Johnny Weir
Athlete Date of birth July 2 (Cancer) 1984 (35) Place of birth Coatsville Instagram @johnnygweir
Johnny Weir is an American figure skater. He took his first major award at the age of 16. He is also the youngest gold medalist in the United States. The athlete calls himself a Russophile, he has a large collection of matryoshkas and cheburashkas at home. Johnny leads an active social life and often advocates for the rights of sexual minorities.
Biography of Johnny Weir
Johnny Weir was born on July 2, 1984 in a small town in the United States of America. As a child, he was engaged in horseback riding, he had his own personal pony. The boy became interested in figure skating only at the age of 11. It is considered very late for professional athletes, usually begin to train at 3-4 years.
In 1994, he saw Oksana Baiul riding at the XVII winter Olympic Games. This performance impressed him greatly and since then he has been occupied only with figure skating. He performed his first jumps in the basement of his house on roller skates. And when his parents bought Johnny real skates, he moved to a makeshift ice rink in the backyard.
His first professional coach was Priscilla Hill. After a week of classes, Johnny could already perform difficult jumps. At the beginning of his career, the athlete skated in pairs, but over time he decided that he wanted to go to single skating.
In 2001 Weir participates in the World Junior Championship and wins it. But he had to miss the next season due to injury.
In 2004, Johnny competes at the US Championship and takes first place. Fans and judges highly appreciate his artistry. At the same time, he begins to consult with Russian coach T. Tarasova. She helps him put programs for various competitions.
For the next few seasons, Vayr only managed to perform well in the short program. For her, he received the highest marks from the judges, but in the free program he made many mistakes.
In 2006, Johnny went to the Olympic Games in Turin as part of the US team. The athlete took fifth place there. Then he was pursued by a series of unsuccessful performances at various championships, where he did not rise above fifth place.
In 2007 Vair decided to change coaches. He became a ward of Galina Zmievskaya. Under her leadership, the athlete raised his personal record by 6 points, took a gold medal at the Russian Cup and a bronze medal at the US Championship.
Personal life of Johnny Weir
Johnny is into design. He himself designed costumes for his performances and for his colleagues. Weir is a very popular personality in the United States of America. So in 2009, a documentary film premiered in which he was the main character. And in 2010, a television series was even filmed about the skater.
In 2011, Johnny made an official statement about his non-traditional sexual orientation, and at the end of the same year he married Viktor Voronov, a native of Russia.
Weir is a big fan of Russia and its culture. He independently learned the Russian language, learned to read and write in it, says that Moscow is his favorite city. Also in 2007, he received the "For the Love of Russia" award, which was presented to him at the "Ice Show of Two Capitals".
Tall and handsome, Johnny Weir is a former American figure skater, winner of various championships in figure skating. Currently, he is not engaged in amateur figure skating, but his further activities are connected with the creation of sports shows. His sporting achievements and hobbies will be discussed in the article.
Biography of Johnny Weir
John Garvin Weir is the full name given to him by his parents, John and Patty. Johnny was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania on July 2, 1984. He is of Norwegian ethnicity and American citizenship. Weir grew up with his four-year-old younger brother Brian. As a child, like his brother, he was fond of football, baseball, skiing and horseback riding. When he started skating, the family moved to New York. Here, the guy studied in high school and university. He left the university to focus on figure skating.
The beginning of a sports career
Skater Johnny Weir's sports career didn't start like all the kids that parents bring to the ice between the ages of three and six. It so happened that Weir started skating at the age of almost twelve. He decided to start figure skating after seeing the broadcast of the 1994 Olympic Games on TV. He liked the skating of the one who received the highest award - a gold medal. He began training on his own on roller skates. Realizing his son's desire to engage in figure skating, his parents bought him skates and sent him to a paid school at the University of Delaware. Coach Priscilla Hill drew attention to the talented boy and offered to train him. Jumps and turns were easy for the guy, in a week he learned one of the most difficult jumps in figure skating - the axel.
The perseverance and work of a talented young man led him to the first gold medal four years later. He won it at the age of 16. This first medal paved the way for countless victories, including triumphs in America at the figure skating championships in 2004-2006.
Rise and end of career
In the 2003-2004 season, he won regional championships as well as a gold medal, defeating Michael Weiss and Matthew Savoy in 2004 at the US Championships. In competitions at the World Championships, he took fifth place.
The 2004-2005 season brings him two Grand Prix titles. In addition, Johnny Meir becomes first in the 2004 NHK Trophy in Japan, and second in the 2004 Trophée Eric Bompard in France. At the 2005 American Championship, he successfully defended his national title. In the 2006-2007 season, he takes third place at Skate Canada. Pictured above is the awards ceremony. The picture in the article shows Daisuke Takahashi, Johnny Weir.
