Maxim Kovtun

Maxim Kovtun

Kovtun at the 2012–13 JGP Final
Personal information
Full name Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun
Country represented Russia
Born (1995-06-18) 18 June 1995
Yekaterinburg, Russia
Residence Moscow, Russia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Coach Inna Goncharenko
Former coach Elena Buianova, Tatiana Tarasova, Nikolai Morozov, Maria Voitsekhovskaia
Choreographer Peter Tchernyshev
Former choreographer Irina Tagaeva, Tatiana Tarasova, Nikolai Morozov
Skating club CSKA Moscow
Former skating club Vorobievie Gory
Training locations Moscow
Former training locations Yekaterinburg
Began skating 1999
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 247.37
2014 Worlds
Short program 92.53
2013 Rostelecom Cup
Free skate 166.24
2014 Trophée Bompard

Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun (Russian: Максим Павлович Ковтун; born 18 June 1995) is a Russian figure skater. He is a two-time European medalist (silver in 2015, bronze in 2016) and three-time (2014, 2015, 2016) Russian national champion. On the junior level, he is the 2012 JGP Final champion. Kovtun is one of the few skaters to have landed two quad jumps in a short program, three quads in a free program, and five in total.

Personal life

Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun was born 18 June 1995 in Yekaterinburg.[1] His two older brothers formerly competed in figure skating and his father, Pavel, is a skating coach and former pair skater.[2][3]

Career

For details on jumps including abbreviations, see figure skating jumps.

Taken to the ice rink by his father, Kovtun began skating at age four in Yekaterinburg and was coached mainly by Maria Voitsekhovskaia in his early years.[3] He also trained in ice hockey but chose skating at age ten.[4]

2011–12 season: JGP and senior debuts

In the spring of 2011, Kovtun began training with Nikolai Morozov. He debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) circuit in the 2011–12 season, winning gold at his first event in Romania and then silver in Estonia. He qualified for the 2011–12 JGP Final where he finished fourth. At the 2012 Russian Championships, Kovtun finished 12th on the senior level and won the bronze medal on the junior level. He was assigned to the 2012 World Team Trophy—his first senior international event—following Sergei Voronov's injury-related withdrawal.[5] He finished 12th at the event.

2012–13 season: Gold at JGP Final

In the summer of 2012, Kovtun switched coaches to Elena Buianova (Vodorezova).[4][6] He began the 2012–13 season by winning a pair of gold medals at JGP events in Croatia and Germany. In Croatia, he scored a personal best 80.00 points in free skating TES.[7] Kovtun qualified for the JGP Final in Sochi, Russia, where he won gold by eleven points over silver medalist Joshua Farris.[8] At the event, he scored 149.78 points for his free skate which included a 4T-3T, 3A-3T and 3A.[9]

Kovtun said he would try two quads in his free program at the 2013 Russian Championships.[10] Although he finished 5th on the senior level, he was named in the Russian team to the 2013 European Championships because Russian regulations guaranteed berths only to the top two finishers while a committee had the right to choose the third entry.[11][12] In his European debut, Kovtun placed 7th in the short program, 4th in the free skate, and 5th overall with a total score of 226.57 points. In the free skate, his fourth combination (3S-2T) was deemed invalid. Kovtun finished 17th in his first World Championships, held in London, Ontario, Canada. He was 8th in the men's event at the 2013 World Team Trophy and Team Russia finished 4th.

2013–14 season: First senior national title

Kovtun found his short program for the 2013–14 season very challenging, stating, "When we [began training the program], it was just hell. [...] I needed half an hour to learn one step, so it took a very long time to put this all together."[13] He made his senior Grand Prix debut at the 2013 Cup of China. He placed second in the short—landing a 4S-3T, 4T and 3A—and first in the free skate, in which he landed a 4S, 4S-2T, 3A-2T and 3A. Kovtun won the silver medal overall behind China's Han Yan. He won another silver medal at the 2013 Rostelecom Cup. The results qualified him to his first senior Grand Prix Final. He finished fifth at the event in Fukuoka, Japan.

At the 2014 Russian Championships, Kovtun placed second in the short program and first in the free skate. He was awarded the gold medal ahead of three-time Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko. After Kovtun again placed fifth at the European Championships, Russia's sole spot in the men's event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi was assigned to Plushenko. Kovtun was sent to the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. He placed seventh in the short program, fifth in the free skate, and finished fourth overall behind Spain's Javier Fernández.

