Maxim Marinin and Tatyana Totmyanina: Why is there no time for love on the ice?

30 January 20

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An outstanding Russian athlete, figure skater, Tatyana Ivanovna Totmyanina is an Honored Master of Sports of the Russian Federation, winner of the 2006 Olympic Games in pairs figure skating, who competed with Maxim Marinin, won gold five times at the European Championships (2002−2006), twice at the World Championships ( 2004, 2005). Courageous, strong, beautiful - Tatyana Ivanovna at the end of 2020, ended up in the Moscow oncology center. What happened to Tatyana Totmyanina? This question haunts her fans and all figure skating fans.

Early years, childhood and family of the future figure skater Tatyana Totmyanina

Tatyana Totmyanina was born in Perm on November 2, 1981. Surprisingly, in early childhood she was often sick, and therefore at one point the doctors advised the parents of the future figure skater to send her to some sports section. The father and mother of our today's heroine listened to the advice, and therefore Tatyana soon found herself in a figure skating school.

The athlete had the opportunity to go on the ice for the first time at the age of five. Her first coach was A. Kislukhin. Subsequently, it was he who laid the necessary basis for her physical training, and also helped the figure skater feel like a real athlete. The girl first began performing in official competitions as a singles figure skater, but did not achieve any particular success in this role.

Tatyana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin

In 1995, during the Russian Championship (which otherwise went unnoticed by her), our today’s heroine met Maxim Marinin, who at that time had been looking for a partner for a long time. From that moment on, the two skaters began training together. In 1996, they both moved to St. Petersburg. During the same period, Natalya Pavlova, a famous figure skater in the past, became their coach.

Biography of Tatyana Totmyanina

Tatyana Totmyanina was born in Perm and spent her childhood there. Little Tanya was often sick for a long time, and doctors advised the future figure skater’s mother to send the girl to a sports section to strengthen her immunity. The parents listened to the advice of doctors and decided to send Tanya to figure skating. Already at the age of 4, under the strict guidance of coach A. Kislukhin, Totmyanina entered the ice.

Performing in single women's skating, Tatyana did not achieve noticeable success. But in 1995, she was lucky enough to meet Maxim Marinin, who could not find a partner for pair skating. Tatyana and Maxim decide to continue training together. In 1996, they moved to St. Petersburg to train under the guidance of Natalia Pavlova.

The couple walked towards success for quite a long time: at the 1996 national championship they took 6th place, a year later - fifth, and in 1999 they managed to win bronze. In 2000, the skaters changed their coach - Oleg Vasiliev became their new mentor. Totmyanina and her partner are moving to Chicago to continue training at the proper level. From that moment on, the couple’s skating style changed dramatically: in 2002 they received awards in 4 major championships and became champions of Russia and Europe.

In 2004, during training, Tatyana was injured - her partner did not hold her during support and Totmyanina fell on the ice. But despite being diagnosed with a concussion and multiple bruises, after 2 weeks she returned to full training.

The most striking season in the career of the sports duo was the 2005 season: they won all the championships in which they took part, except for the Russian Championship. After the triumph in Turin 2006, the couple Totmyanina and Marinin announced the end of their sports career.

The ceremony was attended only by the couple’s closest friends Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina got married in Krasnoyarsk

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina got married in Krasnoyarsk

Tatyana Totmyanina chose a dark blue dress for painting Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina signed in Krasnoyarsk

To celebrate the wedding, the newlyweds went to one of the Italian restaurants in Krasnoyarsk Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina got married in Krasnoyarsk

The romance of Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin began in 2008. Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina got married in Krasnoyarsk

The eldest daughter Elizaveta Yagudina was born in 2009 Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina got married in Krasnoyarsk

Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina got married in Krasnoyarsk

35-year-old Alexey Yagudin and 34-year-old Tatyana Totmyanina tied the knot Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina got married in Krasnoyarsk

The couple got married in Krasnoyarsk Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina got married in Krasnoyarsk Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Yagudin and Totmyanina showed the face of their 4-month-old youngest daughter for the first time

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin previously showed their youngest daughter, covering her face with a special sticker for Instagram Yagudin and Totmyanina first showed the face of their 4-month-old youngest daughter

Maxim Marinin and Tatyana Totmyanina - 2006 Olympic champions in pair skating Yagudin and Totmyanina for the first time showed the face of their 4-month-old youngest daughter

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin with their daughters Elizaveta and Michelle Yagudin and Totmyanina showed the face of their 4-month-old youngest daughter for the first time

Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina with their youngest daughter Michelle appeared on the cover of the new issue of OK! Yagudin and Totmyanina showed the face of their 4-month-old youngest daughter for the first time Tatyana Totmyanina Yagudin and Totmyanina showed the face of their 4-month-old youngest daughter for the first time

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin have been together for 7 years, but the couple is in no hurry to get married. Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin were looking forward to the birth of their youngest daughter Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Fans sincerely admire the family of Totmyanina and Yagudin Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

During the first two trimesters of pregnancy, Tatyana Totmyanina hid her interesting situation: the figure skater wore loose clothes. Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Tatyana Totmyanina, not looking at the bad omens, purchased outfits for the baby in advance Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Tatyana Totmyanina with her daughter Elizaveta Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

The eldest daughter of Totmyanina and Yagudin is very glad that she now has a younger sister Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Tatyana Totmyanina told followers on Instagram how her pregnancy proceeded. Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina became parents for the second time. On October 2, Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Alexey Yagudin is grateful to his common-law wife for his daughters Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin published the first photo with their one-month-old daughter on the Internet Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin showed the first photo with their youngest daughter Tatyana Totmyanina in the Max Mara show, spring/summer 2014 Tatyana Totmyanina walked the catwalk in the Max Mara show

Tatyana Totmyanina TopBeauty Awards: Woman.ru awarded Lancome for creative advertising Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina with daughter Lisa Alexey Yagudin: “We are the same dad and mom like everyone else” Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Alexey Yagudin: “With such a wife I “Really happy!” Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Stars at the opening of the flagship boutique of the Japanese brand OTOME Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina Zakharova and Yagudin found out who Princess Diana loved Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina Star fashionistas at the Night Sabbath of Prices Ilya Averbukh and Tatyana Totmyanina Ksenia Sobchak and other stars found out what life in the office looks like

Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina Ingeborga Dapkunaite and other stars opened the country's main skating rink

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin during their second pregnancy, figure skaters Yagudin and Totmyanina showed the face of their 4-month-old youngest daughter for the first time

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Yagudin and Totmyanina showed the face of their 4-month-old youngest daughter for the first time

Maxim Marinin and Tatyana Totmyanina Totmyanina took to the ice in a champion's dress from 15 years ago Alexey Yagudin and Tatyana Totmyanina Totmyanina took to the ice in a champion's dress from 15 years ago

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Totmyanina took to the ice in a champion dress from 15 years ago

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin Totmyanina took to the ice in a champion dress from 15 years ago

Apparently, Totmyanina has fully recovered after gall bladder surgery. Totmyanina took to the ice in a champion dress from 15 years ago. Now Tatyana is trying to spend more time with her family. Totmyanina took to the ice in a champion dress from 15 years ago.

Tatyana Totmyanina’s path in big-time sports

Totmyanina and Marinin first appeared together at official competitions in 1996. At their first Russian championship in doubles, the athletes took sixth place. A year later, we went up one step.

Real success came to the couple only in 1999. During this period, the athletes became bronze medalists at the Russian Championship, and also placed in the top five at the All-European Championship. After this, the first success came to the skaters. Their names began to appear frequently in sports publications, and the athletes themselves received a prestigious call to the Russian national team.

The 1999/2000 season was no less bright in the careers of Totmyanina and Marinin. This year, young athletes managed to again take third place at the Russian Championship, and also win bronze at the Russian stage of the world Grand Prix - Cup of Russia. The performance at the Paris stage of the championship was even more successful for Tatyana and Maxim. As part of the Trophee Eric Bompard, the couple reached the second step of the podium.

During this period, Totmyanina and Marinin began to have a conflict with their former coach. Having learned that the athletes had given preliminary consent to transfer to another coach (Tamara Moskvina), Natalya Pavlova refused to train them in the future. As a result, Tatyana and Maxim were forced to move to Chicago, where they managed to enlist the support of another coach, Oleg Vasiliev.

After switching to another specialist, the couple's style changed significantly. Vasiliev added more dance elements to sports programs. As a result, in the 2002 Olympic Games, the couple stopped one step away from the podium, taking fourth place in the final. However, a small mistake at the Olympics was more than compensated for by other victories. So, in particular, Totmyanina and Marinin became second at the Russian Championship and Skate Canada, and also won their first gold at the European championship.

The year 2002 was also truly triumphant in the athletes’ careers. During this period, the skaters won four medals at once at various stages of the Grand Prix, and also became European champions and triumphants of the Russian championship.

