Career
As a child, Butyrskaya was coached by Irina Nifontova for eight years. After she decided to retire, Butyrskaya had a couple of coaches, one of whom told her she had no talent, and then contacted Vladimir Korolov. He improved her compulsory figures but they were then dropped from competitions. After Korolov moved to Greece, Butyrskaya was coached by Viktor Kudriavtsev for several years until he told her that she was strong technically but he could not help her mentally. Her coach then became Elena Tchaikovskaya.
Butyrskaya originally competed for the Soviet Union. After its dissolution, she began representing Russia.
As a teen, she was replaced by the Soviet Figure Skating Federation, and then lost coach after coach while struggling to finance her skating following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Her World Championship result in 1993 failed to qualify Russia for a spot in the 1994 Olympics. She came in 4th at the 1998 Olympics. Her persistence paid off when she defeated defending world champion Michelle Kwan at the 1999 World Championships. She received all first place ordinals in both the short and the long programs at the 1999 worlds, dominating the competition in an upset victory. She was never able to win a second world title, or an olympic medal, although she did win the short program at the 2000 Worlds, and captured her second bronze medal. She ended her amateur career at the 2002 World Championships, withdrawing from the competition after skating poorly in the qualifying round.
Butyrskaya was known for the beauty of her triple loop and true, outside-edge triple lutz. She was also known for a combination spin that involved clasping her arms and hands behind her back while transitioning to back camel, sit and scratch spins. She often participated in choreographing her programs and in designing her costumes. She often skated better in practice sessions than in competitive events, however, as she frequently succumbed to nervous tension when competing. In particular, Butyrskaya's car was blown up by the Russian mafia in December 1999, and speculation followed that the ensuing emotional distress caused her to lose the 1999 Russian Championships.
Besides the technical elements of figure skating, Butyrskaya won adulation for her artistry and ubridled femininity, which, especially toward the end of her professional career, was often in stark contrast to competitors half her age. She herself described her skating style as "a Woman on the ice". In 2000, the New York Times described her short program (Sarah Brightman's Scene d'Amour) as "flowing, lyrical skating...a performance of rare elegance and beauty."
Read more about this topic: Maria Butyrskaya
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