Michael Shmerkin
Israeli figure skater
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Michael "Misha" Shmerkin (Hebrew: מיכאל "מישה" שמרקין; born 5 February 1970) is an Israeli former competitive figure skater.[1] He is a two-time Skate Canada International silver medalist (1994 and 1995), 1993 Ondrej Nepela Memorial champion, and 1995 Skate Israel champion. He competed in the final segment at two Winter Olympics (1994, 1998), six World Championships, and four European Championships. He is currently a figure skating teacher/coach for many young adults and children . He is located in Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York. He was the first Israeli ever to compete in the Winter Olympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | מיכאל "מישה" שמרקין |
| Born | 5 February 1970 Odesa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | Israel |
| Skating club | Canada Centre, Metulla, ISR |
| Retired | 2002 |
Career
Early in his career, Shmerkin competed internationally for the Soviet Union, most notably at the 1984 World Junior Championships, where he placed fifth.
Shmerkin moved with his family to Israel in 1991,[2] and Shmerkin began representing his new country in international competition.[3]
At the 1994 Winter Olympics, where he placed 16th, Shmerkin became the first athlete of any discipline to represent Israel at the Winter Olympic Games.[3][4] He placed 18th at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
In the late 1990s he skated to Jewish songs and had a tallis and menorah embroidered on his costume.[2]
He retired from competitive skating following the 2001/2002 season.[4]
Shmerkin currently coaches in New York.[5]
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2002 [6][7] |
|
|
Competitive highlights
GP: Champions Series (Grand Prix)
| International[8] | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 88–89 (URS) |
90–91 (URS) |
91–92 (ISR) |
92–93 (ISR) |
93–94 (ISR) |
94–95 (ISR) |
95–96 (ISR) |
96–97 (ISR) |
97–98 (ISR) |
98–99 (ISR) |
99–00 (ISR) |
00–01 (ISR) |
01–02 (ISR) | |
| Olympics | 16th | 18th | ||||||||||||
| Worlds | 19th | 14th | 11th | 11th | 15th | 15th | 35th | 33rd | ||||||
| Europeans | 14th | 13th | 19th | 20th | 25th | |||||||||
| GP Nations Cup | 6th | 8th | ||||||||||||
| GP NHK Trophy | 10th | |||||||||||||
| GP Skate Canada | 2nd | 2nd | ||||||||||||
| Golden Spin | 8th | 5th | ||||||||||||
| Moscow News | 9th | 2nd | ||||||||||||
| Nations Cup | 5th | |||||||||||||
| Nepela Memorial | 1st | |||||||||||||
| NHK Trophy | 5th | |||||||||||||
| Piruetten | 6th | |||||||||||||
| Skate America | 7th | |||||||||||||
| Skate Canada | 2nd | |||||||||||||
| Skate Israel | 1st | 2nd | 8th | 3rd | ||||||||||
| National[8] | ||||||||||||||
| Israeli Champ. | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||||
| Soviet Champ. | 5th | |||||||||||||