The end of the Ice Dance Dream Team Grishuk/Platov
Los Angeles. From now on the most successful ice dance couple of all times
will go separate ways- and the split was not known to both parties
involved. "He all of a sudden disappeared", says Pasha Grishuk about Evgeny
Platov, who left after a big Tour in the USA and wants to form a new team
on the ice with colleague Maya Usova from now on. It's a sad end of a
career of ten years in which Grishuk/Platov won everything possible.
Grishuk/Platov became the only one couple in all sport history, which could win two times Olympic Gold in 1994 in
Lillehammer and in 1998 in Nagano and besides that they won four World
titles and three European titles.
It was always the eccentric Pasha Grishuk who dragged along her partner in
the most difficult times, although many people already advised her in 1990
to leave Platov after a knee surgery.
Two times Platov had to undergo knee surgery in the summer of 1997 and
again it was Pasha who cleared the way to the second Olympic gold medal
with her optimism.
That Platov left without a word is what makes it even more painful:" I have
heard from other people that Usova will skate with Platov from now on.
Evgeny hasn't talked to me about it up until today."
That it is Maya Usova, who split up this dream team, also gives a suspicion
of personal revenge. In 1992 Sasha Zhulin, at that time the husband of Maya
Usova, promised to marry and start a family with the then nineteen year old
Pasha, if she would end her career.
This attempt to get rid off the difficult competition failed: In 1994
Usova/Zhulin placed second behind Grishuk/Platov.
Usova had split up the upcoming couple of Marina Klimova/Sasha Zhulin in
the beginning of the '80 's. Klimova became the 1992 Olympic Champion with
partner Sergei Panomarenko. And now it's also Platov who said firmly to
Time Magazine: "I'm very happy that I will finally be a free man. I'm very
relieved and I expect a happy life without stress."
Left behind it is Pasha, disappointed and injured:" At the point where we
achieved everything and finally could earn money with our sport, he left
me."