New coach - new goals
After Skate Canada, Johnny Meir starts training with Ukrainian coach Galina Zmievskaya (pictured below). What explains the change in coach? Meir chose not to train with Priscilla Hill. Friendship, according to Johnny, prevents "work and be the best." And Galina Zmievskaya was once the mentor of Oksana Baiul, who once played leading role in figure skating choice Johnny Meyrom. The 2007-2008 season brings the gold medal in the Russian Cup competition. In the fall of 2008, Meir won a silver medal at Skate America, after which he went to South Korea for Christmas to perform brilliantly at a charity skating show.
At the US Championships, Weir takes third place. At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Johnny Weir finished sixth overall in two programs.
Well, Johnny performed one of the best programs in life. If this is the end, he can leave the sport with his head held high, but… connecting elements, ribs, turns and footwork… were not as good as Lysacek or Takahashi.
This is how the well-known American figure skater Carol Heiss assessed Weir's skating.
In the fall of 2013, Johnny tells the press in an interview that he has decided to end his sports career, but joins the NBC Olympics as a figure skating analyst at winter games 2014 in Sochi.
Awards and achievements
During his sports career From 1996 to 2010, Johnny won 27 medals. He took part in 51 competitions.
About the true king of the ice, Johnny Weir, the documentary "Popstar on Ice" was filmed by filmmakers James Pellerito and David Barba. The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival. A series called Be Good Johnny Weir was made about Johnny, dedicated to training, life at home and performances in competitions. He was remembered by figure skating fans for his smooth, graceful skating and inimitable artistry, as well as bizarre costumes.
Weir took part in the variety show - My Life on the D-List. His career success has given him a good financial backing of $2 million.
Johnny has repeatedly been awarded all sorts of titles in America. Considering sports achivments Johnny Weira, he was announced as the 2008 Readers' Choice Skater of the Year winner. In 2010, Johnny receives the Visibility Award from the Campaign for Human Rights. In the same year, he also receives the NewNowNext "Most Exciting Reality Star" award for documentaries. Be Good Johnny Weir And Pop Star On Ice.
Johnny Weir, acting on behalf of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, as Envoy good will represented America in Japan in 2012. He was honored as a 2013 National Hero by the non-profit Delaware Valley Heritage Foundation.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Weir and Tara Lipinski covered Olympic competitions By speed skating for the famous NBC channel. The number of extravagant outfits in which Johnny reported on the competition, and simply appeared on the streets of the capital of the Olympic Games Sochi, could be the envy of socialites. As he said later, it was a test of tolerance.
Former Olympians commented on the latest Pyeongchang Olympics. Their extravagant outfits reminded many people on Instagram of the characters from the Capitol in The Hunger Games.
Johnny Weir Projects
Having completed his career in figure skating, Johnny took up many projects that were ripe for him, but during sports there was not enough time for this. Now he has decided to express himself through these projects. They are all artistic: designing costumes and fashion lines, creating songs, writing a book.
Weir says that through this activity he can express different aspects of his character, and therefore this period can be called a special time in life. When he skated, he had to train a lot to have the strength that is necessary for an athlete. Therefore, now the skater is resting, dissolving in other worries. He enjoys life, looking for new ways to express himself. For example, Weir began to sing. Takes part in photo shoots. He says he wants to immortalize himself so that when he gets old, these photos will remind him of what he looked like when he was young.
Personal life
Weir is a versatile person. At one time, being carried away by the Russian school of figure skating and Russian culture, he independently learned the Russian language. In addition, he is fluent in French and Japanese. He is interested in fashion design. Johnny's wardrobe contains unique collectibles. The skater invented his own costumes for performances. His advice in this area was used by many skaters. According to his sketches, costumes for ice dancers Denis Petukhov and Melissa Gregory were sewn. John is Oksana Baiul's costume designer ice show.
Weir's marital status
The former American figure skater does not hide his unconventional views, considering this a personal choice and the right of every person. He had a relationship with a Russian guy of Jewish origin. Victor Voronov, Weir's chosen one, has a law degree. Weir announced his intentions to officially register the marriage in an interview with an American tabloid. On New Year's Eve, December 30, 2011, Johnny Weir and Viktor Voronov officially married in New York, and lived there for a long time. The couple divorced in 2015. The reason for the divorce was due to personal misunderstandings.
Weir previously had a relationship with Adam Lambert in 2010. Being a celebrity, his fans are always curious to know more about him. However, this does not mean that his personal life is in the center of attention of Americans. Therefore, when thinking about Johnny Weir's personal life, one should not speculate about romantic relationships. If they are, he talks about them without hiding.
