When Russians talk about their figure skating history, there is only one woman that commands accolades reserved among its greatest athletes. 2006 Olympic Bronze Medalist and two-time World Champion Irina Slutskaya is at the top of the list in Russia women’s figure skating.

Irina Slutskaya

Slutskaya became the first Russian to win the European Championship – as a 16-year-old in 1996. She also became the first Russian woman to win an Olympic silver medal – as a 22-year old in 2002. One month after winning silver at the Salt Lake City Olympics, Slutskaya won the World Championship. And in February of 2006, she won the Bronze Medal at the Winter Games in Tornio, Italy.

Slutskaya had to miss the 2003 Worlds, placed 9th in 2004 year while still recovering from a career-threatening heart ailment, and in 2005 found enough strength to skate through three grueling programs in less than a week for her second World Championship.

This gold medal is probably the dearest to me in all my collection," Slutskaya said, clutching the medal as she tried to explain how she felt."

There was a time when she didn't know whether she would ever hear the applause of the crowds or the scores from the judges again. She spent most of 2003 and 2004 battling a serious heart ailment. She was diagnosed with vasculitis, which can cause major vascular organs to deteriorate. She spent many days lying in a hospital bed, picturing herself jumping and spinning on the ice. At the same time, she was worried about her mother, who was suffering from a serious kidney ailment.

Give up skating? Never.

"The doctors would tell me not to skate, to rest," Irina said. "I would rest for awhile, but then I would get up and just walk and walk in the park. I would walk for miles. I just couldn't stay still. And I found that the more I walked, the more energy I had and the better I felt. So I tell my doctor, and he just shrugs his shoulders and tells me to be careful."

Irina knew how serious her ailment was, but she's a fighter, and she wasn't about to give up.

"The doctors told me I couldn't skate for three months. That's when I started doing all my walking. Then one day I decided to try to skate. I could only go one time around the rink, and that took a lot of effort. But I was determined. So I go back the next day and skate around the rink one time. Then I gradually increased the number of times I could make it around the rink. That was such a difficult time. Me? Not even being able to go once around the rink without being exhausted?"

Irina kept up her regimen of adding more and more every day, and now just look at her. She's a world champion and a big success of the Champions On Ice tour.

Irina loves life a little more now after her scary experience in the hospital.

"I love everything. I love to skate. I love to cook. I love to shop. I just love being able to do what I want to do again."

And speaking of cooking, it is one of Irina's favorite things to do. "I don't really follow the books," she said. "I just go to the market and see things that I like and I buy a little of a lot of things. Then I bring them home and spread them out on the table. Then I start mixing them together and come up with my own dishes."

Shopping is also a lot of fun for Irina. She loves to shop in New York because "you can find anything you're looking for." She also loves to shop in Moscow, which now has malls just like in the United States. Her favorite things to shop for? Lingerie and socks.

She stays in constant contact with her mom, who also has been very ill. "I talk with her every day," she said. "She asks me if I'm taking care of myself, and I ask her the same thing. It's mostly girl talk."

During her magnificent career Slutskaya has won the European Championship six times, tying the records set by the legendary Sonja Henie and Katarina Witt.

Slutskaya is a four-time Russian National Champion and has medaled every year but twice since she has been competing in her country’s championships.

She hasn’t lacked for technical skills along the way. Slutskaya became the first woman to land the difficult triple Lutz-triple loop combination in competition at the 2000 Grand Prix Final in Lyon, France. And to top that, she became the first woman to land a triple Lutz-triple loop-double toeloop combination at the 2001 World Championships.

And Slutskaya proved as innovative with spins when she invented the double Biellmann spin with foot change.

The Moscow native is known for her athleticism, exuberant style of skating and charming, adorable looks.

"I love skating and I love competing with the other girls," Slutskaya said during an interview while touring with Champions On Ice. "I’m just enjoying skating now. I can skate for the crowd. I see how crowds react for my exhibition number. I love that."

Slutskaya began skating at age 4 and by her teenage years had already been crowned the World Junior Champion and European Champion. She has learned how fickle a career in skating can be. Slutskaya was fourth at the Russian championships in 1998 and almost quit skating when she did not make the national team. However, since then Slutskaya has been among the most dominant women in the sport.

Personal

Name	Irina Slutskaya
Born	Moscow
Home town	Moscow
Home Club	Trade Union Moscow
Coach	Zhanna Gromova
Choreographer	Margarita Romanenko
Music: Short program	Victory by Tonci Huljic
Music: Long program	La Traviata by Guiseppe Verdi