Anastasiya Grebenkina Figure skater Date of Birth: 18.01.1979 Country: Russia

Biography of Anastasia Grebenkina

Anastasia Grebenkina is a former figure skater who specialized in ice dancing. She represented both Russia and Armenia at different times in her career, and briefly represented Latvia at the junior level. Grebenkina started skating at the age of five and began ice dancing at the age of 12. She achieved the title of International Master of Sports in 1998. Throughout her career, Grebenkina trained under the guidance of Natalia Dubova, Svetlana Alexeeva, Natalia Linichuk, Rostislav Sinitsyn, Christopher Dean, and Alexei Gorshkov.

In 1996-1998, Grebenkina competed for Russia together with Vazgen Azroyan. They placed seventh at the national championship in 1998 before parting ways. Grebenkina then teamed up with Vitaly Novikov, while Azroyan partnered with American skater Tiffany Hayden and began representing Armenia. In 2003, Grebenkina and Azroyan reunited as a pair representing Armenia. They trained under the coaching of Alexander Zhulin and became three-time Armenian champions. They also made history as the first Armenian figure skating duo to win a Grand Prix medal, earning bronze at the NHK Trophy in 2005.

Grebenkina and Azroyan competed at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, where they placed 20th. That same year, while still active skaters, they participated in the television show "Tantsy na l'du" (Dancing on Ice) on RTR channel. Grebenkina partnered with singer Sergey Lazarev and reached the show's top three finalists. However, the International Skating Union (ISU) did not approve of active athletes participating in such shows and threatened them with suspension from international competitions. In a letter, the ISU recommended that they refrain from participating in television shows involving judging elements.

In 2007, Grebenkina appeared in the film "Zvezda Imperii" (Star of the Empire), portraying Empress Maria Feodorovna, the wife of Alexander III. At the 2008 European Championships, Grebenkina fell during the compulsory dance. Although the duo resumed their performance after a minute-long pause, they later decided to retire from competitive figure skating.

In 2008, Grebenkina joined the television show "Zvyozdny led" (Star Ice) on RTR channel.