Yesterday, when I went to one of the sites dedicated to fashion, I came across a photo of Johnny at some fashionable get-together. At the bottom there was a most curious discussion of this event itself and of all those invited. What I read surprised, amused and interested me so much that I wanted to conduct a mini-investigation on what people think about Johnny Weir who do not know anything about him, are not fond of figure skating, but for the last two years have regularly met him in the gossip column.
Johnny wanted to be (and became) a celebrity. Who is this? According to American culturologist Daniel Boorstin: "Celebrities are people famous for being famous ... Walking pseudo-events." Popular personalities, stars, people - a holiday. Shows, fashion shows, premieres, presentations, public charity events are their everyday work, they are designed to draw attention to them. Their images adorn the covers of fashion magazines, and the details of life become discussed and available to everyone. Faces of mass media, they are massively loved and massively despised. Admire, respect and laugh. Professional pagan gods, equally distant and close, and no matter how inaccessible they are, are always dear and alive. Well, what do we, sitting in front of the TV set in the evening, tell us, for example, from Svetlana Zakharova, as from a famous person, cold, unreal, painfully beautiful? Does she even exist? And what about Volochkova) His own, warm, crafty, with such a natural thirst for life healthy body with good appetite)
But back to Johnny. For starters, I tried to imagine that I knew nothing about Johnny Weir and suddenly I met his face in a fashion magazine. What will be my first reaction?
To be honest, the very first, pure and uncomplicated emotion is bewilderment. People of such a plan do not cause in me either instant delight or rejection. Most likely, I would have looked at his photograph with curiosity and turned the page. You never know fashion freaks. It is clear that it is not Lady Gaga and not Bartenev. When I see him in a series of stars on the red carpet, I just shrug my shoulders and snort. Needless to say, this is how most people react. And only when I see him not once, not twice, not three, and not ten, I may absentmindedly think: Who is this?!
And now, having decided on my feelings, I went to all kinds of websites of glossy magazines, blogs and forums specializing in fashion, style, lifestyle, Fashion and Beauty, where the name of our hero was mentioned and he became the subject of discussion. And by which it is so interesting to trace how he gradually entered the "family" of celebrities, became known, how his popularity grew among the general reader and how his life was covered.
I will say right away that as soon as there are more than three comments under a photo or article, an Enthusiastic Fan necessarily appears, who popularly and excitedly begins to acquaint the unenlightened public with the outstanding athlete Johnny Weir. Using a lot of exclamation marks, interjections, superlative adjectives and trying to write everything in capital letters. I saw one message on the floor of the screen, where a person spoke not only about the genius and unsurpassed skill of figure skater Johnny Weir, his difficult fate and unbending, courageous character, but also described his erotic dreams with his participation. After that, the stunned regulars of the fashion site could only say: "Afftar write ischo!" But along with such almost traditional emotional outbursts, there were also comments from fans written calmly and with love, after which people answered: “Thank you for telling.
I have compiled for you a selection of the most characteristic statements, by various people, about Johnny Weir. What unites them is that they know almost nothing about him as an athlete. All this is a side view. Another point of view, people who have nothing to do with figure skating, but who are usually interested in and fond of fashion, who are familiar with the fashion industry and show business. That is, it is with that world into which our Johnny stepped boldly, desperately and with pleasure)
I immediately discarded (in accordance with the rules of the NSS))) the most solemnly enthusiastic and heated statements of the fans and frankly homophobic comments and attacks.
So look, ordinary people.
And why come out and so everything is visible ...
Coming out for the fact that for the people even such as Weir must tell everything to the details, otherwise they will consider him straight until his death.
I walked around in gloom for two weeks when I found out that he was gay.
I would walk around in gloom for two weeks if I found out that he is NOT gay :)
Age of androids
Androgynov, maybe?)
What a creative pupsy)
Looks like a girl)
Only hairy little hands.
As a skater, he is a talented guy, but I absolutely do not understand his style, it is ugly, but simply tasteless.
No, he's hilarious of course in the good sense of the word.
He loves Russia, and I love him for it)
Johnny Weier loves Russia very much, learns Russian, listens to Russian music, watches Russian films and supported Plushenko at the Olympics
Weir is a skater, his roots are Russian, in any case he said hello in Russian ...
He is pure American, just trains with a Russian and lived in Russia for a while. and his idol is Yagudin
Birkin Man! God, forgive me my intolerance!
And who is this Johnny Weir next to Kelly Osbourne? He's just a cutie)
Does anyone know who Johnny Weir is? Very diligent!
I don’t perceive something painted in rhinestones as a man
If this boy is painted in light blond, he will be indistinguishable from Chloe Sevigny! The eyes look amazing!
Different men are needed, different men are important!
