Julia Obertas

Julia Nikolayevna Obertas, married name: Horak (Russian: Юлия Николаевна Обертас, Ukrainian: Юлія Обертас; born 19 June 1984) is a former pair skater who represented Ukraine until 2000 and then Russia until the end of her career. She is best known for her partnership with Sergei Slavnov, with whom she competed from 2003 to 2007. They are the 2005 European silver medalists. Earlier, she competed with Alexei Sokolov for Russia and Dmytro Palamarchuk for Ukraine. With Palamarchuk, she became a two-time (1998–1999) World Junior champion.

Julia Obertas
Obertas in 2005.
Full nameJulia Nikolayevna Obertas (birth)
Other namesJulia Horak (married)
Born (1984-06-19) 19 June 1984
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height1.54 m (5 ft 1 in)
Figure skating career
CountryRussia (after 2000)
Ukraine (until 2000)
Began skating1989
Retired2008
Medal record
Representing  Russia
Figure skating: Pairs
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2005 TurinPairs
Representing  Ukraine
Junior Grand Prix Final
Gold medal – first place1998–99 DetroitPairs
Gold medal – first place1997–98 LausannePairs

Career

Early career

Obertas began skating at age 5.[1] She initially competed with Dmytro Palamarchuk representing Ukraine. They won the 1998 and 1999 World Junior Championships.[2] They also won the 1997 and 1998 Junior Grand Prix Final. They then began competing on the senior level. At the 2000 World Championships, Obertas/Palamarchuk were 10th after the short program but during the free skate Palamarchuk caught an edge (right skate) while executing an overhead lift with Obertas – she was uninjured in the resulting fall but he hit his head on the ice.[3][4] No medical attention was immediately offered at the event in Nice, France. Palamarchuk lay on the ice for several minutes before getting up and leaving the ice on his own but then lost consciousness and was taken to hospital – no damage was found but he was kept overnight for observation.[3] The pair ended their partnership shortly afterward.[1] Obertas moved to Russia as her mother had remarried and the family decided to settle in Saint Petersburg.[5]

Partnership with Sokolov

In the summer of 2000,[6] Obertas teamed up with Alexei Sokolov and began to represent Russia, coached by Ludmila Velikova and Nikolai Velikov.[1] They trained at the Yubileyny rink in Saint Petersburg. After two fourth-place finishes at Russian Nationals, they won bronze in 2003. They earned a berth in the 2003 European Championships, where they placed fifth, and to the 2003 World Championships, where they finished eighth.[1]

Partnership with Slavnov

Obertas and Slavnov with coach Tamara Moskvina at the 2004 Russian Nationals

Obertas had begun dating another one of the Velikovs' students, Sergei Slavnov, and in August 2003, they decided to skate together, switching coaches to Tamara Moskvina who also worked at Yubileyny.[1]

At the 2004 Skate America, shortly after Tatiana Totmianina's accident, Obertas fell out of an overhead lift, a hand-to-hand lasso lift, but Slavnov managed to catch her to prevent her head hitting the ice.[4] The pair won silver at the 2005 European Championships and were fifth at the World Championships. During the 2005-06 season, they were fourth at Europeans, and then finished eighth at both the Olympics and Worlds.

At the start of the 2006-07 season, Obertas/Slavnov decided to return to Ludmila Velikova.[7] The pair won bronze at 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard and finished 6th at 2006 NHK Trophy. At the 2007 Russian Championships, they won the silver medal and were sent to the 2007 European Championships where they finished 4th. They did not compete at Worlds.

The pair announced they would miss the 2007-08 season as the result of an injury to Obertas. In summer 2008, they said they would miss the start of the 2008-09 season, but might compete at Russian Nationals. In autumn 2008, Obertas participated in the Russia 1 ice show Star Ice (Russian: Звёздный лёд), skating with the Russian actor Alexander Peskov. Obertas/Slavnov did not compete at Russian nationals and ended their career.