Tatyana Totmyanina and Alexey Yagudin

Subsequently, such a significant height was conquered by skaters more than once. So, in particular, our today’s heroine and her sports partner managed to achieve victories at two more Russian championships and three European championships. The 2005/2006 season was exceptionally “golden” for the couple, during which Totmyanina and Marinin managed to win all the competitions in which they took part.

Cup of Russia, Trophee Eric Bompard, Skate America, European Championship and Olympic Games - at each of these competitions athletes reached the highest step of the podium.

The only exception to the general rule was the Russian Championship.

The couple was unable to complete the program due to microtrauma, which forced the skaters to withdraw from the competition.

After a triumphant season, the Russian pair of athletes ended their professional careers. For some time, the skaters also performed with commercial programs of Evgeni Plushenko and Ilya Averbukh. However, this stage in their career did not last long.

Tatyana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin

Tatyana Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin are not afraid to do lifts even after a memorable fall in October at the Skate America tournament. – How soon did you start performing lifts in training?

Tatyana: The first time was about twenty days after the fall.
And I was absolutely not afraid. Because, I repeat, I don’t remember anything. - Tatyana, when you woke up, what did you think about?
– I remember asking Oleg Vasiliev, our coach: do we have time to prepare for the Russian Cup?
And he said: let’s get out of here first, from the hospital, and then we’ll see. – Isn’t it a shame that you weren’t able to complete the Grand Prix series?
– Yes, I’m glad that I’m skating now and not sitting in a wheelchair.
– You spent the main part of the preparation for the Russian Championship in Chicago.
Is it possible to find a way out to prepare for the Russian competitions at your native St. Petersburg skating rink? Tatyana: Unfortunately, no.
Because there is a catastrophic shortage of ice in St. Petersburg. When we arrive there, we are offered 50 minutes in the morning and the same in the evening. At the same time, there are six couples on the ice. There is no way to even test the program, let alone learn new elements. In addition, we will push young skaters off the ice. – What are the conditions under which you train in Chicago?
Tatyana: There we are alone on the ice.
We ride as much as we want. About 4–5 hours a day. – A film called “The Ice Pourer” was filmed at this skating rink, in which you played one of the roles?
Tatyana: Yes.
Filming took place in Chicago, at the same skating rink where we train. According to the script, the main character of the film is a deaf and mute figure skater. I really enjoyed filming the film. It's very easy to do the same thing a million times on set. Much easier than what I usually do on ice. However, I don’t remember the name of the film’s director. I only know that “The Ice Pourer” is his first film work. Before that, he was filming commercials. – What are your impressions of the new judging system in figure skating?
Tatyana: The system seems to be the same, but now everything is more clearly outlined.
I can’t say that it is understandable, but at the same time some specifics appeared in it - what and how much it costs. In my opinion, there are also disadvantages. You want to add something else to the usual set of elements, for example, supports, but you can’t. So mathematics has replaced creativity, and this can hit our kids hard. Maxim: Athletes are at a crossroads. Either chase complexity, or purely perform simple elements. Now there is a process of formation, and everyone, due to their individual abilities, chooses an acceptable path to the top. – How did the new system affect the skaters’ programs?
Tatyana: The programs haven’t changed much.
The attitude towards simple elements has changed. I did a spin earlier, good. And it doesn’t matter how. And now you need to monitor everything at once - from what approach the rotation was made, how many revolutions, how to get out of it... Maxim: You have to pay attention to the little things. - This is good?
Tatyana: Probably yes.
But there are a lot of changes in one year. We turned out to be guinea pigs. Unfortunately, the Olympic Games are very close, so it’s very difficult. – Is it possible to make figure skating objective thanks to this system?
Maxim: The system was initially developed very well. But no system can be perfect. You can find loopholes in any of them. At the end of last season, the leadership of our federation handed out questionnaires to us in which we could speak out for or against innovations and explain why. In my opinion, one of the disadvantages is that judges do not bear any responsibility. And the athlete does not have the opportunity, as before, to approach the referee and ask why he was rated that way. Now everything depends on two technical controllers who identify the element and assign it a level of difficulty. But man is not a machine. And the same element can be assessed differently at different competitions.

Tatyana Totmyanina currently

For two seasons, Tatyana Totmyanina also performed on the television project of the Russian First Channel “Ice Age”. As part of this famous show project, our today's heroine appeared on the ice rink paired with singer Nikita Malinin, as well as famous TV presenter Leonid Zakoshansky.

For some time, the possibility of Totmyanina’s participation in another season of the project was discussed. However, due to the sudden death of her mother in a car accident, the skater refused to consider this possibility.

After sports

After the Olympics, the athletes took a time out due to workload in various ice shows and talked about a possible return to big-time sports[1], but they could not come to an agreement with the Figure Skating Federation on financial issues and closed the topic of returning to themselves[2].