Lady Gaga, speak up. Well, that explains a lot...
I have nothing against gays, but he is dressed horribly. And do not say that he is a brilliant figure skater.
Gay is a guy who likes men. And not at all a man who likes women's trinkets.
His best accessory is his adorable smile!
Weir is being defiant and stupid. Is that what it means to be yourself? Ok, let him be ready that they will laugh at him.
Being funny is one thing. Being a laughing stock is another. It infuriates me. Because people look at him and think that all gays are like that.
Well, I neighed, to be honest :) I began to like him even more)) Cool man :)
He's a really cool frame. =) Long live shocking.)
Looking at the photo, I thought it was an ugly girl. But it turned out - a pretty boy!
And Vitek Voronov is a nimble boy ... What, girls, I suppose, from envy, the breath stole into the goiter? :)
Though I'm not a girl, but I stole in the goiter ...
He has a good husband!
No, of course I understand everything. He is a talented skater, in love and all that. But when a man begins to turn into an aunt - it's very, very dumb. And a handsome man in an ugly aunt!
Once again, I was convinced that I would prefer not to know about the personal life of an artist I like (and Johnny is primarily an artist, not an athlete).
When I see how he rides, the last thing I think about is what kind of orientation he has.
It's all the machinations of aliens.
And here are a few from American sites:
Johnn Weir is not likable, but his public statements always make me laugh. His hubby is just lucky!
Sorry, but Johnny is so appetizing!
I really liked it when I watched BG. Very honest and good guy.
Johnny Weir annoys me! The only thing he has good taste in is men!
More Weyr! More Weyr! It's so stupid... I would love to see him skate more, he's a brilliant artist.
He doesn't have to apologize for being who he is.
I don't know who this guy is, but I realized that I want a Birkin!
He is such a sweet, sweet boy. I love his slippers.
When he says "woman" does he mean facial stubble?
I never get tired of looking into his green eyes. Oh, if he asked me to marry him! Even if we didn't sleep together, access to his closet and the Balenciga Tree would already be heaven for me!
If I were gay, I would like to be just such a dude as Johnny Weir.
Am I the only one who can't stand him? I can't even explain why...
He has to do something with his teeth if he wants to become a style icon.
Parody. Why spend so much money to look ridiculous. Does he think that what he does is fashion?
Johnny Weir is a perfect example that not all gay men have good taste.
Weir is not gay! He just likes to have sex with men!
His husband is very sweet) Johnny, don't sign anything!
I don't agree with his views, but I love him anyway.
What can I say, perhaps the most common reaction is laughter) And this is certainly not the worst emotion that a person can cause. But... Was that exactly what Johnny wanted and aspired to? Because "You deserve it"?
I'm glad he's back in the sport. It seems to me that whatever happens on the ice arena, it will be better than what happens on the red carpet.
Good luck Johnny and I love you)
Johnny Weir is a three-time US figure skating champion in singles. To fans of this sport, he is known primarily for his outrageous costumes, artistry and style that is different from other skaters.
Not only is his style so graceful and plastic that any girl would envy, but Johnny Weir also, contrary to most of his colleagues, jumps and rotates clockwise. The American Figure Skating Association and Skating Magazine have twice declared him the winner of Readers' Choice Skater of the Year. However, this title is nothing compared to the fact that in 2010 the International Astronomical Union assigned the name of this athlete to the minor planet 12413 Johnnyweir.
Once he admitted that, while riding, he was leaving for his own dream world. And in his world there are only clouds, sparkles and the smell of French perfume Chanel No. 5. His world, perhaps, is the same as himself: brilliant, airy, fragrant. Weir's relationship with the world of sports developed in some magical way, which, however, is not at all surprising for such an airy-unpredictably-sudden person like Johnny.
John Garvin Weir was born on July 2, 1984 in the small American town of Coatesville, Pennsylvania. I became interested in figure skating at the age of eleven, which is quite late for those who want to practice, and even more so, devote their lives to this sport. Before that, little Johnny was quite successfully involved in equestrian sports, participated in various competitions, in a word, rode horses well. And in 1994, I suddenly decided that it would be nice to try skating. The inspiration came to Weir after the performance of Oksana Baiul, which the boy saw during the broadcast of the figure skating tournament at the Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Inspired by the performance of the Ukrainian athlete, Johnny decided that mastering this beautiful view sport is urgent. But the future champion did not have skates.
Ingenuity and resourcefulness are the main difference between children and adults. These are the very qualities that sometimes make a very young person successful and successful, and provide him with a bright life and a bright future. Neither a pragmatic mind nor a rational approach can sometimes cope with such challenging tasks as building your own happiness and creating inner harmony.
