From Russia With Love

Sexy gold medalist Alexei Yagudin calls Connecticut home now.
By Karen May
Published 04/18/02

Six is the perfect score in figure skating and it is often unattainable. But not if you are Alexei Yagudin, a Russian who lives here in Connecticut, and who captured Olympic gold for men's figure skating in Salt Lake City with an unprecedented four sixes awarded by the judges.

Last month at the World Championships in Nagano, Japan, Yagudin did it again, receiving six sixes in his short program and two in his long program to capture his fourth world championship in five years. Six sixes is the highest number any individual has ever received in a world championship.
For the last two years, he has lived and trained in Newington at the Connecticut International Skating Center and lived in apartments in Wethersfield and Simsbury. While he misses Russia, he seems to be fitting in well, with a couple of Mercedes Benzes and a heartbreaking smile for the girls who make up the core of his growing fan base.
Yagudin first grabbed the world's attention two years ago by winning a world championship at the age of 18, the first Russian man to win that competition.
But the Russian Skating Federation proved to be fickle and gave its support to a younger, blonder skater -- Evgeny Plushenko, Yagudin's practice partner.
Yagudin, the only child of divorced parents, then chose as his coach Tatiana Tarasov, who at the time was training other skaters in New Jersey.
He describes the experience of moving from a small apartment in St. Petersburg -- that he shared with his mother, grandmother and another family in two and a half rooms -- to the expansiveness here in the states.
"You cannot live in this country without a car. Here the highways go so far. It was so different from home; it was hard to adapt to U.S. life though being young helped," he says, flashing a wry smile.
Tarasov and a group of skaters soon relocated to the Newington ice rink.
"At first I had a condo that was real close,"to the rink, but that meant having too many visitors, Yagudin explained. So he switched to "a small apartment in Wethersfield where it is completely my own and so quiet compared to St. Petersburg."
One of his dreams that became reality when he moved to the states two and a half years ago was getting a dog. "I always dreamed to have a cocker spaniel."
The dog is named Lawrence for the Lawrence of Arabia routine that Yagudin successfully competed in for his first world championship skate.
His mother has been to visit him and he would love to have both her and his grandmother move here to join him. "I miss my mom. When she comes here, she cooks for me. I don't think my grandmother will ever come here and my mother will stay with her until she's gone," he says, the plaintive words matched by his sad face.
Adding to Yagudin's pain over missing his family was the disrespect shown to him by the Russian government after winning the gold this winter.
"The Russian president [Vladmir Putin] had a reception in his office to congratulate the Russian team. Tatiana and I were not invited. She is very outspoken which they do not like." His voice trails off wistfully as he adds, "With all the traveling, I haven't even been back home for my mother to see the medal."
His feelings for Tarasov are very strong: "She is a wonderful person. We are so close. I think of her as a coach and mother."
Yagudin's mind is as sharp as the blades of his skates. It's something he's worked on with the help of a sports psychologist Rudolph Zgano. "The people in the U.S. have supported me but in my opinion, I did it mostly for myself. Rudolph made me understand what I am capable of and how skating is like life with ups and downs."
He has been swamped with interview requests, has received "certificates from all the towns especially Newington and Wethersfield" and was happy to have been invited to Gov. John Rowland's reception for the state's Olympic participants. "I'm really proud that I'm a Russian but there is more opportunity for me here in the states."
One of the benefits is the hot new Mercedes sports coupe he bought himself to park next to his Mercedes SUV.
When one of the guys in the Newington rink office offers to keep Yagudin's car in running condition while he is away, Yagudin laughs: "Which one?"
For the last decade, Yagudin has ridden the crest of the celebrity wave. Not only does his first name rhyme with sexy, but the young skater exudes self-assurance as well as that all-important celebrity factor -- being incredibly photogenic. That's translated into money and fame. His agent Dmitri Goryachkin at the IMG agency represents a number of athletes in endorsement deals. Yagudin is the international spokesperson for Vespa sports drink and will be adding other endorsements, he says.
And Yagudin is not just another pretty face, he graduated second in his high school class, and his academic major at the Academy of Sports and Physical Culture in his home country was coaching. That's something he may turn to when his skating days are finished.
Yagudin has a huge and growing fan club. There are almost 30 websites devoted to the skater. A born performer, he claims that he can hear what his fans are saying when he skates.
"I can hear the voices and what they're saying, more so at shows than in competitions. While competing, you can hear my heart going fast," he gestures the movement of beating under his fleece jacket.
He zeroes in on pretty girls in the audience and often includes them in his performances by going into the stands, which thrills them.
He says though, that he doesn't have time with training and travel to have a relationship. "Besides," he said, this time with a gesture toward the rink, "The ice lady takes all my time."
Yagudin will skate at the Champions on Ice show that at the Hartford Civic Center on April 21 at 3 p.m. Other skaters include Olympians Sarah Hughes, Timothy Goebels and former world champs Todd Eldredge and Rudy Galindo. Tickets are available at the box office or through Ticketmaster, (860) 525-4500.