In 2007, a scandal erupted over the refusal of Totmyanina and Marinin to participate in E. Plushenko’s “Golden Ice of Stradivarius” tour and their transfer to a similar tour organized by I. Averbukh, “Ice Symphony”. Representatives of Plushenko and he himself claimed that Totmyanina and Marinin first signed a contract with their show and then moved on to their competitors. There were statements of intention to sue the skaters for breach of contractual obligations[3]. However, Totmyanina and Marinin claimed that they left the Stradivarius Golden Ice show because the organizing company did not fulfill a number of conditions of the contract, and before the breakup a compromise was found, and the parties to the conflict decided in the future not to advertise the problems that arose. Bringing this story to the public is the personal initiative of E. Plushenko[4]. No legal proceedings followed the conflict.

In 2007 and 2008, Tatyana Totmyanina took part in the TV show Ice Age on Channel One of Russian television, where she performed in pairs with singer Nikita Malinin and TV presenter Leonid Zakoshansky. In 2013 - with Oscar Kuchera, and in 2014 - with Artur Smolyaninov.

In February 2014, she posed for Playboy magazine.

Tatyana Totmyanina learned the result of urgent histology after the operation

37-year-old figure skater Tatyana Totmyanina had her gall bladder removed yesterday. A planned operation was scheduled because shortly before, during an examination, doctors discovered a tumor in the gallbladder. A laparoscopic operation was performed - the gall bladder was removed, and Tatyana was waiting for histology results.

Doctors of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology named after. N.N. Blokhin spoke on social networks about the condition of Tatyana Totmyanina and the first results obtained after the operation.

Danil Podluzhny , head of the surgical department of liver and pancreatic tumors, says : “The patient had a fairly common case - gallbladder polyposis. She was hospitalized for laparoscopic cholecystectomy with urgent histological examination. Why urgent? In order to find out intraoperatively, that is, during surgery, whether there is a tumor or not. If the tumor were confirmed, then the scope of the operation would increase. The result of urgent histology - no signs of tumor damage to the gallbladder were found.”

Tatyana Totmyanina with her family Photo: Personal page of the hero of the publication on the social network

Tatyana herself is in a fighting mood, she is already getting up and preparing for discharge in the coming days: “After the examination, when it came to talk about hospitalization, she asked the doctors in Sochi for time off to perform in the ice play “Romeo and Juliet.” I couldn’t cancel the holiday that thousands of spectators were waiting for. Success, a full hall, thunderous applause and immediately from the plane to Kashirka. There was no worry; I completely trust the doctors of such a reputable center. There was an option to undergo surgery in Israel, but I chose our specialists. Everything went at the highest level!”

On November 3, Tatyana Totmyanina takes part in the anniversary evening of Igor Krutoy with an original program. In the next two months, the figure skater has about 40 ice performances on her schedule - Tatyana Totmyanina is confident that she will perform them in full sports readiness.

Maxim Marinin and Tatyana Totmyanina: Why is there no time for love on the ice?

Chance for a couple

Tatyana and Maxim Totmyanina and Marinin photo

— AFTER the fall incident, you, Maxim, had to turn to a psychologist.
And Tatyana managed it herself. Why? Advertising:
Tatyana: It was easier for me to return to the ice because I don’t remember anything. Well, I fell, it hurt. Consciousness turned on in the morning when I saw myself in the mirror - my whole face was covered in bruises.

Maxim: At first, my feeling of guilt just went off scale. And I decided to give up on everything. But the psychologist helped me overcome my fear. It was annoying that everyone’s attention was now focused on the supports: “Will they do them or will Tanya fall again?!” It seems like you are skating the program - everything is fine. And suddenly he starts to feel feverish, his legs are shaking. At the first performance, I did not dare to perform a lift. Gathering our will into a fist, we rode to the end. I was still able to overcome myself. Things got easier from there.

— At the beginning of your career, you had to endure lack of money and instability. Did you support each other then?

Maxim: I came to St. Petersburg from Volgograd at the age of 16. Lived in the dormitory of the Olympic Reserve School. The hardest time was summer, when the boarding school closed and you had to spend the night wherever you had to. And Tanya poked around the corners with her mother. We lived separately for a long time, but the conditions were equally difficult - communal apartments, rented apartments, “corners” with friends. Everyday life consumed too much energy. And the thoughts pestered me: “Why am I here? Maybe it’s all in vain? But I knew I could, and I wanted to take my chance. Refusing was like death. When I went to St. Petersburg, I dreamed of conquering the world right away. And I looked around and realized how naive I was. But there was no turning back... And yet it was easier for me: at least they gave me food and drink in the dorm. And Tanya was spinning herself.