Nimble Johnny decided to master the jumps, training in the basement of his house on roller skates. When the young Weir received long-awaited skates as a gift from his parents, the field behind the house became a training ground for him, frozen in winter. Thus began the career of perhaps the most unusual skater of our time.
Horses, of course, had to be forgotten. Pay for both equestrian sports and figure skating at the same time the submitter's parents big hopes athlete could not. Later, Johnny had to not only leave his partner Jody Rudden and go into single skating, but also quit his studies at the university.
As it turned out, all the sacrifices were not in vain. Within a week of training under the guidance of coach Priscilla Hill, Weir learned to jump the Axel, which is considered to be the most difficult jump in figure skating.
The sports career of John Garvin Weir can be graphically depicted as the drawing for the paragraph "Harmonic vibrations" in the textbook "Physical Foundations of Mechanics". Victories were followed by defeats, successes by failures, injuries by recovery; and the bronze medal of the World Championship for today remains highest achievement Johnny on ice arena. However, Weir constantly aspired to be not only an athlete, but also an actor. At the same time, being an artist is much more important for Weir than a figure skater. Yes, in sports he is ambitious, but at the same time, he treats any injury and failure as an opportunity to take a sabbatical and rediscover himself. What he did after the Olympic Games in Vancouver, where he became only the sixth. Johnny skipped the next season after the Olympics, spending it writing his memoir Welcome to My World and recording the single Dirty Love.
Weir is an avid Russophile. Johnny never tires of repeating that he admires and idolizes Russian culture and art. He studied with a teacher in order to learn to speak and read in Russian. From the age of five he has been in love with Russia. He always carries with him a small collection of Pushkin's poems, revises the masterpiece of Soviet cinema "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears", listens to songs performed by Alla Pugacheva, is not indifferent to the work of Sergei Lazarev. He loves chicken pies, black caviar, and often discusses bags and fur coats with his elderly girlfriends, as well as how to properly prepare Olivier salad.
Yes, the skater's girlfriends are elderly Russian ladies. Why exactly are they best friends? Yes, because Johnny, by his own admission, is an elderly Russian woman at heart. This "woman" idolizes Evgeni Plushenko, Irina Slutskaya, Svetlana Khorkina, collects Cheburashki and calls Moscow her favorite city, without being cunning at all. After all, it is unlikely that the deceiver will be awarded the “For Love of Russia” award. Weir confirms his bright feeling for our country not only in conversations with journalists and fans, but also during performances.
Not only does the athlete try not to miss a single stage of the Grand Prix in Russia, but he also wins the audience's appreciation by performing to the romance "I will never forget you!" After all of the above, it is not difficult to guess that John Weir trained under the guidance of Galina Zmievskaya, the former mentor of Oksana Baiul, who at one time became a guiding star for Weir.
Zmievskaya completely changed the regime and image of the skater, his approach to training, and the style of skating, which many spectators, colleagues, judges and other experts called feminine. However, not only his behavior on the ice, but also his "unsportsmanlike" manners are very elegant and refined. In figure skating, he loves shiny, sparkling, extravagant costumes, and in his free time from training and performances, he is fond of clothing design: he makes sketches and patterns of outfits that only a daredevil like Johnny himself can wear (Melissa Gregory, Denis Petukhov wore them , and Weir's muse is Oksana Baiul).
The American loves to demonstrate his beauty by participating in photo shoots for fashion magazines, the most famous of which was the one where Johnny stood in front of the camera lenses in a miniskirt and elegant women's high-heeled shoes. That issue of BlackBook magazine instantly disappeared from store shelves and newsstands.
Such a versatile person: an athlete by profession, a part-time model and designer, a Russophile who also speaks French and Japanese, must be different from others to the very end.
In December 2011, Johnny Weir married an American lawyer of Russian origin, Viktor Voronov. Despite the fact that Weir's homosexuality was so obvious for quite some time, the athlete carefully denied rumors about it. In this case, for the most part, the audience, cruel and loving to criticize earthly stars, can be justified, given the famous photos in the BlackBook and the no less famous short program to the music of Camille Saint-Saens "The Swan" - perhaps one of the most popular compositions used in women's ballet.
Outrageous athlete and his chosen one tied the knot on New Year's Eve. Three time champion The United States shared such good news with the general public on its Twitter. “Finally married!” Weir was laconic, but definitely happy.
Young people met about five years ago in New York. Victor had no idea about his new acquaintance, and after separation due to the forced departure of Voronov to Atlanta, the young people realized that, contrary to all existing norms, they were far from each other - they were not subject to them.
“Victor embodies everything that I was looking for in a person with whom I would always like to be close,” Johnny wrote in his microblog a few days after the magical New Year's Eve, “I am now married, I am very happy! Life in sin is over."
