Coaches of Multiple Olympic Champions

**BittyBug** · 08-23-2011, 05:58 PM

Is Tatiana Tarasova the coach with the most Olympic champions? She has:

Rodnina & Zaitsev (2-time champions)
Bestemianova & Bukhin
Klimova & Ponomarenko
Gordeeva & Grinkov (2-time champions)
Grishuk & Platov (2-time champions)
Ilia Kulik
Alexei Yagudin

The next most productive coach I can think of is Tamara Moskvina, who has

Valova & Vassiliev
Miskutenok & Dmitriev
Kazakova & Dmitriev
Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze

Who are other prolific coaches, and what do you think makes these coaches so successful?

**AYS** · 08-23-2011, 06:14 PM

These must be the top two, unless there is someone with more back in the olden days. However, Tarasova only briefly worked with Gordeeva/Grinkov during their pro years between '88 and '94 (just for a time in '90, from what I can tell). She didn't coach them to either of their Golds.

**Zemgirl** · 08-23-2011, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by BittyBug

Who are other prolific coaches, and what do you think makes these coaches so successful?

If the criterion is coaching OGM skaters, I'm guessing Tarasova's achievements can't be topped. I think her biggest strength was in knowing how to package her students in a way that made their strengths shine (which couldn't have hurt their confidence), enabling them to take that extra step you need to become a champion. But I'm not really sure how much of the credit she deserves in some cases; for instance, would her (excellent) work with Yagudin have gotten him as far as a he went without the technique he got from Mishin?

If we're looking beyond OGMs, I'm sure other coaches have done quite well. Consider someone like Bin Yao, whose students have won five medals in three Olympics, including a gold; that is pretty impressive - even more so considering the state of Chinese pairs skating when he started coaching.

**briancoogaert** · 08-23-2011, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by BittyBug

Is Tatiana Tarasova the coach with the most Olympic champions? She has:

Rodnina & Zaitsev (2-time champions)
Bestemianova & Bukhin
Klimova & Ponomarenko
Gordeeva & Grinkov (2-time champions)
Grishuk & Platov (2-time champions)
Ilia Kulik
Alexei Yagudin

IIRC, she didn't coach Gordeeva&Grinkov and Grishuk&Platov for their first OGM.

**JockProf** · 08-23-2011, 06:54 PM

Don't forget Carlo Fassi:

Peggy Fleming
Dorothy Hammil
John Curry
Robin Cousins

**BittyBug** · 08-23-2011, 08:05 PM

Yeah, I wasn't totally sure about Tarasova's involvement with G&G.

Totally forgot about Carlo Fassi.

**Vash01** · 08-23-2011, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by BittyBug

Is Tatiana Tarasova the coach with the most Olympic champions? She has:

Rodnina & Zaitsev (2-time champions)
Bestemianova & Bukhin
Klimova & Ponomarenko
Gordeeva & Grinkov (2-time champions)
Grishuk & Platov (2-time champions)
Ilia Kulik
Alexei Yagudin

The next most productive coach I can think of is Tamara Moskvina, who has

Valova & Vassiliev
Miskutenok & Dmitriev
Kazakova & Dmitriev
Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze

Who are other prolific coaches, and what do you think makes these coaches so successful?

I don't think Tarasova ever coached Gordeeva-Grinkov, leave alone for an OGM!

I would add Mishin to the list:

Alexei Urmanov (94 OGM)
Evgeni Plushenko (2006 OGM)

Also Galina Zmwieskaya (sp?)

Viktor Petrenko (92 OGM)
Oksana Baiul (94 OGM)

I am curious to see if Juta Muller coached any Olympic champions besides Katarina Witt (2 times)?

**Willowway** · 08-23-2011, 10:47 PM

But I'm not really sure how much of the credit she deserves in some cases; for instance, would her (excellent) work with Yagudin have gotten him as far as a he went without the technique he got from Mishin?

Same for Kulik. He came to her with all of his technical skills plus jumps in order - from Viktor Kudriavtsev. He did not have a quad when he arrived but she has been gracious enough to say that she knew little about coaching jumps and so consulted with Viktor (who was gracious enough to participate) in coaching Ilia to the quad that he had already started working on.

Yes, she really made a real difference with presentation and packaging which is why Ilia chose to leave a beloved coach for her - he needed to add that and he sensed she might have it for him (she had never coached a single male before him - it was an experiment initiated by Ilia as she and he have both recounted). She definitely delivered for him. And the best part is that Ilia's wonderful relationship with Viktor survived and is strong today (Ilia has said recently that he likes to take class from Viktor or observe his classes when he can, mostly in Switzerland, because he learns so much about being a coach from him).

**gkelly** · 08-23-2011, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by Vash01

I am curious to see if Juta Muller coached any Olympic champions besides Katarina Witt (2 times)?

Didn't she also coach Annett Poetzsch?

And Gabriele Seyfert and Jan Hoffmann, but they didn't win Olympic gold.

