Couple Sikharulidze and Elena Berezhnaya. Drama on Ice

Elena Viktorovna Berezhnaya is a famous, talented, original and successful figure skater who amazed everyone around her with her skill and flexibility. Few people know, but fate repeatedly tripped up the girl, placing her in simply terrible conditions.

Elena survived, was able to find loyal friends and give birth to her beloved children from a loving person. She clarified that in order to achieve success, one should promptly abandon what brings pain and wounds to the very heart, and also never endure humiliation even from those closest to them.

An army of devoted fans want to know about the figure skater’s physical parameters, such as height, weight, age. How old is Elena Berezhnaya? This is a fairly popular query on the Internet.

The future figure skater was born in 1977, so she turned forty, although Elena Berezhnaya: photos in her youth and now are not much different. Lena is incredibly active and athletic, so she looks great.

The Zodiac sign Libra gives a girl punctuality, prudence, observation and incredible performance. According to the Eastern horoscope, Lena received the sign of the wise, stable, bright, insecure Snake, persistent in achieving her goal.

Berezhnaya’s height is low and reached one meter and fifty-four centimeters, and his weight stopped at forty-seven kilograms.

Biography and personal life of Elena Berezhnaya

The biography and personal life of Elena Berezhnaya are simply incredible, since the girl, in general, should not have been in the next world. Little Lenochka was born in provincial Nevinnomyssk, premature and sickly, and therefore weighed only seven kilograms at one year, suffering from dystrophy.

The father, Viktor Berezhnoy, abused alcohol, so the family broke up when the little girl turned five. The girl was raised by her stepfather Mikhail, who fed, clothed and protected the baby with all his might, considering her his own child.

Mother - Tatyana Berezhnaya - tried to improve the health of her little daughter, trying to send her to artistic gymnastics, ballet or dancing, but they did not take her anywhere except figure skating, fearing diagnoses. The four-year-old plastic beauty showed talent and incredible performance, however, coach Nina Ruchkina constantly beat the pupil until her stepfather stood up for her.

Lena has not only an older brother, Alexey Berezhnoy, and a younger brother, Ivan Berezhnoy, who are not connected with sports in any way, but also cousins ​​Victor, Natalya, and Nadezhda, who appeared in the family after the death of their father.

At the age of thirteen, the girl was sent to study at the CSKA boarding school in Moscow together with the coach’s son Sasha, who was later expelled for incompetence. Lena studied with all her might, because she was bullied by older students, and she was the only girl in the dormitory.

Together with Oleg Shlyakhov, she repeatedly took first place and even competed for Latvia. Later, Lena moved to St. Petersburg and continued training. Before the 1996 European Championships, the athlete received a terrible injury when she was hit in the temple by Oleg’s skate blade during training. It is worth noting that the skate pierced the skull and affected the speech center; after craniotomy, the girl learned to walk and talk in a new way.
After that, together with Anton Sikharulidze, the figure skater was able to win a huge number of awards, however, then she decided to leave the sport after her partner. Since 2006 she has participated in the shows “Stars on Ice”, “Alone with Everyone”, “Star Ice”, “Ice and Fire”.

She was a deputy, a public figure, the head of the St. Petersburg Ice Theater, and opened her own figure skating school for children.

But the girl was not very lucky in her personal life, because her ice partner Oleg Shlyakhov treated her rather coolly, beat her and threw her flat on the ice out of anger. Their relationship did not work out, although they rented one apartment for two.

Eighteen-year-old Alexei Yagudin and Alexander Domogarov were in love with the girl, but she admitted that her first love was Anton Sikharulidze. He was there in sorrow and in joy, but the couple did not get to the point of marriage and civil marriage, and sport is considered to be to blame for everything.

Family and children of Elena Berezhnaya

Elena Berezhnaya’s family and children are the most precious things in her life, because she came to her quite late. Lena considers her family to be her parents, brothers and sisters, and also Anton Sikharulidze, who became her dearest and dearest person.