Victor, like Johnny, does not hide his emotions, calling his chosen one the most amazing and wonderful person, and arguing that a serious lawyer will never be bored next to him.
It is a pity that the unusual lovers did not have a magnificent celebration. Rumor has it that Johnny and Victor wanted to legitimize their relationship so much that they did not waste time preparing for the ceremony, and this is not a one-day affair. To "live in sin" again would be sheer torment for such vulnerable natures. The solemn ceremony was attended only by the parents of those who swore love and fidelity. Johnny's mom was crying. But not when her son spoke such touching words to Victor standing opposite him, about trust, devotion, wealth and poverty, health and disease. She cried when she heard from her son that he was a homosexual. Not because she was ashamed of him, she wanted everything to be like everyone else, she wanted grandchildren. And because she blamed herself. She thought that her gay son was her mistake.
The honeymoon, unlike the wedding ceremony, went according to all the rules, the couple went to the Dominican Republic, to enjoy the sea, sun and white sand. Perhaps, only in such places, you stop taking various things seriously, and maybe even everything. It is by this principle that John Garvin Weir-Voronov lives. In Johnny's opinion, taking something too seriously is bad. Yes, the athlete admits that he is strange, yes he loves to have fun, despite the fact that figure skating is an old sport in which traditions rule the ball.
The most eccentric figure skater in history and the main Russophile of America, Johnny, is not at all embarrassed by all this. Although Weir has announced his retirement from professional life, he is not going to stop doing what he loves. An outlandish and bright ex-athlete, he plans to perform in ice shows, and during the Olympics in Sochi he will become a colleague of Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova. Surrounded by a Russian beauty and recent Olympic figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Tanith Belbin, Johnny will work as a commentator for NBC, the official North American broadcaster of the 2014 Games.
Born in Coatsville, Pennsylvania to John and Patty Weir, Johnny Weir graduated with honors from Newark High School and studied linguistics at the University of Delaware by correspondence. As a child, he went in for equestrian sports and participated in horseback riding competitions, and became interested in figure skating only at the age of 11, extremely late by modern standards (usually athletes begin to ride at 3-4 years old). In 1994, Weir saw on TV the performance of figure skater Oksana Baiul at the 17th Winter Olympics. The skating of Oksana Baiul, who then received a gold medal, made a great impression on the boy, and he decided to try jumping on his own, doing roller-skating in the basement. When his parents bought Johnny Weir figure skates, he began training on the frozen field behind his house. In the end, he was sent to paid classes in a group at the University of Delaware. The parents secretly hoped that a local would be interested in their son. hockey team, but Johnny skated alone and drew figures on the ice. Coach Priscilla Hill noticed his talent and began to train personally, and within a week Weir learned to jump the Axel, the most difficult jump in figure skating. Johnny's family soon moved to Newark, Delaware to live closer to the coach and the rink.
His parents couldn't afford to spend money on both figure skating and horseback riding, so Weir decided to leave his pony and concentrate on figure skating. He originally skated with Jodi Rudden, but eventually switched to singles. He also dropped out of university to devote himself to sports.
2001-2004: Early career
Weir won his first World Junior Championships in 2001: having skated cleanly in all three programs (qualifying, short and free), he won the gold medal from another American, Evan Lysacek. Technically, both athletes showed approximately the same level, but of all the speakers skaters weir received the highest marks for artistry. Thus, for the first time since 1987, the USA took the first two places on the junior podium. In the same season, Weir finished sixth at the US Championships and fourth at Championship of the Four continents, an analogue of the European Championship for non-European countries (he lost to Canadian Jeffrey Battle, Japanese figure skater Takeshi Honda and Chinese Gao Song). This was the first and only time in Weir's career that he competed in this competition. Almost the entire next season (2002-2003) the athlete missed due to injury. At the 2003 National Championships, during the free program, Weir hit the side of the rink, started the performance again, but immediately injured his knee due to an unsuccessful landing after a triple Axel, after which he withdrew from the competition.
The 2003-2004 season, when Weir turned 19, was a turning point in his career. He qualified for the US Championships (2004), where he received his first 6.0 in the free skate and took first place, becoming the youngest champion since Todd Eldridge. At the World Championships, Weir finished fifth, losing to such rivals as Evgeni Plushenko, Brian Joubert, Stefan Lindemann and Stephane Lambiel. All this time, he continued to train with Priscilla Hill, first at the University of Delaware in Newark, then they moved to the Pond Ice arena in the same city. In addition, from 2003 to 2005, Weir consulted with Russian coach Tatyana Tarasova every summer, visiting her at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury, Connecticut. Tarasova helped direct the short program Valse Triste ("Sad Waltz") to music by Jean Sibelius; short and free programs of the 2004-2005 season Rondo Capriccioso (“Rondo Capriccioso”) to the music of Camille Saint-Saens and Otonal Raul li Blasio; programs of the 2005-2006 season Amazonic + Hana's Eyes + Wonderland by Maxim Mrvitsa and the famous The Swan ("Swan") Camille Saint-Saens, which the skater called his favorite program.
