Comp. dance 38.342006 Europeans Height 1.80 m | Retired 2002, 2006 Role Ice dancer Began skating 1974 Name Povilas Vanagas | |
 | ||
Skating club Sports School Baltu Ainiai Former choreographer | ||
Former training locations KaunasMoscow Combined total 196.182006 Europeans | ||
Margarita drobiazko and povilas vanagas od 2002 olympics
Povilas Vanagas ([ˈpôːvʲɪɫɐs ˈväːnɐɡɐs]; born 23 July 1970) is a Lithuanian ice dancer. With his wife Margarita Drobiazko, he is the 2000 World bronze medalist, a three-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a two-time European bronze medalist (2000, 2006), the 1999 Skate Canada champion, and competed in five Winter Olympics, finishing as high as 5th.
Contents
- Margarita drobiazko and povilas vanagas od 2002 olympics
- Margarita drobiazko povilas vanagas ice age professional s cup ii 2014 02 02
- Career
- Personal life
- Programs
- Competitive highlights
- References
Margarita drobiazko povilas vanagas ice age professional s cup ii 2014 02 02
Career
Vanagas began skating at age three. His mother, Lilija Vanagiene, was Lithuania's national skating coach. Vanagas won six national titles in men's singles. At age 18, he was drafted into the Soviet Union army and sent to Moscow, Russian SFSR. Given a choice between becoming a soldier or skating full-time, Vanagas chose to become an ice dancer.
Tatiana Tarasova paired Vanagas with Russian ice dancer Margarita Drobiazko in Moscow. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, they decided to represent Lithuania. Vanagas said, "It was difficult at the beginning because there was a lot of friction between Russia and Lithuania. Since Rita is Russian, it caused many problems." They moved to Kaunas, Lithuania and began training with Elena Maslennikova. In 1995, they began working also in England with Betty Callaway, Jayne Torvill, and Christopher Dean.
In 1999, Drobiazko and Vanagas began spending time with Elena Tchaikovskaia in Moscow, while continuing to work with Maslennikova in Kaunas. They were also coached by Lilija Vanagiene and Anatoliy Petukhov. Drobiazko and Vanagas retired from competition following the 2001–2002 Olympic season, but returned to competition in 2005 to compete at their fifth Olympics. In preparation for the 2005–2006 season, they worked with Maslennikova, Rostislav Sinicyn, Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva, Gintaras Svistunavicius, and David Liu, in the United States, Germany, Russia, and Lithuania. Drobiazko and Vanagas became the first and only figure skaters to compete at five Olympics. They retired again in 2006 following the World Championships.
Their choreographers included Elena Maslennikova, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Elena Tchaikovskaia, Tatiana Pomerantseva, Elena Kholina, Yuri Puzakov, Vasily Kleimenov, and Gintaras Svistunavicius.
Personal life
Vanagas is fluent in Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, and English. While competing, he was a caregiver for an elderly woman. Vanagas has been married to Drobiazko since June 2000.
Programs
(with Margarita Drobiazko)
Competitive highlights
(ice dance with Margarita Drobiazko)