As a four-year-old, Ovsyannikov fell ill with pneumonia. After he recovered, doctors recommended to his parents that he enroll in some kind of sport, preferably in a fresh air environment. Initially a singles skater, he switched to ice dance at the age of 10.
During the 1997–98 season, Krylova and Ovsyannikov won gold medals at Nations Cup and Cup of Russia but did not compete at the Champions Series Final. They won silver at the European Championships and followed it up with silver at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. They were second at both events to Grishuk and Platov who retired after the Olympics. At the 1998 World Championships, they won their first World title ahead of Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat.[citation needed] They used music from the opera Carmen for their free skate. Figure skating writer and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum called it "a dramatic interpretation" and said that it included many hunched-over and distorted angled positions, as well as "over-the-top" facial expressions, especially from Ovsianmikov. Kestnbaum stated that the program "seemed to depict a struggle or sexual encounter in which she retained the upper hand".[3] Kestnbaum also reported that one reporter called the program "an updated, playful version of Carmen".[3]
During the 1998–99 season, Krylova and Ovsyannikov won gold at Sparkassen Cup (formerly Nations Cup) and Cup of Russia to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. They won the title ahead of Anissina and Peizerat. They won their first European title and then capped off their career with their second World title.
Krylova and Ovsyannikov were planning to compete the following season and had prepared programs and costumes, however, doctors advised her to retire due to a risk of paralysis stemming from her back problem.[4][2] She suggested that he team up with another skater but he declined.[2] After a year, she felt more confident and they began performing in the less demanding world of professional skating.[2] They won the 2001 World Professional title.
Personal life
Ovsyannikov formerly coached in Newark, Delaware with his wife Angelika Kirchmayr, an ice dancer from Russia who won the 1989 World Junior Championships.[5] Their daughter Michelle Ovsyannikov was born in 2006 in Austria.[6] In 2007, Ovsyannikov was appointed the chief coach of the Russian national synchronized skating team and moved back to Moscow.[7][6] He coaches at the KPRF Sport Club in Moscow.[8][9]
^ abKestnbaum, Ellyn (2003). Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning. Middleton, Connecticut: Wesleyan Publishing Press. p. 244. ISBN0-8195-6641-1.
