Russian · Leningrad, Russia (now Saint Petersburg) · Born 18 March 1980Russian figure skater who achieved a rare Golden Slam in 2002, winning every major title in the same season, and received unanimous first-place votes at the Olympics.
Alexei Konstantinovich Yagudin was born on 18 March 1980 in Leningrad, and trained under coach Alexei Mishin from age 12 alongside a young Evgeni Plushenko, a partnership that developed into one of the sport's fiercest rivalries. He won the 1996 World Junior Championship and a surprise senior World bronze in 1997 at just 17, before winning his first senior World title in 1998, becoming the youngest post-Soviet Russian to do so. Yagudin left Mishin for coach Tatiana Tarasova in 1998 amid growing tension over Mishin's shifting focus toward Plushenko, and went on to defend his World title in 1999 and 2000. After a difficult 2000-01 season in which he lost repeatedly to Plushenko, Yagudin rebuilt his form to beat his rival at the Grand Prix Final ahead of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where he won gold with unanimous first-place votes from every judge, the first male skater to achieve this in 50 years, setting what was then the highest Olympic free skate score in history. Yagudin completed a rare 'Golden Slam' in 2001-02, winning the Olympics, World Championship, European Championship and Grand Prix Final all in the same season, a feat achieved by only a handful of skaters in history. A congenital hip disorder diagnosed after the Olympics forced his retirement from competitive skating in 2003, though he continued performing professionally with Stars on Ice and Russian ice shows, and was later awarded Russia's Order of Merit for the Fatherland.
Completing a rare Golden Slam in 2001-02 and winning Olympic gold with unanimous first-place votes from every judge
How They Played
Emotionally expressive, high-energy skater renowned for dramatic choreography often set to cinematic scores, backed by strong technical jumps
Lasting Impact
Remembered for his emotionally charged, cinematic performances and one of the fiercest and most celebrated rivalries in figure skating history, against training partner turned rival Evgeni Plushenko
Career Honours
- 2002 Olympic Gold Medal
- 4x World Champion (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002)
- 3x European Champion (1998, 1999, 2002)
- Golden Slam 2001-02 (Olympics, Worlds, Europeans, Grand Prix Final in one season)
Russian Athletes