The figure skater and her ice partner treat each other like brother and sister; they are family friends and often come to visit each other. Lena claims that she has never had such a warm relationship with any figure skating partner. She and Anton feel each other on some intuitive level and can communicate almost without words.

Berezhnaya's children are late and welcome because they appeared too late. Currently, Elena devotes herself entirely to the kids and her family and little students, who consider her their second mother. At the same time, her Instagram page is littered with photos and videos of Tristan and Sophia-Diana, which are filled with pride and love.

Son of Elena Berezhnaya - Tristan Cousins

Elena Berezhnaya’s son, Tristan Cousins, is the beloved and long-awaited first-born, who was born in 2007, immediately after his parents got married. The baby received not only a rare name and the affectionate family nickname Chok, but his mother realized that she could no longer risk herself and began to live only for the sake of her boy.

The boy studies at a regular school quite well, and at the same time he studies at Elena Berezhnaya’s school. He loves his skates and ice, trying to become a world champion.

Tristan is a very active guy, he plays football and is constantly on the move, and he also hates it when someone contradicts him about anything or makes comments.

Daughter of Elena Berezhnaya - Sofia - Diana Cousins

The daughter of Elena Berezhnaya - Sofia - Diana Cousins ​​- was born in 2009, she was born in America. It is worth clarifying that Elena wanted to give the baby a wise name - Sofiyka, and her husband insisted on a more international option - Diana, so at the family council a compromise was found and the girl received a double name.

The active and very persistent little girl received the best from her parents; at the age of three she started skating. Now Sofia-Diana wants to connect her life with figure skating and become a champion; she studies at her mother’s school and is making incredible progress.

The girl is a great student and loves spending time with her beloved dad, and she also draws wonderfully.

Elena Berezhnaya's ex-husband - Stephen Cousins

Elena Berezhnaya's ex-husband, Stephen Cousins, appeared in life in 2006, when he was still living with his first wife, Kristina Lenko. After meeting Berezhnaya, the guy realized that you can just chat with a girl and have fun.

The very next year, the couple got married, and their babies appeared one after another. The famous British singles skater was an eight-time British champion over the years. He was six years older than his chosen one and was not inferior in skill.

By the way, the young people met at the Berezhnaya ice show, but they first met back in 1993 at one of the European Championships and never even said hello when they met. Elena admitted that she always considered Stephen to be a very mediocre skater until she began performing with him in the same show program.

In 2012, Elena suddenly announced that their couple had decided to separate and live separately for some time. To the great regret of fans, a divorce occurred in 2014, but the guys managed to maintain friendly relations for the sake of their common children.

Elena Berezhnaya latest news 2017-2018

Elena Berezhnaya can check the latest news for 2017-2018 on the Internet, since she finished her sports career and is doing what she loves. Elena opened a sports school for little skaters because she believes that talented skaters should be trained practically from the cradle, so that they do not need to be retrained later.

From 2016 to this day, she has been participating in television programs and is a State Duma deputy from Stavropol and United Russia.

Another favorite and winning project of Elena Berezhnaya is the Axel cafe in her hometown of Nevinnomyssk, where you can drink a cup of green tea with delicious healthy pastries.

Anton Sikharulidze and Elena Berezhnaya love story began a long time ago, when the guy and girl studied at the St. Petersburg figure skating school. At first they met in the corridors after training, then Anton began to show Lenochka signs of attention, which angered his ice partner, who considered her property and often beat her. By the way, Berezhnaya did not believe that St. Petersburg’s first handsome man could pay attention to her, but he began to protect the girl from his partner’s attacks, protect her from everything and secretly invite her on dates.

Anton and Lena began dating, but they didn’t show it because they were rivals. Later, the romance grew into a strong passion and affection, but even the guys never entered into a civil marriage. After Berezhnaya’s injury, received on the eve of the European Championship, Sikharulidze was nearby all the time, helping to rehabilitate, reading books and talking about what was happening outside the hospital.

