Skater Profile: Anastasia Yurchikova

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Full Name: Anastasia Ivanovna Yurchikova
Date of Birth: June 18, 1989
Place of Birth: St Petersburg, Russia
Hometown: St Petersburg, Russia
Family: Mother Maria, older sister Olga.
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 100lbs

Anastasia Ivanovna Yurchikova was born in June of 1989 in St Petersburg where she grew up. She began skating at a young age, mostly to get out of the house and away from her alcoholic and frequently abusive father. Raised mostly by her mother Maria, and mothered quite a bit by her older sister Olga, Anastasia grew up the baby of the family, adored by all, even her father who would often hit and verbally abuse his daughters. No one really saw much potential in Anastasia as a little girl; she skated because it was fun. A melodramatic, exuberant little girl, as well as obscenely flexible, she had many star qualities that coaches were looking for--that, and talent, and she was picked up as a fourteen year old by Natalya Romanova, getting close to her coach and eventually treating her like a second mother and following her to the United States.

She began slowly climbing up the international ranks, known for her elegance and impressive spins, spirals and footwork but also her alarming inconsistency. She'd self-destruct at important competitions, it became a disconcerting habit, one she's never quite fully broken but thanks to a few good skates with only a fall out or hand down, she's garnered some Grand Prix medals as well as the 2006 European title, a World silver, and a handful of Russian National golds. At the 2006 Olympic Games she placed 2nd to Hae Young Choi, after once again self-destructing in the free skate by falling twice in the first thirty seconds of her program. The strength of her skating afterward secured her the silver medal. The same thing happened at Worlds, finishing second, except she fell on the last jump in her program in the last thirty seconds.

She kept going, ignoring criticism that she was never able to pull it together, that she would be one of the best talents to never be the best. Although her season after the 2006 Olympics wasn't a great one, where she bombed at the Grand Prix Final and didn't medal at Worlds that year, she still loved skating and competing and she wasn't about to give it up. It seemed like everything was coming together once the 2008-2009 season started, with Anastasia dominating every event she was in until she finally won her first World title in Los Angeles. The crowning moment was the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where a near-crying Anastasia won an Olympic gold medal, becoming the first Russian woman ever to do so. She followed that up with a second World title, and at twenty-one she says she's only just getting started.

On the ice Anastasia is known for her elegance, grace, danceability, flexibility, and positions/speed in spins. While she did not used to be the fastest skater, or have the best edges, she has worked considerably on that aspect of her skating and while she still isn't the best she is a lot better; there's power behind her movements now, not just pretty poses. She is and has been coached by Natasha Romanova for a very long time, and is very close to her coach who she calls 'Mama' and means it.