Please click "Follow" in the upper right corner, so that it is convenient for you to discuss and share, your support is my biggest motivation!
At this special time of the year, Ekaterina will always miss her late husband - Sergei deeply. She will not hesitate to post a memorial post on social media, with tears shining between the lines, affectionately describing that indelible love story.
Even though time flies, nearly 30 spring and autumn seasons have passed in a hurry, and those warm years spent with Sergei are still as clear as yesterday. Their love story has been hailed as one of the most poignant and moving legends in the world of sports, and has moved the hearts of countless people.
Whenever she recalls that night full of uncertainties in 1995, Catherine still feels great pain in her heart. At that time, they were in New York, fully engaged in professional training, and everything was so calm and beautiful.
However, who could have predicted that what would happen next would completely change the trajectory of their lives?
At the critical moment of performing the lifting movement, Sergei suddenly lowered his arm and covered his chest in pain. Catherine watched in horror as he collapsed on the ice, and in her panic cried out for help, but no amount of effort could save his life.
It turned out that Sergei had been suffering from a serious hereditary heart disease, and three heart arteries had been completely blocked. At the age of 28, he left this world forever and left Catherine's life.
This sudden bad news was like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, mercilessly tearing at Catherina's heart. She burst into tears and was overwhelmed with grief, as if life had lost all support and meaning.
The moment her husband left, her whole world collapsed in an instant. Although she later tried to start a new life, Sergei's death was undoubtedly the heaviest blow of her life, and that nightmarish night haunted her forever.
The glorious days of the past are like yesterday. Ekaterina is often immersed in memories, recalling every moment of sweat with Sergei on the ice rink.
She clearly remembers their firm pursuit of ideals when they were teenagers, as well as the companionship and trust that did not need words. In the long and boring training process, as long as you have a confidant and friend by your side, no matter how big the difficulty is, it becomes insignificant.
Whenever Sergei was rebellious and confused in the pursuit of his dreams, Catherine would always lead him out of the predicament with a loving and patient tone, and inspire him to regain his confidence with her excellent amiability tone; On the other hand, when he had to temporarily say goodbye to the ice rink due to the recurrence of his old illness, Sergei was full of frustration and remorse, and could only wait by his best friend's side day and night to take care of her condition.
The two of them tacitly chose to support each other, work together, and reveal their deep trust and attachment to each other with affectionate words and deeds.
What is even more emotional is undoubtedly those glorious moments that shine on the field. Whenever their cooperation reached a flawless state, the cheers of the audience surged like a tide, and the applause was deafening, which made Catherine's heart boil with blood and once again feel the endless joy brought by the realization of her dream. She remembers winning gold in the pairs event at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, when Sergei took her by the hand and took her around the venue for a full circle, before affectionately embracing her.
The first encounter between Catherine and Sergei began their life of chasing their dreams together.
In 1971, Catherine was born into an ordinary family in Moscow. When she was 11 years old, a warm-hearted neighbor accidentally took her to the ice rink. Although she almost fell off her first attempt to put on her skates, she miraculously managed to complete her first lap with the guidance of a neighbor. It was from that moment that this innocent and lovely little girl was deeply attracted by the speed and passion given by the ice rink.
Seeing that their daughter developed such a strong interest in skating, her parents decided to send her to formal figure skating training. Catherine showed exceptional talent and improved so quickly that the coach noticed that she was not in the right shape, and that she was unable to perform difficult jumps. In order to improve her pairs skating ability, the coach specially selected a male partner who is four years younger than her - Sergei.
At first, the cooperation between the two was not all smooth sailing. Sergei is introverted, while Catherine is lively and cheerful, and the tacit understanding between them will take a while to gradually become apparent. However, they all shared a love for the ice rink and continued to excel in the arduous training process, culminating in a breakthrough result at the Youth Championships.
With the passage of time, the tacit cooperation between the two has gradually deepened, and the emotions between them have quietly sublimated into deeper emotional bonds. As a teammate, Sergey showed endless love and care for his injured companion; Catherine continued to comfort him in his ears with a warm voice, dissolving the deep guilt in his heart. This bond goes beyond the boundaries of friendship and partnership.
On the sunny day of the Chinese New Year in 1989, the two young people finally mustered up the courage to embark on a new chapter in their lives together. When Sergey affectionately embraced Catherine, at that moment, the seeds of love quietly sprouted in their hearts.
Two years later, in 1991, they officially entered the palace of marriage and were praised by the world as "Romeo and Juliet on Ice".
However, all the good things seemed to come to an end on that unfortunate winter night in 1995. At that time, Ekaterina and Sergey were competing professionally in New York, they were training daily according to the established plan, and everything seemed so calm and peaceful.
However, who could have predicted that what would happen next would completely change the trajectory of their fate?
While performing the double lift, Sergei suddenly lowered his arms and covered his chest in pain. Catherine watched in horror as he collapsed on the ice, crying out for help in a panic, but no amount of anxious and helpless cries could prevent the fatal moment.
It turned out that Sergey had been suffering from a serious hereditary heart disease, and three heart arteries had been completely blocked, a condition known as the rare Grenkov risk factor. This young man, who was only 28 years old, left us forever with his vigor and vitality, leaving the life of Catherine.
This sudden bad news was like a thunderbolt from the sky, ruthlessly tearing apart Catherina's heart. She burst into tears and was overwhelmed with grief, as if life had lost its support and meaning.
When her husband died, her whole world collapsed. Despite her efforts to start a new life, Sergei's death was undoubtedly the hardest blow of her life, and that nightmarish night haunted her forever.
In just three months, Catherine vividly showed the deep emotions of "In Memory of Sergei's Life" with her solo dance, which made people feel as if they had stepped into the deep emotional world of her heart! She devoted herself to this feast of ice art, and immersed every audience present in a tragic and mournful atmosphere with her exquisite skills and charming performances.
At that particular moment, when Catherine danced, twirled, and jumped alone on the ice, everyone was struck by her tenacity and selfless love. Many viewers saw the deep longing and endless mourning for Sergei flashing in her eyes, and they couldn't help but be moved by it, and tears welled up in their eyes.
When the last action ended perfectly, the audience erupted in thunderous applause, and everyone was deeply moved by this real and touching tragedy. Although this commemorative performance is short, it is a profound expression of Catherine's eternal longing for her late husband.
After the performance, she remained firmly committed to the journey of commercial exhibition competitions, fighting all the way from 1996 until 2000 before choosing to retire. During those years, she was just fighting to survive, and the love and passion she once had were long gone, as her illustrious career as a competitor had vanished with Sergei's departure.
Aside from the occasional pair skating performance with other skaters, she has never officially formed a new pairing with anyone. In order to perpetuate the memory of Sergei, Catherine not only published her autobiography "My Sergey: A Love Story", but also wrote a collection of letters to her daughter Dasha "Letter to Dasha".
These words are full of her endless thoughts and high respect for her deceased husband. For many years, she has been commemorating Sergei's death on social media, and every time she talks about this heart-wrenching topic, she can't contain the sadness and tears in her heart.