Since 1996, the guys began performing together and even toured the States with their own ice show. They took part in the European Championships and the Olympic Games, where they won gold, but their victories were constantly associated with scandals, including doping ones.

In 2006, the couple realized that their relationship had developed into a brotherly and friendly one, while Anton left figure skating for family reasons. After that, Lena tried to skate alone, but realized that it was time for her to leave figure skating.

Sikharulidze and Berezhnaya are family friends, he is a welcome guest in Lena’s house, and her little son calls the guy simply and cheerfully - Grandfather Anton.

It was rumored that Anton and Lena began to live together in 2016, but this is just a fantasy of the couple’s fans. By the way, Berezhnaya is the first person to whom the guy tells about his new passion and asks for advice.

Instagram and Wikipedia Elena Berezhnaya

Elena Berezhnaya’s Instagram and Wikipedia have been available for a long time and are intended primarily for communication with fans.

The Wikipedia article reveals to us little reliable information about the figure skater’s childhood, parents and education, but quite a lot of data about training, partners, injury, life after the end of her sports career, as well as sports achievements.

More than 15,500 people have subscribed to her Instagram profile and enjoy every new photo or video. By the way, almost all of them are dedicated to family life and children, who are photographed from all sides, as well as to the children’s favorite sports school of figure skating.

Honored Master of Sports of Russia (2000), Olympic champion (2002).

Since 1996 she has performed in tandem with Anton Sikharulidze for St. Petersburg. Trained with Tamara Moskvina. She played for Dynamo St. Petersburg.

Member of the Duma of the Stavropol Territory from the A Just Russia party.

Since 2012, artistic director of the St. Petersburg State Ice Theater

Since 1993, Berezhnaya has been paired with Oleg Shlyakhov for Latvia. In 1996, during a training session, while performing a spin, a partner hit her in the head with a skate - the temporal bone was pierced, and fragments damaged the lining of the brain. Berezhnaya underwent two neurosurgical operations, after which she learned again not only to walk, but also to speak and read. She learned to skate again with a new partner - Anton Sikharulidze, who supported her throughout the postoperative period.

After sports

From 2002 to 2006, together with Anton Sikharulidze, they toured the USA with the show “Stars on Ice”. At the end of the contract, both returned to St. Petersburg.

In 2006, she took part in the show “Stars on Ice” on Channel One of Russian television, where she performed with actor Alexander Nosik. In 2008, she participated in a similar show on the RTR channel “Star Ice,” where she was paired with singer Dima Bilan.

Due to the fact that Anton Sikharulidze finally decided to stop performing, Elena, left without a partner, made attempts to start performing in professional ice shows as a single skater.

In 2009, she participated in the third season of the Channel One show “Ice Age” together with Mikhail Galustyan. In 2010 - in the Channel One show “Ice and Fire” paired with Igor Ugolnikov. In 2011, he took part in the Canadian TV show “Battle of Blades” together with hockey player Curtis Leshishin.

Personal life

On October 7, 2007, she gave birth to a son from English figure skater Stephen Cousins, who was named Tristan. On June 21, 2009, the couple had a daughter, Sofia-Diana. in 2012 the couple finally separated.

State awards

• Knight of the Order of Honor (2003) - for his great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high sporting achievements at the Games of the XIX Olympiad 2002 in Salt Lake City.
• Knight of the Order of Friendship (1998) - for outstanding achievements in sports, courage and heroism shown at the XVIII Winter Olympic Games in 1998.

Sports achivments

Results for Russia

(with A. Sikharulidze)

Competitions	1996-1997	1997-1998	1998-1999	1999-2000	2000-2001	2001-2002
Winter Olympic Games		2				1
World Championships	9	1	1		2
European Championships	3	1	W.D.	DQ	1
Russian Championships	2	2	1	1	1	1
Grand Prix Finals		1	2	3	2	2
Skate America			1	3
Skate Canada International			1	3	2
Nations Cup		2
Trophee Lalique	3	1			1	1
Cup of Russia	5		1		1	1
NHK Trophy			1

WD = withdrew from competition; DQ = disqualified for doping

Elena Berezhnaya is one of the most famous Olympic champions in figure skating. The girl went in for sports from a young age, she went towards realizing her dream, despite injuries. In the mid-90s, Lena hit her head hard. She was able to get back on her feet and, with her new partner, become the winner of several championships and the Olympic Games.

