Larisa Selezneva

Larisa Yurievna Selezneva (Russian: Лариса Юрьевна Селезнёва; born September 12, 1963, in Leningrad) is a Russian former pair skater who represented the Soviet Union. With her husband Oleg Makarov, she is the 1984 Olympic bronze medalist, 1985 World silver medalist, 1988 World bronze medalist, and two-time European champion (1987, 1989). They were coached by Igor Moskvin.

Larisa Selezneva
Full nameLarisa Yurievna Selezneva
Born (1963-09-12) September 12, 1963
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Figure skating career
CountrySoviet Union
PartnerOleg Makarov
CoachIgor Moskvin
Skating clubZenit St. Petersburg
Retired1990
Medal record
Figure skating
Representing  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Sarajevo Pairs
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Budapest Pairs
Silver medal – second place 1985 Tokyo Pairs
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1990 Leningrad Pairs
Gold medal – first place 1989 Birmingham Pairs
Silver medal – second place 1988 Prague Pairs
Gold medal – first place 1987 Sarajevo Pairs
Silver medal – second place 1985 Gothenburg Pairs
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1981 London, ON Pairs
Gold medal – first place 1980 Megève Pairs
Silver medal – second place 1979 Augsburg Pairs

Career

Selezneva trained in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). She was partnered with Oleg Vasiliev early in her pairs career but they split after three months.[1]

Selezneva and Makarov were paired together by their coaches in 1978.[2] They won the World Junior Championships in 1980 and 1981.[3] They then rapidly progressed in the senior ranks. In 1984, they won the bronze medal at the Sarajevo Olympics, which was the first major international competition for the pair. Selezneva, along with Makarov, was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Labor (1984).[4]

Armed with strong pairs skills and difficult side-by-side triple jumps, they won the silver medal at the 1985 World Championships in Tokyo, almost defeating the then-reigning World and Olympic champion team, Elena Valova / Oleg Vasiliev, also from the Soviet Union. Makarov broke his knee before the 1988 Winter Olympics and competed at the event with his knee in a cast and four pain-killing shots.[2] They finished fourth at the event and won the bronze medal at the 1988 World Championships. They also won two European titles, in 1987 and 1989. They retired from competition in 1990.

Selezneva / Makarov were one of the first pairs to regularly include side-by-side triple jumps in their programs.[5] They were coached by Igor Moskvin.[2][5]

Personal life

Selezneva and Makarov married in 1987.[2] The family moved from Saint Petersburg, Russia to New York in 2001,[6] having been recommended as coaches by Tamara Moskvina and Igor Moskvin.[2] The pair coach at various rinks in New York and New Jersey.[2]

They have two children, a daughter, Ksenia (born December 20, 1992, in Saint Petersburg),[7] and a son, Aleksey, who was born nine years later in the United States.[2][6] Their daughter became a competitive figure skater like her parents; she is the 2010 Russian national champion and represented Russia at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[8] The pair and their daughter became naturalized U.S. citizens on August 16, 2013.[6][9]

Competitive highlights

Pairs with Oleg Makarov

International
Event 78–79 79–80 80–81 81–82 82–83 83–84 84–85 85–86 86–87 87–88 88–89 89–90
Olympics3rd4th
Worlds4th2nd4th4th3rd4th
Europeans4th2nd1st2nd1st2nd
NHK Trophy1st2nd
Moscow News1st2nd1st1st3rd
Ennia Challenge2nd1st1st
International: Junior
Junior Worlds2nd1st1st
National
Soviet5th4th1st1st2nd1st1st1st
Soviet Junior1st1st1st

Other results

1990–1991

  • World Professional Championships – 3rd
  • World Challenge of Champions – 3rd

1991–1992

  • World Challenge of Champions – 2nd

References
  1. Simonenko, Andrei (July 5, 2013). Олег Васильев: каждый мой шаг в жизни - против движения [Oleg Vasiliev: I was always going against the flow]. rsport.ru (in Russian).
  2. Mcmillan, Ken (February 16, 2010). "Olympics: Newburgh couple pass the torch". Times Herald-Record. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012.
  3. "World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Pairs" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 13, 2012.
  4. Panorama of the 1984 Sports Year (in Russian). Moscow: Fizkultura i sport. 1985. p. 37.
  5. Rutherford, Lynn (September 13, 2010). "Makarova takes gold at Mid-Atlantic Championships". Ice Network.
  6. Richinick, Michele (August 16, 2013). "Ahead of Sochi, Former Russian Olympians become US citizens". MSNBC.
  7. "Ksenia MAKAROVA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 2010-05-02.
  8. Flade, Tatjana (January 8, 2010). "Breakthrough season for Makarova". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  9. Mai, Andy; Adams Otis, Ginger (August 16, 2013). "Famous figure skating family from Russia become American citizens". New York Daily News.
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