# Elena Valova

Elena Aleksandrovna Valova (Russian: Елена Александровна Валова; born 4 January 1963) is a Russian former pair skater who competed internationally for the Soviet Union. With her then-husband Oleg Vasiliev, she is the 1984 Olympic champion, 1988 Olympic silver medalist, and three-time World Champion (1983, 1985, 1988). Their coach throughout their career was Tamara Moskvina.

## Personal life

Valova was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, to parents Alla Borisovna Valova and Aleksander Dmitrievich Valov. She graduated from the P.F. Lesgaft University of Sports. She and Vasiliev were married from 1984 to 1992. Valova is now remarried to German Galusha and has a son, Roman, born in 1996. She moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1997 and currently lives in Moon Township.

## Career

Valova began training at age seven under Tatiana Mishina, Alexei Mishin, and Nina Monahova. As a pair skater, she was coached by Tamara Moskvina, who partnered her with Oleg Vasiliev. The pair trained in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg).
Valova/Vasiliev's breakthrough came in the 1982–83 season. They won bronze at the Prize of Moscow News, gold at the 1982 Skate America, and then silver at the 1983 European Championships. The pair concluded their season by winning their first World title. They missed the 1983 national championships due to Vasiliev's broken jaw.
In 1984, Valova/Vasiliev won their first European title and then took gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. The deaths of several Soviet government officials, including one during the Olympics, cast a pall over the Soviet team and the athletes were told not to show too much joy. The pair took silver at their final event of the season, the 1984 World Championships.
In 1985, the pair won gold at both the European and World Championships but 1986 saw the emergence of the young Moscow pair Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov. Although Valova/Vasiliev were awarded gold at the 1986 Europeans, they finished second to the Muscovites at both the 1986 and 1987 Worlds.
In their final amateur season, Valova/Vasiliev took silver at the 1988 Winter Olympics behind Gordeeva/Grinkov but then prevailed over the reigning Olympic champions at the 1988 World Championships. After winning their third World title, Valova/Vasiliev retired from ISU competition. After performing for a year in Igor Bobrin's ice theatre, they signed a U.S. contract – the first Soviets to do so without losing their citizenship. The pair performed together in various shows and events until the end of 1997.
Valova was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1984). She represented VSS Trud.
She currently teaches skating at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center. She coached Kylie Gleason / Taylor Toth, who were the 2002 U.S. champions in juvenile pairs and the 2003 U.S. champions in intermediate pairs.

## Programs

(with Vasiliev)

### 1979–1988

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 1987–1988 | Zorba's Dance (from Zorba the Greek) by Mikis Theodorakis | The Final Countdown by Europe Romance (from The Blizzard) by Georgy Sviridov The Final Countdown | Stampede soundtrack Romance (from The Blizzard) by Georgy Sviridov |
| 1986–1987 | Georgian folk: Lezginka Suliko | Pizzicato Polka Acceleration Waltz by Johann Strauss II Radetzky March by Johann Strauss I | Anthem of Leningrad Russian: Гимн Ленинграду Kalinka Romance (from The Blizzard) by Georgy Sviridov |
| 1985–1986 | Music by Raimonds Pauls | Shurale by Färit Yarullin | Romance (from The Blizzard) by Georgy Sviridov |
| 1984–1985 | Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | Shurale by Färit Yarullin | Baba-Yaga (from Pictures at an Exhibition) by Modest Mussorgsky Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini |
| 1983–1984 | Kalinka | Get Back Für Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven Stairway to Heaven | Baba-Yaga (from Pictures at an Exhibition) by Modest Mussorgsky Solveig's Song by Edvard Grieg |
| 1982–1983 | March of the Toreadors (from Carmen) by Georges Bizet Sibaney | Get Back Für Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven Stairway to Heaven | Solveig's Song by Edvard Grieg Circus |
| 1981–1982 | | Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | |
| 1980–1981 | | Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky | |
| 1979–1980 | Demon | Little Eagle Russian: Орлёнок On the Nameless Height Russian: На безымянной высоте We are blacksmiths Russian: Мы кузнецы и дух наш молод | |

### 1989–1997

* Programs
* None but the lonely heart by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
* All Shook Up by Elvis Presley
* Star and Death of Joaquin Murrieta Russian: Звезда и смерть Хоакина Мурьеты by Alexey Rybnikov
* The Story of My Life by Michael Crawford
* Bridge over Troubled Water
* Paso Doble (from Strictly Ballroom)
* A Whiter Shade of Pale
* Kalinka
* Waltz by Jerry Herman
* Swan Lake (comedic) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
* Zorba's Dance (from Zorba the Greek) by Mikis Theodorakis
* Shurale by Färit Yarullin

## Results
### Amateur career with Vasiliev

International :
| Event | 79–80 | 80–81 | 81–82 | 82–83 | 83–84 | 84–85 | 85–86 | 86–87 | 87–88 |
| Winter Olympics | | | | | 1st | | | | 2nd |
| World Champ. | | | | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
| European Champ. | | | | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | |
| Skate America | | | 3rd | 1st | | | | | |
| NHK Trophy | | | | | | | | 1st | |
| Nebelhorn Trophy | | | 1st | | | | | | |
| Moscow News | 6th | 3rd | | 3rd | 1st | | | | 2nd |
| St. Gervais | | | 2nd | | | | | | |
| National ||||||||||
| Soviet Champ. | | | 3rd | | | 2nd | 1st | | |

### Professional career with Vasiliev

| Event | 89–90 | 90–91 | 91–92 | 92–93 | 93–94 | 94–95 | 97–98 |
| World Professional Champ. | 2nd | 4th | 4th | 4th | 3rd | | |
| World Challenge of Champions | 2nd | 5th | 4th | 2nd | 3rd | | |
| US Open | | | | 5th | 2nd | | 5th |
| Masters Miko | | | | | 3rd | | |
| Canadian Professional Champ. | | | | | | 4th | |
| Legends | | | | | | | 2nd |