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:: Oksana Baiul Biography ::
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Oksana Sergeevna Baiul was born on Nov. 16, 1977 in Dnipropetrovs'k, Ukraine. When she was two years old her parents separated. She was gifted a pair of skates by her grandfather on her fourth birthday. Within three years she began skating in local competitions. At thirteen, she lost her mother to cancer; her grandmother died shortly after. For a brief period, Oksana lived with her coach, Stanislav Koretek, and his family. When he emegrated to Canada in 1992, Oksana was quite alone. It was then that a fellow Ukrainian skater, Viktor Petrenko, suggested that Oksana train with his coach (and mother-in-law), Galina Zmievskaya. Soon Oksana moved into Galina's home in Odessa, sharing a room with one of Galina's daughters. In 1993 in Prague, Czeckoslovakia, Oksana - who had never even competed in a junior world competition - skated away with the World Championship title! In 1994, Oksana shocked the world with her winning performance at the Lillehammer, Norway Olympics, gaining a Gold Medal in figure skating at age 16! Since her victory in Lillehammer, Oksana has kept busy participating in figure skating tours and competitions around the country, including Champions on Ice, Stars on Ice, CBS Sports Ice Wars, CBS Sports Olympic Winterfest, the Goodwill Games, Celebration of Gold and Hallmark Skaters’ Championship to name a few. Additionally, Oksana's life story was depicted in a CBS TV movie, A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story and she has published two books, Secrets of Skating/Oksana Baiul (Universe Publishing, 1997) and Oksana; My Own Story (Random House, 1997). Oksana has been profiled in several televised biographies including Lifetime Television’s, Intimate Portrait (1998) and A&E’s Biography (2003). Currently, Oksana can be found on the ice training with long-time coach, Valentin Nikolayev preparing for her upcoming skating season and touring with Stars on Ice. Oksana resides in New Jersey with her fiancé, Gene Sunik and their two dogs, Rocky and Poopsie. |
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