Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were the pair skaters to beat in the late 1980’s and the 1990’s. They came from Russia and had been skating together for years, placed together by chance in the beginning but falling in love the more they came to know each other. Theirs was a love story unequaled in the world of sports. Watching them skate together was like watching two people realizing they’re in love for the first time – every look, every touch as gentle and sweet as could be. Their technique was flawless, their execution perfect, their love pure and beautiful. Fans all over the world adored them, giving them the moniker “G&G.”
But in 1995 the absolute unthinkable happened. Sergei collapsed on the ice during a training session for “Stars on Ice,” the victim of a massive heart attack. Gathered around him were friends Paul Wylie and Scott Hamilton, trying to help him but not able. The ambulance was called but to no avail. Sergei was dead. Katya was a widow and young mother, wondering what had gone wrong? Her husband was an athlete. He exercised constantly. He took good care of his body. He ate well. He was young. How could a man so fit, so in the bloom of youth, die?
In “My Sergei,” Katya tells the story of how she and Sergei met. Placed in the skating program, they both wanted to be on the ice but they were both nervous about having a partner. They barely even spoke to each other in those early years, just enough to do their routines and get by. As time went on, they built a friendship and that turned into a sweet and tender romance. The closer they became, the better their skating got, and Katya gives the reader an insight into the world of skating from behind the scenes, into the minds and hearts of the athletes, the things we don’t get to see.
She tells us of the competitions they won, and those they lost, complete with pictures. She tells us of Sergei’s life, the man he was, the love she had for him, the talent he possessed. I cried several times while reading this book, feeling her anguish over losing him but also appreciating the time they did have together.
At the end of the book, Katya tells us of the skating tribute she and her friends paid to Sergei. Many of her Russian skating friends were there, as well as skaters they had toured with and competed with. They took music that Sergei and Katya had skated to over the years and relived it, creating empty spaces on the ice where Sergei would have been, if he were there. Then Katya came out and skated alone for the first time in her whole life. At the end of her performance, her daughter Daria came out to join her on the ice, and they embraced, together but alone.
This book is a beautiful memorial to the man who embodied the art of figure skating and one of the best athletes we’ve ever had, told in the loving words of a wife who adored him. Your heart will be touched by “My Sergei.” You can also get the DVD version of Katya’s story as well, with video film clips of the performances.
(This book was published in 1996 by Warner Books.)
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