Obertas/Slavnov performed some quadruple twists in competition.[8]

Personal life

Obertas and Slavnov dated from 2002 to 2008.[9] In 2010, Obertas married Czech figure skater Radek Horák.[9][10] After spending some time coaching in Italy,[11] she and her husband now coach in Stockholm, Sweden.[12]

Programs

With Slavnov

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2006–2007
[8]
2005–2006
[13]
  • Concert for the Voice
    Andante from the Concerto for Coloratura
    Soprano and Orchestra, opus 82
    written by Reinhold Glière
    performed by the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra
    and Evgenia Miroshnichenko
  • Brindisi
  • Parigi o Cara
  • La Donna E Mobile
  • Anvil Chorus
    by Giuseppe Verdi
2004–2005
[14]
  • Les Rois du Tsigane
    by Joska Nemeth and Paul Toscano
  • Katiusha Under Moscow Skies
    (Russian folk music)

2003–2004
[15]
  • The Truman Show
    by Burkhard Dallwitz
  • Secret Garden
    by Rolf Løvland

With Sokolov

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2002–2003
[6]
2001–2002
[16]

Results

With Slavnov for Russia

Obertas and Slavnov at the 2004 Russian Nationals
Results[15][14][13][8]
International
Event 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07
Olympics8th
Worlds7th5th8th
Europeans4th2nd4th4th
Grand Prix Final4th5th
GP Bompard3rd
GP Cup of Russia5th2nd2nd
GP NHK Trophy6th
GP Skate America2nd3rd
GP Skate Canada6th
Bofrost Cup2nd
National
Russian Champ.3rd3rd2nd2nd
GP = Grand Prix

With Sokolov for Russia

Results[6]
International
Event 2000–2001 2001–2002 2002–2003
Worlds8th
Europeans5th
Grand Prix Final4th
GP Cup of Russia5th3rd
GP NHK Trophy4th
GP Skate America4th
GP Sparkassen2nd
Nebelhorn2nd
National
Russian Champ.4th4th3rd
GP = Grand Prix

With Palamarchuk for Ukraine

Results[16]
International
Event 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00
Worlds11thWD
Europeans7th6th6th
GP Lalique7th
GP Skate Canada5th
Nebelhorn3rd
Skate Israel1st
International: Junior
Junior Worlds1st1st2nd
JGP Final1st1st
JGP France1st
JGP Germany2nd
JGP Ukraine1st1st
National
Ukrainian Champ.3rd2nd1st2nd
Ukrainian Jr. Ch.4th
GP = Grand Prix; JGP = Junior Grand Prix; WD = Withdrew

References

  1. Mittan, Barry (10 March 2004). "Obertas Returns to Worlds with Third Partner". GoldenSkate.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010.
  2. "World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Pairs" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-04.
  3. "Ukrainian pairs skater injured in fall". Associated Press. ESPN. 29 March 2000. Archived from the original on 18 April 2008.
  4. Klimovich Harrop, JoAnne (24 October 2004). "Skater injured at Skate America". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  5. Savchik, Anna (28 January 2010). Паспорт на медаль [Passport for a medal] (in Russian). sport.ua. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010.
  6. "Julia OBERTAS / Alexei SOKOLOV: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 29 April 2004.
  7. Юлия Обертас: возвращение к Людмиле Великовой придало нам спокойствия [Julia Obertas: A return to Ludmila Velikova gave us peace of mind] (in Russian). allsportinfo.ru. 13 November 2006. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012.
  8. "Julia OBERTAS / Sergei SLAVNOV: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 17 June 2007.
  9. Первая любовь [First Love] (in Russian). Channel One (Russia). 16 September 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  10. "Horak Radek" (in Italian). Artistico Ghiaccio Feltre. 27 August 2010. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
  11. "Julia Obertas" (in Italian). Artistico Ghiaccio Feltre. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  12. "SKK'S TRÄNARE" [SKK's coaches] (in Swedish). STOCKHOLMS KONSTÅKNINGSKLUBB. Archived from the original on 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  13. "Julia OBERTAS / Sergei SLAVNOV: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 July 2006.
  14. "Julia OBERTAS / Sergei SLAVNOV: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 7 February 2005.
  15. "Julia OBERTAS / Sergei SLAVNOV: 2003/2004". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004.
  16. "Julia OBERTAS / Alexei SOKOLOV: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 11 June 2002.
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