Tatyana: At the age of 14, there was a choice: stay in Perm and forget about figure skating, or go. And we decided together with my mother. The initiative was mine, but the last word belongs to her. In St. Petersburg, at first I spent 3–4 hours on the road, in trolleybuses. I get home and there is nothing to eat. I could have lived in the same boarding school, but my mother did not let me “free my life.”

Maxim: Plus, we felt that we were capable of more. Disagreements began with the coach. We were looking for a person who would believe in us. It was Oleg Vasiliev, the Olympic champion.

Best of the day

Tatyana: On New Year's Day 2001, Oleg stopped by with congratulations to coach Tamara Moskvina. She suggested: “Take a couple.” And he invited us to train in Chicago. We left there not because we wanted the sweet life, Hollywood, but because of a hopeless situation. They could either go to ice ballet as a backup dancer, or fly to another continent. And we chose.

— In America, you started with a blank slate - without knowledge of the language, without experience communicating with locals. How did you get out?

Maxim: The hardest thing for me was that all the time, except for work, you are in an information vacuum. Like on another planet. And we arrived without any means of subsistence. We took the minimum with us so that it would last until the next season, and then the unknown. This spurred and mobilized. We had to survive. And the rumors and conversations that went on in Russia also interfered: how ungrateful we are, that we were raised and raised, and we are such traitors.

As a result, I mastered English, learned to drive a car and cook. And I realized that life in the West is like a treadmill: the faster you run, the faster it spins. And if you stop, you might fall. And in the pursuit of happiness, many break down without calculating their strength. We knew what we were going for - victory on the ice.

Opportunity to touch each other

- Many men envy YOU, Maxim. And for you, Tanya, girls. Such closeness before everyone's eyes!

Maxim: I’m on the ice like a surgeon during an operation: I completely cut off all feelings.

Tatyana: We have already gotten used to each other. And we dealt with our emotions.

- And you don’t care which parts of the body you take on?

Maxim: At the boarding school, the guys asked me: “How do you touch her there during support?” I answered: “But I don’t even think about it.” You think there is no reason why you are holding the girl, but as if she would not fall from your hands onto the ice. Outwardly everything is romantic - Romeo and Juliet. And so - work. We just have the opportunity (both of us, in unison)… to touch each other publicly.

Tatyana: Even if the skaters are lovers or spouses, on the ice you are still forced to treat your partner as an instrument - a support or a wall bars. But - alive. There can be no intimacy on ice! Yes, you can pretend to be “it”, and passion can boil in your soul, but it’s impossible to get SUCH a buzz at the stadium. So tell the girls: don’t let them envy you.

Maxim: Combining personal and work is not easy for us. Well, for example. We live together during competitions. Before a performance, Tanya likes to take a walk first and then sleep. And I am the opposite. She will come from a party and wake me up. Then - I her. And in the end, both did not rest. Or Tanya really likes shopping. Even without money, just walk around, look at beautiful things, dream about what she will buy when she can. This thought inspires her. And it tires me. I don't like to choose for a long time. When I go to the store, I clearly know what I want. And we decided: first - business interests, and then - personal life.

Tatyana: We each have our own. And we don't pester each other. Maybe that’s why they didn’t quarrel.

Ceiling at the top

— YOU SAID that after the Olympics you would go into professional sports. Is this the final decision?

Maxim: We weighed our strengths and realized that we were tired of the eternal “state of war.” Now they are talking and writing about us. But everything can change. At the end of the season you come off the pedestal and you have to start all over again. And every year it becomes more and more difficult to climb to the top. Young, 18-year-old Chinese, for example, don’t care about anything, they are aggressive and hungry. And we have reached our ceiling - it is no longer possible to twist four turns. Moreover, many will not even notice the technical complexity of the elements. It’s like in the circus: the audience doesn’t care whether the acrobat under the circus big top spins five turns or four. The main thing is entertainment and effect. And maybe the money will get better.

— Amateur sports didn’t bring you any capital?

Tatyana: We spent half the money we earned during performances in America there, and bought apartments for the rest. That's all! Once, after an injury, I missed half a season. And the savings were coming to an end. It's time to fly to the Russian Figure Skating Championships. And here we are sitting, drinking tea at the Chicago airport. Everyone has $300 in their pocket, and the unknown lies ahead. And one of us said: “Don’t worry, we will survive!”

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