After finishing her sports career, the star skated on ice arenas with exhibition performances for several years. Now she is engaged in the development of sports in Russia.

Our heroine keeps details about her relationship to herself. No one knows who she lives with now. The star is raising a son and daughter who followed in her footsteps.

Height, weight, age. How old is Elena Berezhnaya

The great star of the ice rinks began to attract the attention of numerous sports fans in the mid-90s. She amazed with her chiseled figure and beauty. The girl looked great next to her partner. She is 150 cm tall. And the athlete’s weight did not exceed 50 kg. Almost 20 years have passed since then, but the figure of our heroine has not changed at all.

Now Elena Berezhnaya, whose photos in her youth and now are of interest, is involved in sports issues in the State Duma. She tries everything to ensure that Russian children are healthy and happy.

Information about the athlete can be viewed in official sources. In encyclopedias, everyone can read what our heroine’s height, weight, and age are. It is easy to calculate how old Elena Berezhnaya is by performing simple arithmetic operations. Now the skater has crossed the 40-year-old mark. She does a lot for the development of Russian sports.

Biography and personal life of Elena Berezhnaya

The biography and personal life of Elena Berezhnaya has become of interest to fans of ice performances since the end of the last century.

The girl was born in the late 70s in a small town located at a great distance from the Russian capital. The parents were amazed at the plasticity of their Lenochka, so they decided to send her to the sports section. At the age of 3, Berezhnaya began skating on ice. She quickly mastered all kinds of pirouettes. Already at the age of 6, the girl began to skate.

As a teenager, our heroine travels to the Russian capital. At that time they were looking for a girl for Oleg Shlyakhov. She was paired with him. Soon the young people began to ride together. They represented Latvia at various international competitions. But the partner often raised his hand to Lena. She forgave him.

After some time, the partners were noticed by coach Tamara Moskvina. She invited the young couple to move to the banks of the Neva. But the joint skating did not last long. In the mid-90s, due to the fault of Oleg, Berezhnaya hit her head hard at the European Championships. It was at this moment that Anton Sikharulidze appeared in Lena’s life. He made the girl believe in herself. Despite the doctors' disappointing forecasts, she got out of bed and was able to skate.

The couple made a splash already at the European Championships. Tamara Moskvina became their coach. The partners managed to become Olympic champions twice and won several European and world championships.

After completing their sports career, Anton and Elena began touring Europe and the United States of America. In 2006, our heroine began to regularly perform in ice shows. Since 2010, Elena began skating alone, as Anton decided to leave the sport. But the relationship between the former partners remained friendly. Elena even became the godmother of Sikharulidze’s child.

Since 2012, the athlete began to manage the Ice Theater in St. Petersburg. In the 2016 elections to the State Duma, Berezhnaya became a deputy.

Despite the opinion of numerous sports fans, Elena was never the lover of her partner Anton Sikharulidze. They were connected only by friendship. The figure skater gave birth to her two children from her common-law husband, Stephen.

Family and children of Elena Berezhnaya

The family and children of Elena Berezhnaya are proud of their mother’s successes. Our heroine’s son and daughter spend a lot of time on the ice. They are trying to do everything in their power to follow in the footsteps of their beloved mother. There is no loved one near the Olympic champion yet.

The athlete considers her partner Anton Sikharulidze’s family to be her family. He helped Elena recover from her illness and become a full-fledged person when the doctors refused to do so. For many years they rode together and spent a lot of time. But they didn’t become lovers. Anton married another girl and became a father; one of the man’s children was baptized by Berezhnaya.

