Elena Tchaikovskaia
Elena Anatolyevna Tchaikovskaia, also spelled as Chaykovskaya or Chaikovskaia is a Russian figure skating coach, choreographer, and former competitor for the Soviet Union. She runs a skating school at the Yantar Sports Center, built in 2010 in the Strogino District west of Moscow. She coaches in collaboration with Vladimir Kotin, her former pupil.
Biography
Elena Tchaikovskaia was born in Moscow in a family of theatre actors. Her father worked in Mossovet Theatre. Since childhood she was prepared to become an actor, and even starred with her father Anatoliy Osipov in several Soviet films, such as Schastlivyy reys. She had unhealthy lungs, so her father took her to the ice rink, believing skating would help improve her health. After school she decided to attend the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, ballet master faculty. In 1957, she became a Soviet champion in single skating. In 1960, she retired from competitions and started working as choreographer and later as a coach. Since 1997, she has served as the Russian Olympic committee's main coach. She also coaches the national figure skating team.Among her current and former students are:
- Vladimir Kotin
- Vladimir Kovalev
- Natalia Linichuk / Gennadi Karponossov
- Lyudmila Pakhomova / Aleksandr Gorshkov
- Margarita Drobiazko / Povilas Vanagas
- Maria Butyrskaya
- Viktoria Volchkova
- Sergei Davydov
- Andrei Lezin
- Kristina Gorshkova / Vitali Butikov
- Alexandra Maksimova / Egor Maistrov
- Emma Hagieva
Tchaikovskaia was twice awarded with the Order of the Red Banner of Labour and once with the Lithuanian Order of Gediminas for her successful work with Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas. Drobiazko and Vanagas, as well as Julia Soldatova and Kristina Oblasova trained in "Skate of Tchaikovskaia" school.
Views
In 2023, she stated that the doping case involving Kamila Valieva is the result of "political games" instigated by the West:Coaching philosophy
Famous for her ice dancing pairs, in 2007, she stated that personally thinks that single skating is far more important and difficult. She is more involved in single skating, though says that she may return to ice dancing someday.She has written several books about training of figure skaters, for example, Konek Udachi, which was published in 1994. In 2007, a documentary about her was released in Russia titled Her Ice Majesty. Elena Tchaikovskaia directed by Oleg Moroseev.