**gingercat** · 08-24-2011, 02:05 AM

Didn't Galina Z. coach Petrenko and Baiul?

**BittyBug** · 08-24-2011, 03:38 AM

Originally Posted by Zemgirl

But I'm not really sure how much of the credit she deserves in some cases; for instance, would her (excellent) work with Yagudin have gotten him as far as a he went without the technique he got from Mishin?

That's a tough call. On the one hand, it's not clear that Tarasova could have built a champion from the ground up. On the other, this sport is littered with talented skaters who didn't have the mental fortitude to pull it together under pressure. And that's where both Tarasova and Moskvina seem to excel - instilling the focus necessary to rise above the pressure of the moment.

**Marco** · 08-24-2011, 04:00 AM

Originally Posted by gingercat

Didn't Galina Z. coach Petrenko and Baiul?

And her accomplishment is only ever so slightly diminished after having worked with Weir.

**Vash01** · 08-24-2011, 05:15 AM

Originally Posted by gingercat

Didn't Galina Z. coach Petrenko and Baiul?

Please see post #7 above. I had mentioned it.

**Vash01** · 08-24-2011, 05:20 AM

Originally Posted by BittyBug

That's a tough call. On the one hand, it's not clear that Tarasova could have built a champion from the ground up. On the other, this sport is littered with talented skaters who didn't have the mental fortitude to pull it together under pressure. And that's where both Tarasova and Moskvina seem to excel - instilling the focus necessary to rise above the pressure of the moment.

However, Mishin did build champions. It's not like his skaters became champions only after they went to Tarasova. I agree with the poster that pointed out that Yagudin mastered his jumps while being coached by Mishin, and Tarasova only had to work on the rest to make him a champion. Same with Kulik, as the poster pointed out- he already had the jumps before he went to TT. She used strategy to help him improve his physical endurance and become good enough to win the OGM. Unlike Yagudin, whose artistry really developed with TT, Kulik's artistry developed only after he turned pro. In any case for the OGM he did not really need it. His jumps blew the field away, and it wasn't TT that made him such a great jumper.

Just to clarify, I am not trying to say that Tarasova was not a great coach, but in some cases the work done by previous coaches laid the ground work for her students to win the OGM.

**julieann** · 08-24-2011, 05:41 AM

Most skaters become champions because of other coaches they had before; Not just because of the coaches they had sitting with them in the K&C after a gold medal performance.

I remember something Nikolai Velikov said after one of Moskvina's teams won; he said (and I'm paraphrasing) "She has often benefited from the work of other coaches." I found it funny because it really could of applied to any coach including him and his wife.

**pumba** · 08-24-2011, 05:46 AM

Elena Chaikovskaya was a coach of the first ice dance Olympic champions - Pakhomova/Gorshkov, as well as another Olympic ice dance champions Linichuk/Karponosov.
She also coached Vladimir Kovalev to 2 World titles and Olympic silver, and Maria Butyrskaya to her Worlds gold.
She coached Tarasova/Proskurin in pairs, who won the Universiade.

**Vash01** · 08-24-2011, 06:02 AM

Originally Posted by pumba

Elena Chaikovskaya was a coach of the first ice dance Olympic champions - Pakhomova/Gorshkov, as well as another Olympic ice dance champions Linichuk/Karponosov.
She also coached Vladimir Kovalev to 2 World titles and Olympic silver, and Maria Butyrskaya to her Worlds gold.
She coached Tarasova/Proskurin in pairs, who won the Universiade.

I knew that she coached Linichuk-Karponosov. I did not realize she had also coached Pakhomova-Gorshkov.

**briancoogaert** · 08-24-2011, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by Vash01

I don't think Tarasova ever coached Gordeeva-Grinkov, leave alone for an OGM!

G&G worked with Tarasova after 1990 Worlds. But they decided to turn pro before the 1990-1991 season started. So, they continued to work with her as pro in 1990-1991 (Pagliacci, Thais...).
I don't know if they asked her to help them in 1993 when they decided to comeback.

**googooeyes** · 08-24-2011, 01:03 PM

Sheldon Galbraith coached Olympic champions Barbara Ann Scott and pair Barbara Wagner & Bob Paul. Also world champions Donald Jackson, pair Frances Dafoe & Norris Bowden.He coached Vern Taylor to do the first triple axel, as well as a whole bunch of other top Canadian & U.S. sksaters.

**aliceanne** · 08-24-2011, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by Vash01

I don't think Tarasova ever coached Gordeeva-Grinkov, leave alone for an OGM!

I would add Mishin to the list:

Alexei Urmanov (94 OGM)
Evgeni Plushenko (2006 OGM)

Also Galina Zmwieskaya (sp?)

Viktor Petrenko (92 OGM)
Oksana Baiul (94 OGM)

I am curious to see if Juta Muller coached any Olympic champions besides Katarina Witt (2 times)?

Katarina's one time sister-in-law, Anett Poetsch (1980).

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