Black Machine
    by Jazz Machine
  • Feeling the Passion
    by Latin Drums
  • Tres Deseos
    by Gloria Estefan

Carmina Burana
by Carl Orff:
  • O Fortuna imperatrix munda
  • Fortune plango vulnera
2000–2001
[23][22]

Beethoven's Last Night
by Trans-Siberian Orchestra:
  • Overture
  • Ode to Joy
  • Dreams of Candlelight
  • Beethoven
2001–2002
[24][22]
  • Flamenco: Malagua
  • Tango de Guell
  • Flamenco: Malagua
  • Susanna
    by VOF de Kunst

With Averbukh

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Season Original dance Free dance Exhibition
1991–1992

Results

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With Peizerat for France

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Results[24][23]
International
Event 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02
Winter Olympics 3rd 1st
World Champ. 10th 6th 4th 5th 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd
European Champ. 12th 5th 4th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st 2nd 1st
GP (CS) Final 3rd 3rd 3rd 2nd 1st 2nd
GP International de Paris /
Trophée de France/Lalique
3rd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st
GP Nations Cup 1st 2nd
GP NHK Trophy 5th 3rd 1st 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st
GP Skate Canada 2nd 2nd 1st
GP Skate America 2nd 1st
Ondrej Nepela 1st
Piruetten 5th
National
French Champ. 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
GP = Became part of Champions Series in 1995–96, Grand Prix from 1998 to 1999

With Averbukh for Russia and the Soviet Union

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International
Event 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92
World Junior Championships 1st 4th 1st

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Lecaudey, Martine (2 April 2000). "Marina a choisi Gwendal sur une vidéo" [Marina chose Gwendal after watching him on video] (in French). La Dépêche du Midi. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e van Kote, Gilles (19 February 2002). "Pour Marina Anissina, la voie du succès est passée par l'exil" [The road to success through exile for Marina Anissina] (PDF). Le Monde (in French). p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Михаил Анисин: "Мечтаю сыграть за Назарова уже в понедельник". Спорт-Экспресс. Все новости хоккея. Обзоры матчей, календарь игр чемпионата России, результаты, турнирные таблицы". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  4. ^ ""Динамо" - "Донбасс". Комментарии тренеров команд".
  5. ^ "JORF n° 0030 du 4 février 1996 - Légifrance" (PDF). legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). p. 1777. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  6. ^ Kuprina, Yulia (23 February 2008). Марина Анисина и Никита Джигурда поженились [Marina Anissina and Nikita Djigurda have married]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian).
  7. ^ Kukhianidze, Sergo (4 June 2010). Джигурда — Анисина: "Мы не остановимся!" [Dzhigurda – Anissina : "We will not stop!"] (in Russian). 7days.ru. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  8. ^ a b "LA FAMILLE DU PATINAGE ARTISTIQUE S'AGRANDIT" [The skating family grows] (in French). S.O.G.M.A. 13. 24 January 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  9. ^ Pustynnikova, Tatiana (25 January 2010). Джигурда стал отцом в пятый раз во Франции [Dzhigurda's fifth child born in France] (in Russian). Lifenews.ru. Archived from the original on 16 April 2010.
  10. ^ Kukhianidze, Sergo (20 January 2011). Никита Джигурда: "С Мариной мне везде по кайфу!" [Nikita Dzhigurda: With Marina] (in Russian). 7days.ru. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  11. ^ a b "L'œil de Marina Anissina" [Under the eye of Marina Anissina]. Sud-Ouest (in French). 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d Lecaudey, Martine (1 April 2000). "Anissina-Peizerat enfin au sommet" [Anissina-Peizerat finally at the top] (in French). La Dépêche du Midi. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012.
  13. ^ a b Mittan, J. Barry (1996). "Fire on the Ice — Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat". Archived from the original on 14 May 2012.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Anissina-Peizerat, un couple de glace" [Anissina-Peizerat, an ice couple] (in French). Le Point. 1 March 2002. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  15. ^ Paramygina, Svetlana (16 April 2012). Сокровенное: плюс и минус. Марина Анисина: мой нежный и ранимый Дракоша-Джигурда. pressball.by (in Russian).
  16. ^ a b c d e f Hines, James R. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-8108-6859-5.
  17. ^ Kestnbaum, Ellyn (2003). Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning. Middleton, Connecticut: Wesleyan Publishing Press. p. 244. ISBN 0-8195-6641-1.
  18. ^ a b Kestnbaum, p. 247
  19. ^ "France's Anissina, Peizerat claim ice dancing event". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 18 February 2002. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  20. ^ Bangs, Kathleen (15 September 2003). "Peizerat still 'Peaking'". GoldenSkate. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008.
  21. ^ "Спорт РИА Новости - главные новости спорта, фото, видео и инфографика, аналитика и блоги от экспертов и известных спортсменов".
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Free dances – Original dances – Exhibitions – Compulsories list". Archived from the original on 19 July 2006.
  23. ^ a b "Marina ANISSINA / Gwendal PEIZERAT: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 20 August 2001.
  24. ^ a b "Marina ANISSINA / Gwendal PEIZERAT: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 August 2002.
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