Maria Petrova (figure skater)

Maria Igorevna Petrova (Russian: Мария Игоревна Петрова; born 29 November 1977) is a Russian pair skater. With partner Alexei Tikhonov, she is the 2000 World champion and a two-time (1999, 2000) European champion

Petrova was a sickly child and her doctor recommended she take up a sport; her parents got her into figure skating when she was seven. She started out in singles but always preferred pair skating and admired Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov so she made the switch to pairs at 13.

She initially competed with Anton Sikharulidze with whom she is the 1994 and 1995 World Junior Champion. They split in 1996 and she teamed up with Teimuraz Pulin, winning the silver medal at the 1997 World Junior championships.

Petrova teamed up with Alexei Tikhonov in the summer of 1998. Together, they won the World Championship in 2000. They placed 6th at the 2002 Winter Olympics and 5th at the 2006 Games. They won a silver medal at the 2005 Worlds, and a bronze in 2006.

After making the decision to retire following the 2006 Worlds, Petrova and Tikhonov eventually consented to compete one more year at the Russian Skating Federation's request. During their final season, they finished 6th at the Grand Prix Final, and withdrew from the World Championships due to injury.

Petrova and Tikhonov trained in Saint Petersburg with Ludmila Velikova. After retiring from competition, they performed in ice shows, including Russian television project Ice Age.

Fellini soundtracks | | | | | Tango by Astor Piazzolla | The Circus Princess by Emmerich Kalman | You Present Me Roses (Russian: Ты дарила мне розы) by Nochnye Snaipery | | | Music by Baxter | Mister X The Circus Princess by Emmerich Kálmán | | | | Rainy Blues by Raimonds Pauls | Symphony Dances by Sergei Rachmaninoff | Black Cat, White Cat | | | Adagio from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Chess by Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson et al. | | | | Russian Fantasie

Francesca de Rimini by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Le tourment Vision de Paradis by Saint-Preux

Gospodin Oformitel (film) Diva by Jean-Michel Jarre The Fifth Element by Éric Serra

Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi | | | | Francesca de Rimini by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

Mr. Bureaucrat (film soundtrack) | | | | Doctor Zhivago by Maurice Jarre | Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi | | |

• Maria Petrova / Alexei Tikhonov at the International Skating Union
• Official website of Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov
• "Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov". pairsonice.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009.
• "Maria Petrova & Teimuraz Pouline". pairsonice.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2007.
• "Maria Petrova & Anton Sikharulidze". pairsonice.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007.