2004-2007: Three times US Champion
The next season (2004-2005) Weir successfully performed in the Grand Prix series in figure skating, which consists of several stages in different countries. He won the Japanese NHK Trophy and finished second at the Trophée Eric Bompard in France. According to ISU rules, the skaters who score the most points in the two stages of the Grand Prix are selected for the final, but they also receive points only for two stages. Nevertheless, Weir went to the third stage of the "Russian Cup" for himself and took second place behind the Russian Evgeni Plushenko. At the 2005 U.S. Championships, the figure skater, who competed for a medal with Olympic bronze medalist Timothy Gable and his peer Evan Lysacek, skated the free skate almost flawlessly and received five 6.0 marks for artistry, winning gold for the second time in the United States. Technical marks were also high - 5.8 and 5.9. Evan Lysacek took "silver", but in subsequent years it is on Weir's rivalry with this skater that the main intrigue of the national championships will be built. At the World Championships in Moscow, he became the fourth, still not performing a four-turn jump. “Quadruple in our time is an integral part of men's figure skating, and I understand that I must do it,” the skater explained. "I'll include it [in the program] when I'm ready."
The next few seasons branded Weir as a "skater short program”: it repeatedly turned out that after an excellent performance in the short program, he nullified all the advantage over his rivals with numerous mistakes in the free program, and lost the opportunity to take a high place on the podium.
The 2005-2006 season was not easy for Weir. At the Skate Canada Grand Prix stage (2005), he took only seventh place, since at the very beginning of the short program he sprained his ankle, and at the Russian Cup he became third after Plushenko and Stefan Lambiel. At the US Championships, he again became the first, despite a miscalculation in free program: Weir made four combinations of jumps, while only three are allowed under the new rules (this season the old system of scoring on a six-point scale was abolished and the New judging system came into effect). However, a good performance in the short program and a significant lead on points compensated for this tactical miscalculation and mistake on the triple axel. Thanks to the victory at the national championship, he automatically entered the national team for the Winter Olympic Games in Turin and the World Championships in Calgary. At the Olympics, the Americans had high hopes for him. The skater was second after the short program and followed Evgeni Plushenko, but due to the lack of a quadruple jump, and also due to missing one of the jumps in the free program, he ended up only fifth. At the World Championships, in the absence of Plushenko, Weir had a chance to win a medal, but finished seventh, allowing a large number of errors in the free program - in particular, after a quadruple, he landed on two feet, and then fell from a triple flip. The skater explained that all week he was tormented by "spasms in the back" and although he "really wanted to do a quadruple, but [his] body simply did not obey."
In the 2006-2007 season, Johnny Veira worked as choreographer Olympic champion in ice dancing Marina Anisina. She helped direct the short program King of Chess and the free program Child of Nazareth to music by Maxim Rodriguez. In the Grand Prix series in figure skating, Weir was the winner at the stages in Canada and Russia, but in the final in St. Petersburg he was forced to withdraw from the competition as a result of a hip injury after a fall. At the US Championship after good performance in the short program he became second, although he was slightly behind Evan Lysacek on points. In the free program, he unsuccessfully performed a triple Axel, fell from a triple loop, and after a quadruple toe loop, he landed on two feet and, ultimately, took third place. Weir later explained that he was very upset with his second place after the short program: “It was my best skate of the season, and I was still ranked below Lysacek. It became clear that I could not win, even if I skated cleanly in the free program. So the mood for the free program was not the best, because I was not sure of winning even with a 100% clean performance. At the World Championships, the skater took only eighth place.
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Change of coach and new goals
After last season's failures, Weir decided to leave coach Priscilla Hill. In the summer of 2007, he moved from Newark to Lyndhurst, New Jersey and began training under Galina Zmievskaya, Oksana Baiul's former mentor. Zmievskaya is assisted by Viktor Petrenko, who also works as an ISU technical controller.
Weir, whose style of riding was often described as feminine, decided to make his image more masculine. She and Galina Zmievskaya completely changed the regime, the image of the skater and the approach to training, in particular, they decided to include in the programs quadruple jump.
“My new program will have a quadruple jump,” Weir commented, “although I… do it only because it is considered almost the norm for men's figure skating. As for me, the quadruple is a very difficult jump, many people often make mistakes when performing it. And a fall can ruin a program that is perfect in every way.”
