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Sergei Grinkov’s Career and Life Shortened Unexpectedly
Sergei Grinkov, a Russian figure skater, was loved for his grace on the ice and the amazing connection he formed with his wife, Ekaterina Gordeeva. Grinkov’s death, which occurred at the height of his success, broke many hearts.
On Nov. 20, 1995, the 28-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist was rehearsing with Gordeeva for the Stars on Ice tour in Lake Placid, N.Y., when he suddenly collapsed on the ice.
As reported by The New York Times, emergency workers took him to the Adirondack Medical Center in a hurry. According to the Los Angeles Times, Grinkov had a massive heart attack as a result of very severe coronary artery disease which had not been diagnosed, and he was declared dead about an hour after his arrival.
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Sergei Grinkov’s Death Shook the Skating World — and Created a Lasting Family Legacy
Grinkov’s sudden demise pretty much shook the entire world of figure skating and the people outside it, too. Though his death, his heritage is still with his wife and skating partner, Ekaterina Gordeeva, and their daughter, Daria, who was only 3 years old at the time of his passing.
“I don’t want Daria to cry when she talks about Sergei,” Gordeeva told the Chicago Tribune in October 1996. “I want her to be able to tell everyone who her father was and what an amazing man he was.”
Well, what was the cause of Sergei Grinkov’s death?
What Was the Cause of Sergei Grinkov’s Death
Sergei Grinkov passed away on Nov. 20, 1995, due to a massive heart attack, he was only 28 years old.
Coroner Dr. Francis Varga performed the autopsy and found that Grinkov had advanced atherosclerosis and one major artery was almost totally blocked. His heart was also described as “disproportionately enlarged” and it was likely caused by untreated high blood pressure, according to the Los Angeles Times. There were no drugs or alcohol in the picture.
Doctors also found signs of a smaller, silent heart attack that took place the day before Grinkov’s death among the tissue samples.
“His entire front half of the heart muscle and a part of the left side of the heart muscle were without oxygen. His heart was disproportionately enlarged,” Varga told the outlet in November 1995.
Sergei Grinkov’s Hidden Genetic Risk Factor
Dr. Francis Varga stated that Grinkov’s condition “was very likely a result of some genetic predisposition.” He also emphasized that if it hadn’t been for the discovery and bypass surgery, “the chance of survival for him would have been close to zero. It is often the case in young people that the very first indication of coronary artery disease is sudden death.”
Subsequently, a genetic test identified that Grinkov was carrying the P1A2 variant, which is now referred to as the Grinkov Risk Factor, and is a factor that is connected with heart attacks at an early age, as per Duke Health. The Los Angeles Times reports that his father, too, had passed away due to a heart attack only four years prior.
When and Where Did Sergei Grinkov Die?
Sergei Grinkov lost his life in a tragic accident on Nov. 20, 1995, while he was training at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. with his wife and skating partner, Ekaterina Gordeeva.
Grinkov collapsed on the ice, dropping his liftoff abruptly. Their coach, Marina Zueva, was the first to come to his aid, and the paramedics were there within a very short time. Grinkov was taken to Adirondack Medical Center in an ambulance, and the medical team tried to bring the patient back to life for nearly an hour.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the doctors gave up and Grinkov was pronounced dead at 12:28 p.m. ET.
What Is the Grinkov Risk Factor?
It was cardiologist Dr. Pascal Goldschmidt who, just a fortnight following the tragic passing of Sergei Grinkov, took the initiative to analyze the skater’s blood sample. According to CNN, the doctor found out that the late athlete had a variant of the P1A2 gene that might even be responsible for 20% of the population.
This gene, currently referred to as the Grinkov Risk Factor, is one that usually assists in the regulation of the production of platelets. Nevertheless, in individuals with this specific variant, the platelets become more likely to bind together, thus, the risk of getting early-onset heart disease and suffering from a heart attack increases significantly.
What Last Words Did Sergei Grinkov Speak?
In an article published by TIME magazine, it was reported that the last words of Sergei Grinkov were addressed to his wife and partner on the ice, Ekaterina Gordeeva, when he said that he felt dizzy, then he went down on the ice and passed out.
“I reached for his skate to say a prayer when I saw that his leg was lifeless instead of being on the skate,” American figure skater Paul Wylie who was there that day, told TIME in December 1995.
What Legacy Did Sergei Grinkov Leave Behind?
Sergei Grinkov is remembered as one of the most impactful and influential figure skaters of all time whose talent and partnership with Ekaterina Gordeeva were simply magnificent.
As a team, they achieved two Olympic gold medals (1988 and 1994) and four World Championships, and their breathtaking artistic expression, flawless technical execution and the heartfelt nature of their relationship on the ice became a model for the entire world to follow.
Apart from their professional life, Grinkov was very much a family man; he and Gordeeva became parents to Daria in 1992.
In 1996, Gordeeva penned My Sergei: A Love Story, co-written with E.M. Swift, revealing the intimate aspects of their voyage from being young skaters in the USSR to becoming Olympic legends. “He was my hero,” she conveyed to the Los Angeles Times that year. “The first time I met him and the first time I started to skate with him I was always admiring him.”
Sergei Grinkov’s Love Story Lives On Through Page, Screen and Gordeeva’s Career
My Sergei, a 1998 TV movie based on Ekaterina Gordeeva’s memoir, dramatizes their personal and professional love story, and the movie is a bit of everything: real footage of the skating, interviews, and re-enactments all woven together to reflect the couple’s relationship that they both shared in and outside the ice rink.
At present, Gordeeva is still a major figure in the world of figure skating, she is active in the show circuit and also takes on the roles of a coach and choreographer. She got hitched to an Olympic champion Ilia Kulik in 2001; as per Biography, they had a daughter, Elizaveta, and later divorced in 2016.
After her divorce, Gordeeva got married to Olympic skater David Pelletier in 2020, as per PopSugar and Sergei’s legacy is still very much alive as she continues to build her life and career.”