Mom realized that her beloved baby was incredibly flexible. The woman herself took the girl to classes with a figure skating coach. When Lenochka decided to move to Moscow, her mother supported her beloved daughter, although she was worried. A woman helps her daughter raise her grandchildren.

The star's dad worked at one of the enterprises in his hometown. The man supported his daughter and did everything for her happiness.

Son of Elena Berezhnaya - Tristan

In 2007, the great figure skater became a mother for the first time. The woman decided to name her son Tristan. The birth took place in one of the American maternity hospitals. The baby, despite his parents’ divorce, often sees his father. He speaks good English, Russian and French. The boy studies in one of the capital's schools. He enjoys learning about various sciences. The boy loves to read and learn historical data.

A boy rides in Moscow. In addition to figure skating, he is involved in music and dancing. The guy devotes a lot of time to martial arts.

Elena Berezhnaya’s son, Tristan, dreams of winning the Olympic Games. He recently won first place in a competition among his peers.

Daughter of Elena Berezhnaya - Sofia-Diana

The star of the ice rinks became a mother for the second time in 2009. Lena’s common-law husband, Stephen, became the baby’s dad. The girl knows several languages ​​well. She can speak English, Russian, and French without an accent.

Lena put her baby on the ice at the age of 2. She immediately began to roll without falling. Now Sofia-Diana participates in various competitions. She dreams of winning international competitions and becoming an Olympic champion.

Elena Berezhnaya’s daughter, Sofia-Diana, is doing well at school. The girl never lags behind her classmates, despite her frequent absences from class.

Elena Berezhnaya's ex-husband - Stephen Cousins

Lena and Steven met back in the late 90s. At first they met secretly. The man was also skating. He was born in a small English town. Stephen skated in singles competitions. But he could not become an Olympic champion.

The lovers did not register their relationship. But this did not stop them from becoming parents of a son and daughter.

Elena Berezhnaya's ex-husband, Stephen Cousins, is involved in professional sports. He lives in the United States of America. A man does not abandon his children. During the holidays he takes them to his place.

The singles skater recently got married. He will soon become a father. Stephen's new lover is expecting a child. Cousins ​​maintained friendly relations with Elena.

Elena Berezhnaya and the latest news in 2019

Since 2016, the star of the Olympic Games of the new millennium has won elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the Stavropol Territory. A woman deals with sports issues. She dreams of all the children in the country doing figure skating.

Much attention is paid to the implementation of the GTO complex. It will become mandatory not only for children, but also for employees of various companies.

Anton Sikharulidze and Elena Berezhnaya, whose love story excited many sports fans, decided to open their own sports school. The skaters are going to teach there.

Instagram and Wikipedia Elena Berezhnaya

Instagram and Wikipedia of Elena Berezhnaya allow you to find out the most detailed information about the celebrity. By looking at them, everyone will be able to find out what the star is doing now.

Wikipedia does not contain information about the figure skater’s childhood. But it lists in detail how her sports career developed in her youth and youth. The page tells about the woman's common-law spouse, children and parents.

Elena has pages on social networks. Most often, she updates information on Instagram. On the page, fans can view numerous photo and video materials from different years. For the past few months, data about the Olympic champion has not been updated. Perhaps this is due to employment in the State Duma.

Athlete Date of birth October 11 (Libra) 1977 (41) Place of birth Nevinnomyssk Instagram @berezhok11

Elena Viktorovna has won Olympic gold and champion titles at world and all-Russian figure skating competitions. They say about such people: “An athlete, a Komsomol member and simply a beauty.” And this is not surprising, because the star successfully combines the position of mother, wife, coach and public figure.

Biography of Elena Berezhnaya

Elena Berezhnaya was born in the fall of 1977 in the small southern town of Nevinnomyssk. When the girl turned 3 years old, her parents took her to the sports section. Coach Stanislav Zhuk immediately noticed the student’s talent. However, the young skater did not become his ward.