After the athlete began training with Zmievskaya and moved Lyndhurst, he lives separately from his parents. In an interview, he said that at first he was very nervous and put a kitchen knife near the bed before going to bed, but over time, life away from home benefited him and made him more disciplined.
2007-2009: Fight for medals
The new season (2007-2008) he spent very well. At the 2007 Cup of China Grand Prix, Weir defeated Lysacek with eight jumps in the free program, including a triple Axel combo. He raised his own personal record, set three years ago, by almost 6 points. In an interview after the performance, Weir said that he had never felt so comfortable on the ice. At the Cup of Russia, he also won gold, ahead of Stefan Lambiel and Russian Andrey Gryazev. Two gold medals at the Grand Prix stages ensured Weir a place in the final, but an old leg injury aggravated during the performances, so the skater fell in the short and then in the free program, and took fourth place.
At the 2008 US Championships, Weir had a 1.35 lead over Lysacek after the short program. In the free program, he performed a quadruple toe loop with a small error and scored more points for jumps and program components, while Lysacek turned out to be better in spins and skating, so in the free program he outperformed his opponent by exactly the same number of points (1.35). It was a draw by points, but according to ISU rules, the gold medal in this case goes to the skater who won the free program, so Lysacek became the US champion, and Weir came second. At the World Championships in Gothenburg, where Lysacek missed due to an injury, Weir skated one of the best short programs of his career, improved his personal best and finished second behind Jeffrey Battle. In the free program, he performed less confidently (in his own words, he was nervous) and was only fifth, but in terms of the total results he became third and won his first world championship medal - bronze. Gold was taken by Geoffrey Battle, who ended his amateur career after this season, and silver was taken by Brian Joubert.
Weir started the 2008-2009 season by winning a silver medal at Skate America in October 2008. Despite a bad cold and a constant cough, the athlete also came second at the NHK Trophy, so he qualified for the Grand Prix final, where he won bronze medal in December 2008. Gold went to his peer and teammate, American Jeremy Abbott, and silver went to young Japanese figure skater Takahiko Kozuke. In winter, Weir, along with Korean figure skater Kim Young Ah, participated in a charity ice show in Korea. Due to a gastrointestinal infection, he ended up in the hospital and spent several days on a drip, so preparations for the US Championships were disrupted. In the competition, Weir only landed a triple Axel once, fell off a triple flip in the free skate, and only finished in fifth place, the lowest since 2002. Thus, he did not get into the US team for the 2009 World Cup, although he hoped that the national federation would make an exception for him as for the winner of the last championship. The athlete nevertheless attended the tournament as a fan, as he decided that watching rivals from the side would help him next season. In addition, at the invitation of NBC, he commentated on the women's short program.
Weir worked with choreographer David Wilson to direct the programs for the next season. He will take part in the Grand Prix stages in Russia and Japan.
Personal life
Johnny Weir considers himself a Russophile and says he admires the Russian school of figure skating and Russian culture. He learned to speak and read Russian on his own, and for some time studied with a professional teacher. The skater collects Cheburashkas, and he has two Chihuahua dogs at home, one of which is called Vanya. Weir regularly takes part in the Grand Prix stages in Russia, calling Moscow his favorite city. In December 2007, he took part in the "Ice Show of Two Capitals", which was simultaneously held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and in the same year he was awarded the "For Love of Russia" award.
In addition to Russian, Weir knows French and Japanese. He is interested in fashion design and has modeled and appeared in fashion magazines. The figure skater designed costumes not only for his performances, but also for dancers Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, as well as for Oksana Baiul, who skated in the ice show. He has admitted that he loves designing because, in his opinion, historically figure skating costumes are "crazy, over the top, pompous and sparkling."
There are rumors about Weir's possible homosexual orientation, which he does not confirm, but partly provokes himself, for example, calling himself a "princess" or being photographed in a miniskirt and high-heeled shoes for BlackBook magazine. According to Weir himself, the rumors were born because of his short program The Swan to the music of Camille Saint-Saens "The Swan", which he skated in the 2005-2006 season, music that is traditionally used in women's ballet. The swan Weyr costume and bright red gauntlet were later parodied in Blades of Glory: Stars on Ice (2007), where one of the main characters appears as a peacock.
The documentary film company Idea Factory made a documentary about the figure skater, Pop Star on Ice, which was filmed from 2006 to the spring of 2008. It premiered on May 24, 2009 at the Seattle International Film Festival. In December of the same year, the film was shown on the Sundance Channel. Its creators are filming a television series about Weir, which is scheduled to air on the Sundance Channel in 2010. Weir has previously appeared on television: he participated in the reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, where he taught the main character how to skate.
The skater usually spends his free time with his family - his parents and brother Brian, who is four years younger than him.
