Unlucky with medals, lucky in love: European champion Larisa Selezneva is 60

Coach Tamara Moskvina wanted the petite figure skater, who had successfully competed as a singles skater, to skate with Oleg Vasiliev. Only this duet did not work out. As Vasiliev recalled, his relationship with Larisa was like that of a cat and a dog. During training, Moskvina even forbade them to talk.

With Oleg Makarov, who became not only a partner on the ice, but also a husband, everything worked out for Larisa from the very beginning. At first they were coached by Andrei Suraikin, but by decision of the USSR Figure Skating Federation, the highly experienced coach Igor Moskvin began working with the Selezneva/Makarov pair. He brought his students to an unprecedented level of difficulty and helped the skaters find their own style. Leningrad figure skaters paid great attention to the choice of music and choreography.

Until a certain time, Selezneva and Makarov trained on the same ice with Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev. As Moskvin assured in many interviews, his students were superior to his wife’s wards. And the programs of the Selezneva/Makarov pair were more interesting, and Larisa outwardly won compared to Elena. Everything changed after a scandalous incident at a training camp for Leningrad figure skaters in the Kazakh city of Rudny. In Leningrad at that time there were problems with artificial ice, and the Moskvins took their students to other cities of the USSR for full-time classes.

During training, Makarov crashed into Valova at full speed. Vasiliev immediately jumped to his partner’s defense and received a knockout blow to the jaw. After this, Elena and Oleg were unable to compete at the USSR Championships, but as a bonus they received the opportunity to participate in the World and European Championships without any selection. They arrived at the 1984 Olympics as undisputed favorites. And Makarov was disqualified for a year.

Igor Moskvin’s students missed the pre-Olympic season and at the Sarajevo Olympics competed as debutants in international competitions. The bronze medal won by St. Petersburg figure skaters can be considered an achievement. After the incident in Rudny, the Moskvins, each of whom took the side of their students, almost divorced. Only Igor Borisovich and Tamara Nikolaevna are wise people. They simply decided to separate family life and work. After that, we worked with our students at different skating rinks.

Moskvin managed to bring the Seleznev/Makarov pairing to a completely new level for the late 80s of the last century. Leningrad figure skaters not only mastered the most complex content of figure skating, but also demonstrated the most interesting programs. At the 1985 World Championships in Tokyo, Leningrad figure skaters made a splash. They were the first in the world to perform triple jumps in pairs competitions. Before them, no one risked inserting jumps into the program immediately after ejections.

One of the peaks in the creativity of the skaters and their coach was the “Chinese Concert” program to the music of Jean-Michel Jarre. The skaters skated in black overalls, which was a sensation at that time. Moskvin even wanted to use white makeup and hats like mimes, but the Federation leadership forbade it. However, even without this, the program, thanks to its many game elements, produced a truly mystical impression.

Performance to the music of the “healer”

For the 1988 Olympic season, Selezneva and Makarov prepared a program to the music of Sergei Konovalov. Yes, yes, the same “healer” whose sessions thousands of sufferers flock to. At that time, a graduate of the military medical faculty of the Kuibyshev Medical Institute worked at the Leningrad District Clinical Hospital. St. Petersburg figure skaters turned to the young doctor in order to solve problems that arose after a partner’s injury. And we were surprised to learn that one of Dr. Konovalov’s treatment methods is music.

In Calgary, at the Olympic tournament, Selezneva and Makarov performed the “Flow” free program. Konovalov wrote the music for it. “During medical procedures, we talked with the doctor, and he said that he writes music,” Makarov recalled. “We asked him to perform something, and Konovalov’s work made a huge impression on us. They asked him to write an original piece, and he agreed. That’s how “Flow” was born, with which we performed at the Olympics.”

However, the Leningrad skaters failed to repeat the success of four years ago in Calgary. They took the most offensive place for athletes at the 1988 Olympics, fourth. It’s especially offensive when you consider that in the hierarchy of the Russian national team Selezneva and Makarov were number two after Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov. But Larisa and Oleg failed to avoid mistakes in Canada. After the incident in Rudny, Makarov was never able to learn to cope with emotions.

An incident that happened at one of the international tournaments also had a noticeable impact on him. Makarov put on his skates and suddenly noticed a burr on the blade. Having carefully examined the working tool, Oleg discovered that someone had drawn the blade along a hard surface. Most likely due to the battery. Such morals reigned in the USSR national team.

On the ice – an athlete, at home – a housewife

Selezneva believes that Moskvin played a huge role in her development as a figure skater and personality. “We often communicated with Igor Borisovich outside the skating rink,” Larisa recalled in a conversation with a journalist from MK in St. Petersburg. “One day he came to visit us with Tamara Nikolaevna and was simply amazed at my housekeeping skills. He knew me as an athlete and had no idea that I could cook. In the Moskvin family, Igor Borisovich was always responsible for preparing lunches and dinners.”

When Selezneva asked what kind of soup the guests preferred, Moskvin’s surprise knew no bounds: “Lara, do you have two soups in your assortment?” When he found out that there were also two second ones in the assortment, he could not resist complimenting: “Lara, in my eyes you have grown by an order of magnitude.” According to Selezneva, she was very pleased to feel like the mistress of the house. But the strict sports diet did not include baking.

Family Affair

As Selezneva and Makarov always emphasized, they were among the last Soviet champions who went to work in the United States. They were invited there by Moskvina, who together with her husband prepared Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze for the 2002 Olympics, and also worked with the American couple Kyoko Ina / John Zimmerman. To begin with, Larisa and Oleg went for a month, but then they replaced the Moskvins when they left with their students for competitions.

For a very short time, Selezneva and Makarov monetized their sporting achievements by performing in the show. After the birth of their daughter Ksenia, they focused on coaching. The grown-up Ksenia Makarova at some point joined the Russian national team. “How could I do otherwise when I was born in St. Petersburg, and my parents played for the USSR national team,” explains the athlete. True, she always said that she wanted to become a criminologist. Ksenia fulfilled this dream, but now works as an individual consultant and at the same time trains figure skaters.

The son of Alisa and Oleg did not continue the family traditions: he was seriously involved in swimming.

Selezneva and Makarov work as coaches, and in tandem, which is rare in figure skating for married couples. Students of formerly famous St. Petersburg figure skaters perform at international competitions, representing countries exotic for figure skating.

In September, Selezneva celebrated her 60th birthday, and Makarov celebrated her anniversary a little earlier. This duet is still remembered by St. Petersburg figure skating fans.