At the age of 13, Elena moved to Moscow to improve her skills. The athlete received a room in the dorm, where she was the only girl. Oleg Shlyakhov became his figure skating partner. Their couple was one of the most promising on the skating rink. At the same time, personal relations between the partners were very strained. The young man treated Elena rudely and scolded her for every mistake. When it came to assault, the guys from the sports club came to the skater’s defense.

To avoid a scandal, Shlyakhov took Elena to Latvia. There the couple successfully competed. Another victory in 1995 gave them an acquaintance with Tamara Moskvina. The coach invited the guys to her place, and they moved to St. Petersburg.

The changes only worsened the already difficult relationship between the partners. Elena became friends with Anton Sikharulidze. This entailed Anton's jealousy and even greater mockery. Then the girl decided to leave the couple at the end of the championship.

Circumstances made their own adjustments. During one of the training sessions, Berezhnaya received a serious head injury from the blade of her partner’s skate. Doctors found damage to the lining of the brain and a broken temporal bone. After two operations, the skater had to relearn how to move and speak.

After discharge, Elena returned to St. Petersburg. 19-year-old Anton quit training and surrounded his beloved with care and warmth. The skater herself turned 18 at that time. Doctors strictly prohibited any sports activities, but the couple Elena and Anton appeared on the ice 3 months later.

The career of the new duo on ice immediately took off:

• 1997 - bronze medalists in Paris;
• 1998 - silver medal at the championship in Nagano;
• 1998, 1999 - two-time world champions;
• 1999-2002 - four-time winners of the Russian championship;
• 2001 - second place at the world championship;
• 2002 - victory at the Olympics in Salt Lake City.

2006 was the final year for the pair of Sikharulidze and Berezhnaya. They announced to the public that they had completed their work together.

The most beautiful figure skaters of the 2010 World Championships

Personal life of Elena Berezhnaya

For a long time, Berezhnaya was in a relationship with single British figure skater Stephen Cousins. In 2007, they had a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Sophia-Diana, in 2009. In 2012, the couple separated.

Elena Berezhnaya was born in a small town in the south of Russia - Nevinnomyssk. Now in this city the figure skater is considered the most famous person, everyone in the city knows her. Elena recently opened the Axel cafe in Nevinnomyssk, which is a huge success.

At the age of three, Elena Berezhnaya’s parents sent her to figure skating. Her talent showed immediately. The famous trainer Stanislav Zhuk drew attention to her, he wanted to train with Elena. However, fate decreed that this did not happen. At the age of 13, Elena went to Moscow to train there. For her family, who lived in a small town, this was a huge event. Mom was very worried, but her daughter’s future and her happiness were very important to her, so she overcame herself and let Elena go to Moscow.

The beginning of the career of Elena Berezhnaya

In Moscow, Lena was given a room in a dormitory for athletes. It is worth noting that she was the only girl in this dorm. Her figure skating partner was Oleg Shlyakhov, who was four years older than Lena. The young couple trained constantly and showed great promise. However, their relationship was not going so well.

People who knew the guys closely in those years said that Oleg treated Lena very rudely, without respect. If Lena made any mistake, he would start yelling at her and sometimes even beat her. The guys from the club where they trained felt sorry for Elena. Therefore, they waylaid Oleg alone and tried to deal with him. Oleg was apparently very frightened that Elena had defenders. Therefore, he took Lena and left with her for Latvia, where he was from.

Despite their strained personal relationship, they were great as a figure skating couple. They reached new heights. Oleg and Lena became the leaders of the Latvian national team. Tamara Nikolaevna Moskvina drew attention to them and offered to take the guys to her place. As a result, in 1995 the couple moved to St. Petersburg. Here they began training together with the famous Arthur Dmitriev and Oksana Kazakova.

With the move the situation improved. Lena started communicating with everyone and made many friends. At first, Oleg also pulled himself together and began to communicate normally. But gradually everything fell into place, and the old nagging returned. Other athletes watched Oleg mock Lena. They felt very sorry for her and wanted to help Lena.

