Natalia Mishkutionok

Natalia Yevgenievna Mishkutionok (Russian: Наталья Евгеньевна Мишкутёнок, born 14 July 1970) is a Belarusian former pair skater. With Artur Dmitriev, she is the 1992 Olympic champion, the 1994 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time World champion (1991, 1992), and a two-time European champion (1991, 1992).

Natalia Mishkutionok
Personal information
Native name	Наталья Евгеньевна Мишкутёнок
Full name	Natalia Yevgenievna Mishkutionok
Alternative names	Mishkutenok/Mishkutienok
Country represented	Russia
Former country(ies) represented	Soviet Union  Unified Team
Born	14 July 1970 Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.59 m (5 ft 2 ^1⁄2 in)
Former partner	Artur Dmitriev
Former coach	Tamara Moskvina
Former choreographer	Alexander Matveev Tamara Moskvina
Former skating club	Yubileyny Sport Club
Retired	1994
Medal record Figure skating: Pairs Representing  Russia Winter Olympic Games 1994 Lillehammer Pairs European Championships 1994 Copenhagen Pairs Representing  CIS ( Unified Team) Winter Olympic Games 1992 Albertville Pairs World Championships 1992 Oakland Pairs European Championships 1992 Lausanne Pairs Representing  Soviet Union World Championships 1991 Munich Pairs 1990 Halifax Pairs European Championships 1991 Sofia Pairs 1990 Leningrad Pairs 1989 Birmingham Pairs

Personal life

Natalia Mishkutionok[1] was born on 14 July 1970[2] to a Polish mother and a Belarusian father in the Byelorussian SSR.[3] In 1995, she settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado and moved to Texas in 2001.[4] She was formerly married to American hockey player Craig Shepherd, with whom she skated professionally on occasion during the late 1990s. She divorced Shepherd and married Alan Hainline. Their daughter, Natasha Alena Mishkutionok-Hainline, was born on 16 January 2006.[4]

Career

Mishkutionok began skating in 1976.[2] She teamed up with Artur Dmitriev around 1986.[5] They were coached by Tamara Moskvina in Saint Petersburg and their choreographers were Alexander Matveev with Moskvina.[5][6] Together, Mishkutionok/Dmitriev won the 1991 and 1992 World and European Championships, and Olympic gold in 1992. They performed to Franz Liszt's Liebesträume (Dream of Love), which became one of the most noted programs of their career and earned them four perfect 6.0 marks at the 1992 World Championships in Oakland, California. They turned professional shortly after that championship.

Mishkutionok/Dmitriev chose to reinstate as amateurs after the ban against such actions was lifted. They attempted to defend their Olympic title in the 1994 Winter Olympics, where they delivered two strong programs. Their free skate to Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto earned a standing ovation and is considered one of their finest performances. The judges awarded the gold medal to Mishkutionok and Dmitriev's friends and countrymen Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov ("G & G"). Mishkutionok decided to retire from competition in 1994.[7]

One hallmark of Mishkutionok/Dmitriev's style was her flexibility and their creative spins, especially one in which Mishkutionok would do a split and point her head down, with an arm around Dmitriev's calf so that they were both vertical and aligned; this signature move, called "Natasha's spin" was incorporated into most of their programs. Another signature move was a backwards inside death spiral in which Mishkutionok bent backwards, holding her foot behind and above her head while Dmitriev also held her raised skate blade and her free hand. Mishkutionok/Dmitriev competed before, during, and after the breakup of the Soviet Union, thus, they competed for the Soviet Union, the Unified Team, and Russia, all within a four-year period.

Mishkutionok is currently coaching pairs and singles skaters in Grapevine, Texas and Farmers Branch, Texas. One of her students is the U.S. men's 2009 novice silver medalist Stevan Evans.

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
1993–1994 [8]	Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov	"The Symphony of Emotions": Piano Concerto #2 by Sergei Rachmaninov	Eve by Uña Ramos Nostalgia
1992–1993 [8]	Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov	Flute Dance
1990–1992 [8]	Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns	Liebestraum by Franz Liszt performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra	Somewhere in Your Heart by Frank Sinatra War Drums Peasant Dance
1988–1990 [8]	The Swan	Let's Dance Together (Jewish folk music)	Piano Piece ("The Death Spiral") Peasant Dance Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov War drums
1987–1988	Entrance of the Gladiators by Julius Fučík	unknown

Competitive highlights

(with Artur Dmitriev)

International[2]
Event	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1993–94
Winter Olympics					1st	2nd
World Champ.			3rd	1st	1st
European Champ.	4th	3rd	3rd	1st	1st	3rd
GPI de Paris					1st	1st
Nations Cup				1st
NHK Trophy				3rd
Skate America		1st	1st
Goodwill Games			2nd			1st
Moscow News	4th	1st
Piruetten						1st
Universiade		1st
National[9]
Russian Champ.						2nd
Soviet Champ.	2nd	2nd	2nd	2nd

Professional

Event	1992–93
World Pro. Championships	3rd
World Challenge of Champions	3rd
US Open Pro.	1st

References

1. "2014 - 2015 Coach/Instructor Compliance" (PDF). U.S. Figure Skating. 5 December 2014. p. 199. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 December 2014.
2. "MISHKUTIENOK Natalia / DMITRIEV Artur". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014.
3. Hersh, Phil (12 February 1992). "Russians Still Figure As Pairs Champions". Chicago Tribune.
4. Rutherford, Lynn; Leamy, Liz (21 January 2008). "Past, present and parents at U.S. Champs". IceNetwork. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
5. Janofsky, Michael (12 February 1992). "ALBERTVILLE; No Longer Soviet Skaters, But They Are Still the Best". The New York Times.
6. "Natalia Mishkutenok & Artur Dmitriev". Pairs on Ice. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007.
7. Longman, Jere (8 February 1998). "It's Medal Time, So Here's Dmitriev Hungry As Ever". The New York Times.
8. "Mishkutyenok & Dmitriev: The Music". Archived from the original on 23 August 1999.
9. Мишкутёнок Наталья Евгеньевна [Natalia Yevgenievna Mishkutionok] (in Russian). fskate.ru.

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