"The king on the ice and the shocking genius" - that's what fans said about Weyr. Coming to speed skating very late, he managed to leave many rivals around the corner, scoring one victory after another and confidently striding towards the goal …
Childhood and youth
Johnny Weir was born in 1984 in a small town in the United States of America. His mother, Patti Moore, worked as a home inspector, and his father was forced to stay at home. In the year of his son's birth, he got into a car accident and injured his back, which led him to a wheelchair.
Johnny grew up a shy child, struggling to fit in with his peers. It turned out badly enough for the boy, because his natural shyness prevailed and prevented him from establishing strong friendships.
“I was awkward, thin, smart and very obedient child. I was always a little antisocial, I still can't say that I had a rich social life,”Weir recalls his childhood. While still very young, the boy was passionately fond of horse riding. He could spend hours on end with his faithful friend - a pony. There was no question of figure skating then.
Weir became interested in speed skating rather late. He started his sports career at the age of 11.
Oksana Baiul became his muse and inspirer. Once on TV, he saw a girl performing at the Winter Olympics. Her show so deeply sunk into the soul of young Johnny that he walked for a long time under the impression of what he saw. It was then, fascinated by the brilliant number of Baiul, he decided to connect his life with speed skating.
His earliest trainings were childishly naive and a little funny. He performed his first jumps in the basement of his parents' house on roller skates. Seeing the efforts of his son, for one of the holidays, his parents presented him with skates.
The perseverance and work of a naturally gifted young man led him to his debut gold medal. At that time he was only sixteen. He was an ambitious and determined teenager.
This victory only strengthened his faith in himself and gave an impetus for new achievements. She illuminated his path to numerous victories.
The rapid flowering of a creative career
In 2004, Johnny retired from the regional championships as a triumphant, ahead of his strong rivals - Michael Weiss and Matthew Savoy. It was a well-deserved success. Long, grueling training … John worked like a damn and pulled out this victory with his teeth.
The next significant step forward was the participation in the world championship. Giving all his best with full dedication, sparing no time or effort, Johnny broke into the top five and took the honorable fifth place. In his wildest hopes and dreams, he, of course, counted on more and this served as a good incentive for growth.
Then there are two Grand Prix titles, victory after victory in Japan, France and America, universal recognition and dizzying glory …
Change of coach
In 2006, John made a serious decision to change his coach. What prompted him to take this step? The fact is that their relationship with the previous mentor has long since flowed from professional to friendly. And this, according to John, very much interfered with the work. Therefore, he was forced to leave Priscilla Hill to the Ukrainian Galina Zmievskaya. She used to train Oksana Baiul, the inspiration and muse of little Johnny.
The change of coach, perseverance and self-confidence brought Weir a gold medal in the Russian Cup competition.
In the fall of 2008, Weir won a silver medal in America and then traveled to South Korea to make a splash at a Christmas speed skating show that went to charity.
End of career
2013 was the last year of Weir's career. In the fall, Johnny told the media that he decided to put an end to his career. But he could not completely leave the sport. After all, it was a part of himself and, like any athlete, he hated idle life. Therefore, he joined the Olympic Games in Sochi as a figure skating specialist.
Titles and merit
Johnny Weir has won 27 medals during his fourteen-year career. Johnny was a real king on the ice. Legends were made about him.
And they even made a film in which Johnny played himself. The premiere took place in Seattle.
Weir was remembered by fans of speed skating for his graceful skating and incomparable artistry, as well as intricate outfits and exciting shows.
Interests and personal life
Johnny is now interested in design. This topic is close to him, because before the performances he himself modeled costumes for himself and his colleagues. Here he looks for inspiration for future fashion projects.
Besides design, Weir has another weakness - Russia …
Johnny is a sincere adherent of Russian culture. He himself claims that in a past life he was Russian. He enthusiastically studied the language, can write and read in it and says that he is in love with Moscow. He even received an award "For love of Russia" at the "Ice show of two capitals".
Johnny Weir is a very famous person in the United States of America. There were always rumors and rumors around him. In the end, he could not resist and publicly announced his gay orientation. His chosen one was Viktor Voronov, with whom they subsequently married.
A truly strong and purposeful person, Weir continues to move forward, not stopping at what has been achieved, leaving failures, doubts and fears one step behind.