2014–15 season: Silver at Europeans

For the 2014–15 Grand Prix season, Kovtun was assigned to compete at the Cup of China and Trophée Bompard.[13][14] He placed first in both segments to win the gold medal in China, ahead of the Olympic champion, Yuzuru Hanyu, and Richard Dornbush.[15] He then won the gold medal in France[16] ahead of Tatsuki Machida and Denis Ten. Kovtun qualified to the Grand Prix Final as the only skater that won both of his assignments. He placed third in the short program, skating last, and then fifth in the free skate, finishing fourth overall behind his teammate Sergei Voronov.

At the 2015 Russian Championships, Kovtun won his second national title. At the 2015 European Championships, he ranked fourth in the short program and second in the free skate, ending in second place overall, behind Javier Fernández. He then finished 7th at the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai, China.

2015–16 season

Kovtun started the 2015–16 season with gold at the 2015 CS Mordovian Ornament. Turning to the Grand Prix series, he placed second in the short program (SP) at the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard. Due to the November 2015 Paris attacks, the free skate was cancelled and the SP standings were deemed the final results.[17] Kovtun finished tenth at his second GP event, the 2015 NHK Trophy, which meant he did not qualify for the Final. In December, Kovtun won his third consecutive national title at the 2016 Russian Championships in his home city of Yekaterinburg.

On January 27-29, Kovtun won the bronze medal at the 2016 European Championships. He finished 18th at the 2016 World Championships in Boston. On 16 May 2016, Buyanova announced that Kovtun had left her group and joined Inna Goncharenko.[18]

Programs

Kovtun at the 2013 Cup of China podium.
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2016–17
2015–16
[19][20]
2014–15
[2]
2013–14
[6]
  • Summertime
2012–13
[21]
  • Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
2011–12
[22]

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[23]
Event 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17
Worlds 17th 4th 7th 18th
Europeans 5th 5th 2nd 3rd
GP Final 5th 4th
GP Bompard 1st 2nd
GP Cup of China 2nd 1st 7th
GP Rostel. Cup 2nd
GP NHK Trophy 10th
GP Skate America 7th
CS Finlandia 3rd
CS Mordovian 1st
International: Junior[23]
JGP Final 4th 1st
JGP Croatia 1st
JGP Estonia 2nd
JGP Germany 1st
JGP Romania 1st
EYOWF 2nd J.
National[24]
Russian Champ. 11th 12th 5th 1st 1st 1st
Russian Junior 5th 3rd
Team events
World Team
Trophy
5th T
(12th P)
4th T
(8th P)
2nd T
(7th P)
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew
T = Team result; P = Personal result. Medals awarded for team result only.

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.

Kovtun at the 2012–13 JGP Final
Kovtun at the 2011–12 JGP Final
2016–17 season
Date Event SP FS Total
18–20 November 2016 2016 Cup of China 10
70.10
7
151.33
7
221.43
21–23 October 2016 2016 Skate America 10
67.43
6
163.32
7
230.75
6–10 October 2016 2016 CS Finlandia Trophy 1
88.26
3
141.31
3
229.57
2015–16 season
Date Event SP FS Total
28 March – 3 April 2016 2016 World Championships 13
78.46
21
131.68
18
210.14
26–31 January 2016 2016 European Championships 2
88.09
6
154.12
3
242.21
24–27 December 2015 2016 Russian Championships 1
93.05
1
173.08
1
266.13
27–29 November 2015 2015 NHK Trophy 4
82.27
11
130.36
10
212.63
13–15 November 2015 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard 2
86.82
cancelled 2
86.82
16–19 October 2015 2015 Mordovian Ornament 4
73.14
1
163.24
1
236.38
2014–15 season
Date Event SP FS Total
16–19 April 2015 2015 World Team Trophy 8
74.83
6
158.91
7
233.74
23–29 March 2015 2015 World Championships 16
70.82
6
159.88
7
230.70
26 January – 1 February 2015 2015 European Championships 4
78.21
2
157.47
2
235.68
24–27 December 2014 2015 Russian Championships 1
98.14
2
173.38
1
271.52
11–14 December 2014 2014–15 Grand Prix Final 3
87.02
5
155.25
4
242.27
20–23 November 2014 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard 6
77.11
1
166.24
1
243.35
7–9 November 2014 2014 Cup of China 1
85.96
1
157.38
1
243.34
2013–14 season
Date Event SP FS Total
24–30 March 2014 2014 World Championships 7
84.66
5
162.71
4
247.37
15–19 January 2014 2014 European Championships 4
83.15
5
149.22
5
232.37
24–27 December 2013 2014 Russian Championships 2
93.08
1
174.05
1
267.13
5–8 December 2013 2013–14 Grand Prix Final 5
68.92
5
164.32
5
233.24
21–23 November 2013 2013 Rostelecom Cup 1
92.53
2
147.81
2
240.34
1–2 November 2013 2013 Cup of China 2
81.84
1
156.81
2
238.65
2012–13 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
11–14 April 2013 2013 World Team Trophy Senior 7
76.67
8
145.12
8
221.79
10–17 March 2013 2013 World Championships Senior 19
65.85
14
141.55
17
207.40
23–27 January 2013 2013 European Championships Senior 7
74.46
4
152.11
5
226.57
25–28 December 2012 2013 Russian Championships Senior 3
75.38
5
149.64
5
225.02
6–8 December 2012 2012–13 Junior Grand Prix Final Junior 2
72.53
1
149.78
1
222.31
10–13 October 2012 2012 JGP Germany Junior 1
68.13
2
124.91
1
193.04
4–7 October 2012 2012 JGP Croatia Junior 2
69.47
1
149.72
1
219.19
2011–12 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
18–22 April 2012 2012 ISU World Team Trophy Senior 11
60.93
12
111.53
12
172.46
5–7 February 2012 2012 Russian Junior Championships Junior 5
65.21
2
128.74
3
193.95
5–7 February 2012 2012 Russian Championships Senior 12
66.11
11
127.82
12
193.93
8–11 December 2011 2011–12 Junior Grand Prix Final Junior 4
63.68
4
130.08
4
193.76
13–15 October 2011 2011 JGP Estonia Junior 2
58.47
2
128.40
2
186.87
22–24 September 2011 2011 JGP Romania Junior 2
61.14
1
121.77
1
182.91
2010–11 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
12–19 February 2011 2011 European Youth Olympic Festival Junior 1
60.93
2
100.82
2
161.75
2–4 February 2011 2011 Russian Junior Championships Junior 4
63.32
6
119.25
5
182.57
26–29 December 2010 2011 Russian Championships Senior 6
67.63
12
120.87
11
188.50