Among these friends was Anton Sikharulidze. At that time, Anton was paired with Maria Petrova, with whom he won the world junior championships in 1994 and 1995. After meeting Anton and Lena, a great sympathy for each other arose. Oleg, seeing their warm relationship, was jealous of Lena, so he decided to go back to the Baltic states. The European Championship was ahead. Lena then decided that as soon as she skated at the European Championships, she would immediately leave Shlyakhov. However, fate decided otherwise.

Elena Berezhnaya's injury

At the beginning of 1996, a terrible tragedy occurred during training. The partner inflicted a serious head injury on Elena with the blade of his skate. She was pierced through the temporal bone, and the fragments damaged the lining of the brain. Berezhnaya underwent two neurosurgical operations, after which she learned to walk and talk again. Having learned about this tragedy, Lena’s mother and Anton Sikharulidze immediately came to Riga. After the operation, Lena was transported to St. Petersburg. At that time, Anton was only 19 years old. He gave up almost everything and surrounded Lena with care. It was Anton who became everything for Lena at that moment. He really wanted to help her, thanks to him Elena got back on her feet and became herself again. At that time, Elena Berezhnaya was eighteen years old. Doctors told her that she should forget about figure skating. After the operation, she could neither move nor speak at all for some time. However, three months later, Lena and Anton went out on the ice together.

At first they just rode around holding hands. Anton had already stopped skating in pairs with Masha, but he didn’t even think about getting into a pair with Lena. However, over time, this desire came to them at the same time. They asked Tamara Nikolaevna to become their coach. This is how a new duet in pair skating appeared, which captivated a huge number of fans of this sport and millions of spectators around the world!

Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze

As a pair, Elena and Anton became silver medalists at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, and Olympic champions at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Elena and Anton won the world championships twice in 1998 and 1999, and in 2001 they took second place. They also have two victories at the European championships in 1998 and 2001, as well as bronze at the 1997 Paris championship. At the Russian championships, Elena and Anton won four times - in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Elena Berezhnaya on video

In 2002, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze became professionals, where they performed until 2006, after which they announced the end of their sports career. On November 13, 2002, the awards ceremony of the international festival "Olympic Golden Rings" took place in the Swiss city of Lausanne. The first prize in the category “Portraits of Athletes Who Participated in the Games in Salt Lake City” went to Channel One’s film “Roses for Elena Berezhnaya,” which tells about the brilliant couple of Russian figure skaters Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, about their breathtaking and stellar journey to the title of "Olympic Champions".

After sports

From 2002 to 2006, Elena Berezhnaya, together with Anton Sikharulidze, toured the USA with the show “Stars on Ice”. After the end of the contract they moved to St. Petersburg. In 2006, the figure skater participated in the show “Stars on Ice” on Channel One of Russian television. Berezhnaya performed with actor Alexander Nosik. In 2008, she participated in a similar show on the RTR channel “Starry Ice”, where she danced together with singer Dima Bilan. When Anton Sikharulidze definitely decided to end his performances in the professional arena, Elena found herself without a partner. She decided to try performing in professional ice shows as a single skater.

Paired with Mikhail Galustyan

In 2009, Elena took part in the third season of the Channel One show “Ice Age”, where she performed together with Mikhail Galustyan. In 2010, she appeared on the Channel One show “Ice and Fire,” where she was paired with Igor Ugolnikov. In 2011, Berezhnaya took part in the Canadian television show “Battle of Blades” together with hockey player Curtis Leshishin.

Personal life of Elena Berezhnaya

Elena is now married to British figure skater Steven Cousins ​​and has two children. On October 6, 2007, she gave birth to a son, who was named Tristan, and on June 21, 2009, the couple had a daughter, Sophia-Diana.

State awards

In 1998, she received the Knight of the Order of Friendship award for outstanding achievements in sports and heroism shown at the XVIII Winter Olympic Games in 1998. In 2003, she was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Honor for her enormous contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high sporting achievements at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.