Irina Slutskaya (HD SLIDE SHOW)

Irina Eduardovna Slutskaya( Russian :Ири́на Эдуа́рдовна Слу́цкая Irina Eduardovna Slutskaya (listen) ( help · info ) ; born 9 February 1979) is a Russianfigure skater . She is a two-timeThế giớichampion (2002, 2005), two-timeOlympicmedalist (silver in 2002, bronze in 2006), seven-timeEuropeanchampion (1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006), a four-timeGrand Prix Finalchampion (2000–2002, 2005) and a four-timeRussian nationalchampion (2000–2002, 2005). Slutskaya, known for her athletic ability, was the first female skater to land a triplelutz -tripleloopcombination. She is also known for her trademark doubleBiellmann spinwith a foot change, which she also invented. With her women's record seven-time triumph at the European Championships she is generally considered to be the most successful ladies' singles skater in Russian history.Slutskaya started skating at the age of four, encouraged by her mother. Coached byZhanna Gromovafrom the age of six, she first made her mark as a promising junior skater by winning the bronze medal at the1994 Thế giới Junior Championships , held in December 1993 inColorado Springs . This would be the beginning of a twelve-year rivalry with American legendMichelle Kwan , who won gold at this same event.In the 1994–95 season, Slutskaya continued her rise towards the elite of the sport. After winning the1995 Thế giới Juniortitle in November 1994 inBudapest , she took bronze at1995 Russian Championshipsto qualify for her first senior ISU Championship. At the1995 European Championships , she came back from a fall in the short program to skate the third best free skating and rose to fifth overall. She qualified for Thế giớis along with silver medalistOlga Markova , by finishing ahead of Russian championMaria Butyrskaya(7th). At the1995 Thế giới Championships , Slutskaya again fell in the short program but performed six triples in the next segment, resulting in a rank of 5th in the free skating and 7th overall. In the 1995–96 season, Slutskaya competed in the inaugural edition of the Champions Series (later renamed theISU Grand Prix of trượt băng nghệ thuật ), taking bronze at the1995 Skate Americaand placing fourth at the1995 Trophée de France . In January 1996, at theEuropean ChampionshipsinSofia ,Bulgaria , she became the first Russian woman to win the European title, performing six triples in the free skating to dethrone the five-time defending championSurya Bonaly . Slutskaya also won the Centennial on Ice, combining with Butyrskaya to hand Kwan her only defeat of the season. At theChampions Series Final , held inParisin late February 1996, she finished ahead of reigning Thế giới championChen Lu(4th) and took the silver medal behindMichelle Kwan . In March, she competed at the1996 Thế giới ChampionshipsinEdmonton ,Canada . Third in the short program, she held onto her position in the next segment after recovering from an early fall to complete six triples. She was awarded the bronze medal and stepped onto her first Thế giới podium, alongside Kwan (gold medalist) and Chen (silver).In 1996–97, Slutskaya began her season by winning her first Champions Series title at the1996 Skate Canada International , beating rising starTara Lipinski . She went on to win two more CS events, the1996 Nations Cupand1996 Cup of Russia . In January 1997, she repeated as theEuropeanchampion, landing seven triples (one with a slightly flawed landing). By theChampions Series Final , held in late February and early March 1997, Slutskaya was struggling with jumps and finished third behind Lipinski, the new U.S champion, and Kwan. At the1997 Thế giới ChampionshipsinLausanne , a missed combination left her in 6th place in the short program. She then incurred a back injury from a hard fall in practice the day of the free skating. In the free skating, she completed six triples, including a 3S-3Lo combination, and received three first-place votes for the segment. Due to the short program, she finished fourth overall.In the 1997–98 season, Slutskaya took silver at the1997 Nations Cupand gold at the1997 Cup of Russia . In December, she finished off the podium at theRussian Championshipsand at theChampions Series FinalinMunichbefore winning the silver medal in January 1998 at theEuropean ChampionshipsinMilan . In February, she competed at her firstWinter OlympicsinNagano ,Japan . Ranked fifth in the short program after her planned combination became a 2Lz-2T, Slutskaya performed five triples in the free skating and received two third-place votes (from the U.S.