References

  1. Ковтун Максим Павлович [Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun] (in Russian). Russian Figure Skating Federation. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Maxim KOVTUN: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 Khodorovsky, Boris (April 2013). ЮНОСТЬ МАКСИМА (PDF) (in Russian). Figurnoye Kataniye (magazine).
  4. 1 2 Luchianov, Vladislav (17 December 2012). "New coaches raise Kovtun's skating to next level". IceNetwork.
  5. Kuznetsov, Artem (9 April 2012). Командный ЧМ поможет фигуристу Ковтуну найти путь развития - тренер [The World Team Trophy will help figure skater Kovtun in his development, according to coach]. rsport.ru (in Russian).
  6. 1 2 "Maxim KOVTUN: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014.
  7. "Personal Bests: Maxim KOVTUN". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012.
  8. Kondakova, Anna (7 December 2012). "Kovtun captures Junior Men's title in Sochi". GoldenSkate.
  9. "ISU Grand Prix Final 2012: JUNIOR MEN FREE SKATING JUDGES DETAILS PER SKATER" (PDF). International Skating Union.
  10. Максим Ковтун: задачу в Сочи ставлю себе серьезную – отобраться на чемпионат Европы [Maxim Kovtun: My goal in Sochi is to be selected for the European Championships]. Ves Sport (in Russian). 20 December 2012.
  11. "Russian figure skaters revolt against national team's coaches". RussiaToday. 28 December 2012.
  12. Фигурист Ковтун все-таки заменил Меньшова в составе сборной на ЧЕ [Figure skater Kovtun still in the team for the European Championships instead of Menshov]. rsport.ru (in Russian). 10 January 2013.
  13. 1 2 Flade, Tatjana (4 July 2014). "Russia's Maxim Kovtun moves forward". Golden Skate.
  14. "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2014/15 - Men" (PDF). International Skating Union. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  15. "Figure Skating - Kovtun takes Cup of China win as Olympic champion Hanyu suffers crash". Eurosport Yahoo. 8 November 2014.
  16. "Two Russians, Perfect on Jumps, Win in France". NYTimes Sports. 23 November 2014.
  17. ISU Communication 1980
  18. Vaytsekhovskaya, Elena (16 May 2016). "Ковтун ушел от Буяновой" [Kovtun left Buyanova]. Sport Express (in Russian).
  19. "Maxim KOVTUN: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016.
  20. The ICE 2015 (Television production). Aichi Prefecture: Chūkyō Television Broadcasting. August 16, 2015.
  21. "Maxim KOVTUN: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013.
  22. "Maxim KOVTUN: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012.
  23. 1 2 "Competition Results: Maxim KOVTUN". International Skating Union.
  24. Ковтун Максим Павлович [Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun] (in Russian). fskate.ru.
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