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Sergei started skating at the age of five. Russian born. He was Russian to his soul. He started as a single skater but was paired up with his only partner Ekaterina Gordeeva in 1982 when he was 15. They won the Junior World Championships in 1985 after placing 5th the year before. In 1986 they won the World Championships for the first of four times (1986, 1987, 1989 & 1990). They won their first Olympic Gold medal in 1988. The following year, their relationship turned into a romantic one. They kissed for the first time on New Years Eve, 1989. In 1991 they turned professional as figure skaters, and were married on April 10, 1991 (the state ceremony) and again on April 28, 1991 (The church ceremony. On September 11, 1992, Katia gave birth to their daughter, Daria Sergeevna Grinkova (nicknamed Dasha). In 1994, a change in the rules allowed professional figure skaters to reinstate and compete in the Olympics. Two pairs team, on dance team, on lady and one man, took advantage of the opportunity. Of the reinstated pros, only Gordeeva and Grinkov skated away with gold. They skated a near-perfect performance to Beethovan's Moonlight Sonata. In addition to their four World and two Olympic titles, they won virtually every competition they entered both as eligibles and professional skaters, including three World Professional Champions.
Despite the fairy tale nature of their story, it does not have a happy ending. On November 20, 1995 Sergei died of a heart attack on the practice ice with his beloved Katia by his side. He was only 28. He is buried in Moscow, and Katia has said she chose Moscow rather than closer to their home in Connecticut because he had Russian soul and should be buried in Russia.
Since his death, he has been remembered in many ways by many people, including his wife who returned to the ice in Feburary of 1996 to skate a moving tribute to Mahler's 5th Symphony. She also memorialized their life together in a book titled My Sergei and in a book written for their daughter, called A Letter for Daria.
On May 12, 1996, Gordeeva and Grinkov were inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Though the ceremony took place after his death, the decision was made and announced before he died. He also received the Gustav Lussi Award from the Professional Skaters Association in 2000 (posthumously). Gordeeva & Grinkov were also listed as one of Skatings 10 Most Influential People in the 1995-96 season (a posthumous award for Sergei). His memory lives on in all who knew him and those who admired him from afar. And in his little girl's smile.
