Ilia Averbukh

Russian ice dancer
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroRussian ice dancer
PlacesRussia
isFigure skater Dancer Ice dancer Choreographer
Work fieldDancing Sports
Gender
Male
Birth18 December 1973, Moscow, Russia
Age51 years
Star signSagittarius
Stats
Height:177 cm
Awards
Order of Friendship2003
The details

Biography

Ilia Izyaslavovich Averbukh (Russian: Илья Изяславович Авербух, correctly spelled "Ilya"; born 18 December 1973) is a Russian ice dancer. With former wife Irina Lobacheva, he is the 2002 Olympic silver medalist, the 2002 World champion and the 2003 European champion.

With Marina Anissina, he is the 1990 and 1992 World Junior champion.

Early life

Averbukh is Jewish, and was born in Moscow.

Career

Averbukh started skating at the age of 5. He initially competed with Marina Anissina. They won two World Junior Championships (1990 and 1992). Averbukh teamed up with Irina Lobacheva in 1992. After the Goodwill Games in the summer of 1994 their coaches moved with many of their students to the United States to train at the University of Delaware. Lobacheva and Averbukh joined them the next year.

In September 2001, Lobacheva injured her knee in training, causing them to miss the Grand Prix season. They won the silver medal at the 2002 Olympics behind Marina Anissina / Gwendal Peizerat.

Lobacheva / Averbukh won gold at the 2002 World Championships and at the 2003 European Championships. They retired from competition at the end of the 2002–2003 season.

Post-competitive career

Following his retirement from competitive skating, Averbukh became a producer of skating shows and tours. Among his projects are Ice Symphony/Ice Age; City Lights; Bolero (a television show pairing skaters with prima ballerinas); and Small Stories of a Big City, an ice show during the 2012 Olympics in London. In January 2013, Averbukh was named an ambassador for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Averbukh works as a choreographer. His past and current clients include:

Programs

(with Lobacheva)

SeasonOriginal danceFree danceExhibition
2002–2003
  • The Blue Danube
  • Unter Donner und Blitz
  • Baby Face
  • Fever
  • Jumpin' Jack
2001–2002
  • Tanguera
  • Bulerias Magna Mafa
  • To Everything There is a Season
  • Time for Peace
  • Ronde de Vigo
2000–2001
  • Foxtrot: Come into my house
  • Quickstep: Dancing Fool
  • Toccata
  • The Same Sun

  • Hava Nagila
1999–2000
  • Ritmo de Bom Bom
  • Rhumba de le more
  • Jesus Christ Superstar

  • Alegría (Cirque du Soleil)
  • Release
1998–1999
  • Die Fledermaus
  • The Gypsy Baron
  • Diablo
  • Tutti Frutti
1997–1998
  • Tutti Frutti
  • Jesus Christ Superstar
1996–1997
  • Argentine Tango:
  • The Mask
  • This Business of Love
1995–1996
  • Malagueña
  • O Sole Mio
  • Santa Lucia
  • Tarantella
  • Malagueña
1994–1995
  • Sing, Sing, Sing
  • Hava Nagila
1993–1994
  • Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
  • Hungarian Dances

Results

With Lobacheva

Results
International
Event1993–941994–951995–961996–971997–981998–991999–002000–012001–022002–03
Olympics5th2nd
Worlds13th15th6th7th4th4th4th3rd1st2nd
Europeans9th5th5th4th3rd4th3rd3rd1st
Grand Prix Final5th4th3rd4th2nd1st
Cup of Russia2nd2nd2nd2nd1st
Int. Paris/Lalique1st2nd
Nations Cup3rd4th
NHK Trophy8th2nd2nd1st
Skate America2nd2nd2nd2nd
Skate Canada4th3rd
Goodwill Games2nd2nd
National
Russian Champ.2nd3rd3rd1st2nd2nd1st1st1st

With Anissina

Results
International
Event1989–19901990–19911991–1992
World Junior Championships1st4th1st

Hall of Fame

Averbukh was elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame's induction class of 2015.

Other sports

Averbukh will play a role in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Bandy World Championship.[2][3]

Personal life

Lobacheva and Averbukh married in 1995. Their son, Martin, was born in 2004. They divorced in 2007.

The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 15 Apr 2020. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.