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Alexander Abt

Alexander Abt
Alexander Abt 2003 NHK Trophy.jpg
Abt in 2003.
Personal information
Country represented Russia
Born (1976-10-22) October 22, 1976 (age 40)
Moscow
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 12 in)
Former coach Alexander Zhulin
Rafael Arutyunyan
Sergei Volkov
Former choreographer Alexander Zhulin
Skating club Trade Union Moscow
Began skating 1982
Retired 2004
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 189.46
2003 Cup of Russia
Short program 73.05
2003 Cup of Russia
Free skate 121.40
2003 NHK Trophy

Alexander "Sasha" Viktorovich Abt (Russian: Александр "Саша" Викторович Абт; born October 22, 1976 in Moscow) is a Russian figure skater and coach. He is a two-time European medalist and placed fifth at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Abt's first experience with figure skating came at the age of six when his grandmother took him to a rink.Sergei Volkov coached him early on but he began suffering from cancer and sent Abt to be trained by Rafael Arutyunyan before he died. Soon after, Abt began to make a name for himself on the junior circuit and won the silver medal at the 1991 World Junior Championships.

Abt underwent surgery for a knee problem early in his career. Later, in the summer of 1996, he sustained a serious injury during an exhibition performance in Mexico – He crashed into the boards and cut into his right leg's quadriceps muscle with his left blade, keeping him in hospital for several weeks and off ice for six months. He was a late replacement at the 1997 European Championships, where he won the bronze medal.

Alexander placed fourth at the 1998 Russian Championships and was not named to the Olympic team. Later that year, he placed third at the European Championships, behind fellow countrymen Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko and claimed the bronze medal. Abt underwent knee surgery in December 1998.

Abt had a sinus infection at the 2001 European Championships and underwent surgery in spring 2001 to remove a cyst from his sinuses. In June 2001, he moved to Lake Arrowhead, California for training. Abt won the silver medal at the 2002 European Championships, and came in fifth at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Abt intended to retire following that season, but instead elected to continue competing. Having worked with Arutyunyan for eleven years, Abt decided to move to a new coach, Alexander Zhulin, in May 2002.


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