Marika Humphreys

Marika Humphreys-Baranova (born 3 January 1977) is a British former competitive ice dancer. With partner and husband Vitaliy Baranov, she is the 2002 Karl Schäfer Memorial champion, 2001 Finlandia Trophy silver medalist, 2000 Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist, and a two-time British national champion. They competed at the Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships. Earlier in her career, Humphreys won three national titles with Philip Askew and Justin Lanning.

Marika Humphreys was born on 3 January 1977 in Chester. She and Baranov were married in March 1999. The two formerly resided in Shotton, Flintshire. In 2009, Humphreys-Baranova graduated from Glyndwr University with an honours degree in sports and exercise sciences.

Early career

Marika Humphreys began learning to skate in 1983. In the 1992–93 season, she became the youngest ice dancer ever to win the British senior title, winning at age 15 with her first partner, Justin Lanning. They went on to place 12th at the 1993 European Championships in Helsinki, Finland, and 17th at the 1993 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. The following season, they took silver behind Jayne Torvill / Christopher Dean and finished 16th at the 1994 World Championships in Chiba, Japan.

Partnership with Askew

In the 1995–96 season, Humphreys won the British national title with Philip Askew. They placed 11th at the 1996 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, and 17th at the 1996 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

The following season, Humphreys/Askew received two Champions Series (Grand Prix) invitations; they ranked 9th at the 1996 Skate Canada International and 8th at the 1996 Nations Cup. They repeated as national champions and took bronze at the Lysiane Lauret Challenge. They were 15th at the 1997 European Championships in Paris, France, and 16th at the 1997 World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. The 1997 Karl Schäfer Memorial was their final competition together.

Partnership with Baranov

Humphreys met Ukrainian ice dancer Vitaliy Baranov while auditioning for the Blackpool Hot Ice show. They began competing together in the 1998–99 season, obtaining the bronze medal at the British Championships. The following season, they missed the national championships due to a car accident.

In the 2000–01 season, Humphreys/Baranov won bronze medals at the 2000 Nebelhorn Trophy and 2000 Finlandia Trophy before making their Grand Prix debut. They withdrew from the 2000 Skate Canada International before the free dance and finished 8th at the 2000 Trophée Lalique. After winning their first national title together, the two placed 12th at the 2001 European Championships in Bratislava and 16th at the 2001 World Championships in Vancouver. They were coached by Roy and Betty Callaway.

In the 2001–02 season, Humphreys/Baranov were awarded silver at the 2001 Finlandia Trophy, bronze at the Golden Spin of Zagreb, and gold at the British Championships. They finished sixth at their Grand Prix assignment, the 2001 NHK Trophy. Although they qualified for the Olympics under International Skating Union rules, they did not meet the criteria of the British Olympic Association (BOA); the BOA initially refused to allow them to compete but changed its stance in December 2001. In January 2002, Humphreys/Baranov finished 11th at the European Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. In February, Humphreys/Baranov competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They finished 15th overall after ranking 16th in both compulsory dances, 15th in the original dance, and 15th in the free dance. The following month, they placed 14th at the 2002 World Championships in Nagano, Japan.

In the 2002–03 season, Humphreys/Baranov were coached by Natalia Dubova in Cromwell, Connecticut, and by Roy Callaway in Deeside, north Wales. They were awarded the gold medal at the 2002 Karl Schäfer Memorial and appeared at two Grand Prix events. The duo ranked 7th at the 2002 Cup of Russia and withdrew from the 2002 NHK Trophy after the compulsory dance. They missed the British Championships but took the bronze medal at the event the following season. They then retired from competition.

Post-competitive career

Humphreys-Baranova is a technical specialist for the ISU. She served as the ice dancing Technical Specialist at the 2010 Olympics, the European Championships in Warsaw 2007, and as the ice dancing Assistant Technical Specialist at the 2008 and 2006 World Figure Skating Championships. She also trains new Technical Specialists for the ISU.

Humphreys-Baranova coached at Deeside ice rink between 1996 and 2013. In April 2013 she became the Elite Skating Coordinator for the Lee Valley Ice Centre in London.

(with Baranov)

GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix

With Baranov

With Askew

With Lanning