Rafael Arutyunyan

Rafael Arutyunyan (Armenian: Ռաֆայել Հարությունյան, Harutyunyan; Russian: Рафаэль Владимирович Арутюнян; born July 5, 1957) is an Armenian figure skating coach. He coached in Armenia before moving to Russia and then the United States.

Arutyunyan was born on July 5, 1957 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, and studied in Yerevan, Armenian SSR at the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture. He is married to a skating coach, Vera, and moved to the United States in 2000. They have a son – a pianist born in the mid-1980s, and a daughter, who is an artist.

Arutyunyan coached young skaters in Yerevan from 1976 to 1985 and then moved to Moscow, Russian SFSR. After moving to the United States, he coached at a rink in Lake Arrowhead, California. In August 2013, he relocated to the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, California. He collaborates with his wife, Vera Arutyunyan, and Nadezda Kanaeva. He moved to Lakewood ICE in Lakewood, California on June 25, 2016.

His current students include:

• Mariah Bell (August 2016 - present), 2017 U.S. national bronze medalist
• Michal Březina (June 2016 - present)
• Nathan Chen (2011 – present), 2016 Grand Prix Final silver medalist and 2017 U.S. national champion.
• Vivian Le (June 2016 - present)
• Romain Ponsart (August 2016 - present)
• Adam Rippon (September 2012 – present), 2016 U.S. national champion.
• Ashley Wagner (June 2013 – present), 2016 World silver medalist.

His former students include:

• Alexander Abt (13 years).
• Mai Asada (summer 2006 to January 2008)
• Mao Asada (summer 2006 to January 2008)
• Jeffrey Buttle
• Sasha Cohen
• Ivan Dinev
• Michelle Kwan
• Hovhannes Mkrtchyan
• Alexander Shubin
• Sergei Voronov (unknown – 2000)
• Kiira Korpi (August 2013 – end of season)
• Hannah Miller (June 2015 – August 2016).

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• "Coach Change". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved 15 September 2016. 
• "Michal Brezina wechselt zu Rafael Arutyunyan". News über Eiskunstlauf. News über Eiskunstlauf. Retrieved 15 September 2016. 
• "Coach Change". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved 15 September 2016. 
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• Brannen, Sarah S. "The Inside Edge: Aaron, Settlage announce split U.S. pair parts ways after seven years together; Hicks changes coaches". Ice Network. Ice Network. Retrieved 15 September 2016.