Natalya Bestemyanova is a legend of Russian and world figure skating, a multiple winner of world championships and olympiads. She performed in a dance duet with Andrey Bukin. Each exit of the couple turned into a mini-performance with an extraordinary emotional intensity, which invariably finds a response in the hearts of the audience.
Childhood and youth
Natalia's biography began quite typically for a future figure skater. The girl was born into a family absolutely far from sports. Natasha needed to temper and strengthen her weak muscles, so she was first taken to swim, and then sent to the figure skating section.
The five-year-old baby showed amazing zeal. She never skipped classes and was upset when she had to leave the ice. The father even flooded his own small skating rink in the yard so that his daughter could train in her free time.
The beginning of a skating career
Like many skaters, Natalia began training as a loner. In this role, she performed until the age of 15 and managed to become the champion of the USSR. The result was inclusion in the national team - an excellent achievement for a promising young figure skater.
Further career was determined by the case. At one of the away performances, the famous Tatiana Tarasova noticed a funny red-haired girl who was dashingly spinning a fouetté. The coach invited Natalia to join her group. Naturally, the skater agreed.
Tarasova decided that the bright and fearless Natalya would look more spectacular in a pair. An ideal partner was selected for her - Andrey Bukin. The first trainings were difficult: Andrei was getting used to a new partner, and Natasha was trying to understand the principle of working in a duet. The new pair did not seem promising, but Bestemyanova and Bukin quickly convinced the doubters, taking first the third and then the second places in the next competition.
Triumphal procession
The best time for the duo came in 1981. The couple won the USSR and European Championships, and at the 1984 Olympics took the second step of the podium, losing only to the English duet Torvill-Dean.
For the next 4 years, Bestemyanova and Bukin firmly occupied the top of the dance Olympus. They invariably became the first in all competitions, and in 1988 they deservedly received Olympic gold. After the triumphant victory, Natalia and Andrei announced their retirement from amateur sports. The couple went to work at the Theater of Ice Miniatures by Igor Bobrin.
Personal life
Contrary to the general opinion of TV viewers, Natalya Bestemyanova and Andrei Bukin were not partners in life. The skaters were friends, but they preferred to build romantic relationships separately from each other.
Natalya's childhood and youthful love was a great single skater Igor Bobrin. He was married, but a chance meeting at an exhibition competition changed the fate of the skaters. The novel flared up suddenly, and the fact that Bestemyanova and Bukin lived in different cities did not stop him. Coaches and colleagues on the ice did not approve of Natalia's hobby, but soon realized that these two were made for each other.
The wedding took place in 1983, since then the couple almost never parted. Today they live in the village of Kratovo near Moscow, work in the Theater of Ice Miniatures. The couple have no common children; Bobrin has an adult son from a previous marriage.
