Maria Petrova (figure skater)

Petrova was a sickly child and her doctor recommended she take up a sport; her parents got her into figure skating when she was seven.^[1] She started out in singles but always preferred pair skating and admired Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov so she made the switch to pairs at 13.^[1]

She initially competed with Anton Sikharulidze with whom she is the 1994 and 1995 World Junior Champion.^[2] They split in 1996 and she teamed up with Teimuraz Pulin, winning the silver medal at the 1997 World Junior championships.

Petrova teamed up with Alexei Tikhonov in the summer of 1998.^[3][4] Together, they 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.

After making the decision to retire following the 2006 Worlds, Petrova and Tikhonov eventually consented to compete one more year at the Russian Skating Federation's request. 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.^[1] After retiring from competition, they performed in ice shows, including Russian television project Ice Age.^[5]