Figure skater Marina Klimova became the world champion three times and was the first in Europe four times together with Sergei Ponomarenko. In addition, the athlete starred in films and participated in ice shows. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR is engaged in coaching.
Several documentaries have been filmed about Marina Vladimirovna. The figure skater also took part in the work on the famous film project "White Horse".
Star start
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1966. The girl was born in Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg) on June 28 in an ordinary family not related to professional sports. From the age of seven, the child was sent to figure skating. Marina's trainings began at the local Yunost stadium. Very soon the girl established herself as a promising athlete.
Klimova was taken to the Olympic Reserve School. She switched to pair skating before she was 12 years old. The first partner of the young figure skater was Oleg Volkov. In 1978 the couple made their debut at the Winter Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR. In the championship among juniors, the athletes confidently took the third position. The promising figure skaters, especially the graceful Marina, were noticed by their mentor Natalya Dubova. The metropolitan coach invited the girl to go to her.
Sergei Ponomarenko became Klimova's new partner. He has already achieved considerable success, becoming not only the champion at the Spartakiad of the peoples of the USSR and the first at the world tournament. The figure skater also rose to the podium after the end of the international tournament Nebelhorn Trophy. For the new couple, the young coach chose the classic style. This approach was quickly crowned with success.
The couple won prizes at prestigious competitions. Looked very impressive from the side of the steam. The dances were distinguished by an elegant and refined performing manner, movements perfected to perfection, musicality and harmony, as well as Sergei's tender and even reverent relationship with Marina. The partner was 6 years younger than him. The journalists wrote that the skaters demonstrated absolute mastery of the “Dubovsky skate”.
Family and vocation
In adult competitions, the couple performed in 1983. The debutants got the 4th place. The following year, the guys won bronze at the Olympic Games in Sarajevo, then there was the European Championship in Budapest. The athletes who had perfect skating skills skated to the music of Kalman's "Circus Princess".
In 1986, the mentor invited the pupils to perform the golden waltz. The premiere became a real sensation in figure skating. The program was prepared exclusively for Klimova and Ponomarenko. Much credit is due to the fact that dance has become an obligatory type of program belongs to Marina.
The chosen sport helped the girl arrange her personal life. In 1984 she and Sergei became husband and wife. The union has two sons, Tim and Anton. The youngest continued his parents' sports career, becoming a figure skater. In ice dancing, he competes for the USA with Christina Carreira. Also, the sporting future attracted Tim: swimming was his choice.
At the European Championship, the spouses became the second, they won silver at the World Championship and the Olympics in 1988. The couple first won gold in 1989. The guys then performed at the European level. In 1990 they became the first in the world. They confirmed their leadership at the European Championship in 1991. The main rivals of the domestic duo were the French couple Duchene. The guys lost to them at the world championship. But for the first time in the history of figure skating, Marina and Sergei won medals of all merits in 1991. Athletes noticed that new dance styles were emerging, the classics were turning into an unclaimed option.
After leaving the ice
Gradually, such monotony was not enough to obtain the highest title. The couple started looking for a new one. This was the reason for parting with the mentor in 1991. Tatiana Tarasova became the duo's coach. For athletes, she offered an avant-garde style. The change in choreography and costumes added freshness and boldness to the performances. In 1992, the duo became the first at the world championship in Albertville. The competitors were behind.
The Russian couple danced the free program so brightly to the music of Bach that this very track was then played throughout the documentary film "Albertville 1992: 16th Winter Olympic Games". Also, in the piggy bank of Marina and Sergei, gold appeared after the Olympics and the European Championship. On a triumphant note, the couple decided to end their amateur careers. They went into the professional category.
Among the professionals, the duo won silver in 1995 and 1996. Skaters took part in ice shows. The athletes moved to the United States. Marina took up coaching. She teaches junior figure skating with her husband in San Jose.
In 2007, the couple became part of the Russian TV show “Dancing on Ice. The Velvet season . Actor Anatoly Zhuravlev became Marina's partner. Having received an invitation, the ex-champions for a long time hesitated whether to agree to the project. However, they did not regret finding themselves again in the familiar atmosphere of the competition.
Film career
Marina also starred with a fairly large number of film projects. In 1982 she took part in the work on the documentaries "And complexity and beauty …" and "Dancing on Ice".
In the early nineties, the athlete was offered a role in the national historical mini-series "White Horse". The TV project told about the tragedy of the royal family, the fate of Admiral Kolchak.
The skater herself played in 1995 in the film "Golden Skates-2" and starred in 1996 in "Novel on Skates" as a cameo. The films "Best Hits on Ice", "Beauty and the Beast: Concert on Ice" were also not without Marina's participation. In the last film based on the famous fairy tale, Marina starred with her husband.
In 2003, the names of the spouses graced the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. In the house of the skater, the cult of previous achievements is not supported. She keeps neither medals, nor photographs, nor recordings of performances. The star believes that children should not be equal to their parents. She is sure that everyone has their own path.
