Alexei Vladimirovich Tikhonov (; born 1 November 1971) is a Russian pair skater. With partner Maria Petrova, he is the 2000 World champion and a two-time (1999, 2000) European champion.

Career Tikhonov began skating in his hometown, Samara. Initially a singles skater, he switched to pairs at 15 and a half.

Tikhonov first competed with partner Irina Saifutdinova for the Soviet Union and, after the dissolution, for Russia. They won the bronze medal at the 1989 World Junior Figure Skating Championships for the Soviet Union. Their partnership ended when she decided to get married and leave the sport.

He teamed up with Japanese pair skater Yukiko Kawasaki and competed with her representing Japan. Kawasaki and Tikhonov were two-time Japanese national champions. They competed internationally together, winning the bronze medal at the 1993 NHK Trophy and placing 15th at the 1994 World Championships. He said, "I stayed [in Japan] for two years, but I was alone in my apartment. I used to go to the Russian Embassy just to talk to people. I tried to learn some Japanese but it was very hard."

Tikhonov spent the next five years skating in various ice shows in the U.K. and Florida, including shows led by Tatiana Tarasova and Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. He started to miss competitive skating and when Maria Petrova's coach called, he agreed to compete with her. They teamed up in the summer of 1998. Petrova was a former World Junior champion with Anton Sikharulidze.

Petrova and Tikhonov 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.

Petrova and Tikhonov announced they would retire after the 2006 Worlds, but at the request of the Russian Skating Federation they later agreed to remain eligible for another year. 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.

Personal life Tikhonov was born to parents Vladimir and Larisa. In addition to skating together, Petrova and Tikhonov are also an off-ice couple. On 1 February 2010, she gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Polina. The family lives in Moscow region.

Tikhonov is godfather to Alexei Urmanov's twins.

Programs (with Petrova)

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition 2006–2007 Sarabande by George Frideric Handel (modern arrangement) Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven 2005–2006 Winter from Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

Fellini soundtracks 2004–2005 Tango by Astor Piazzolla The Circus Princess by Emmerich Kalman You Present Me Roses () by Nochnye Snaipery 2003–2004 Music by Baxter Mister X The Circus Princess by Emmerich Kálmán 2002–2003 Rainy Blues by Raimonds Pauls Symphony Dances by Sergei Rachmaninoff Black Cat, White Cat 2001–2002 Adagio from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Chess (musical) by Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson et al. 2000–2001 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 1999–2000 Francesca de Rimini by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

Mr. Bureaucrat (film soundtrack) 1998–1999 Doctor Zhivago by Maurice Jarre Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

Competitive highlights

With Saifutdinova for the Soviet Union Event 1988–1989 Junior Worlds 3rd

With Kawasaki for Japan International Event 1992–1993 1993–1994 World Championships 15th Nations Cup 4th NHK Trophy 3rd Piruetten 6th National Japan Championships 1st 1st

With Petrova for Russia Results International Event 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 Olympics 6th 5th Worlds 4th 1st 4th 4th 3rd 4th 2nd 3rd WD Europeans 1st 1st† 4th 3rd 3rd 2nd 3rd 3rd 2nd Grand Prix Final 3rd 4th 6th 5th 3rd 3rd 2nd 4th 6th GP Bompard 2nd 1st GP Cup of China 3rd 1st GP Cup of Russia 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd GP NHK Trophy 5th 1st 3rd 4th 1st 1st GP Skate America 2nd GP Skate Canada 2nd 3rd 2nd GP Sparkassen/Bofrost 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Goodwill Games 3rd National Russian Champ. 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st GP = Grand Prix; WD = Withdrew †Pairs champions Elena Berezhnaya / Anton Sikharulidze were stripped of their title.

References

External links

Official website of Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov