Marina Zoueva was a member of the Russian skating team from 1975 to 1980, competing with Andrei Vitmann. Their best international result was a fifth-place finish at the 1997 world championships. Upon her retirement from competition, she joined the Red Army Club in Moscow as a coach and choreographer, a position she held until 1991. She earned a master’s degree from the University of St. Petersburg in 1979 and another master’s degree from Moscow’s University of Art in 1984. Awards while coaching in Russia include the Highest Merit Awards for coaching and choreography and 1994 Honoured Art Worker of Russia. Zoueva gained international fame as a choreographer with her programs for Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, the 1988 and 1994 Olympic pairs champions. Since 2002, Zoueva has been coaching with Igor Shpilband at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Canton. Their champions include Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, the 2006 Olympic ice dance silver medallists. Zoueva, a National Coaching Certification Program Level 4 certified coach, has been a professional coaching member of Skate Canada for 14 years. She was a 2008 recipient of the Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award in recognition of her work with the Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. The team were the 2008 world championship silver medallists and won the bronze at the 2009 event even though Virtue was recovering from surgery to relieve chronic pain in both shins caused by compartment syndrome.

THE ATHLETES

• Tessa Virtue, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, Ilderton, Ont., Canadian senior dance champions, 2008, 2009, 2010
• World junior champions, 2004; 1st, Skate Canada International 2007 and 2008 Four Continents
• 2nd, 2008 worlds; 3rd, 2009
• 2nd,  2009 ISU Four Continents and World Team Trophy
• 1st, Trophée Eric Bompard and Skate Canada International
• Silver medallists, 2009 Grand Prix Final
• Alternates, 2006 Olympic Winter Games

THE PERFORMANCE

An electrified crowd of over 11,000 leapt to their feet as Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skated a flawless, magical free dance to become Canada’s first Olympic champions in their sport. Their score, a whopping 221.57 points, was the second-highest ice dance point total ever. Skating to Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, a story of young love that provides sharp contrast to their stunning and dramatic flamenco in the original dance and their elegant Tango Romantica in the compulsory dance, the reigning world bronze medallists displayed consummate artistry and technical excellence throughout their performance. Only 20 and 22 years of age, they are the youngest Olympic ice dancing champions ever. Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States, training partners with Virtue and Moir, won the silver medal with 215.74 points. Third place went to the reigning world champions, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia, with 207.64 points.

THE QUOTES

"Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have made history by becoming the first North American couple to take Olympic ice dance gold and only the fourth Canadians to win Olympic figure skating gold," said Jeff Partrick, Skate Canada’s Director, Coaching and Skating Services. “These credentials themselves speak to just how momentous this occasion is for Skate Canada and Canadian sport." 

“After starting in second place in the compulsory dance, Tessa and Scott laid down a technically superior and flawless original dance and free dance to capture a very well-deserved Olympic victory." 

“Their coaches, Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband, have done a superb job of crafting and guiding Tessa and Scott's ascent to the top of the Olympic podium. Creating technically brilliant and difficult programs that also maximize their program component scores, Marina and Igor have managed, focused, and guided Tessa and Scott and clearly demonstrated that they are among the best coaches in the world."

"I am absolutely blown away. Absolutely incredible," said Skate Canada CEO William Thompson. "They have that special connection that is so rare; it's so infrequent to see that. And great technical skaters as well. So if you put the two together, it's phenomenal."