Skobrev Ivan is a famous Russian skater who was the leader of the national team in the 2000s and 2010s. Vice-champion of the Olympic Games in Vancouver. Repeated winner and winner of world competitions at different distances. This article will describe a brief biography of the athlete.
Childhood
Skobrev Ivan was born in Khabarovsk in 1983. The future of the boy was predetermined, as both parents were professionally engaged in speed skating. The Skobrev family went to the camp in full force. Among athletes, Ivan was formed as a person. For the first time, a boy skated at the age of three. The father was very pleased with his son. Mom, on the contrary, did not approve of Ivan's hobby. She knew the value of sports victories, so she did not want such a future for her son.
In 1998, Ivan's parents emigrated to the United States. But the young man did not consider himself abandoned. He did not lose touch with them, and there were always godmothers nearby.
Sport
From the age of 12, Skobrev Ivan regularly went to training camps and championships. At his first junior competition, the young skater won silver. Ivan performed most successfully at distances of 500 and 1,500 meters, as well as in all-around. It was in him that Skobrev won the Russian championship in 2003. This gave him tickets to the European and World Championships. Twelve months later, the young skater set a record immediately at 3 distances. Among compatriots, he finished in the top five, and at the world championship he took ninth place.
In 2006, Ivan, together with the national team, went to Turin for the Olympics. And again, the young man set a record: an athlete covered 10 kilometers in just 13 minutes.
In 2008, skater Ivan Skobrev won the bronze and silver medals at the Canadian Olympics . After that, the athlete began to prepare for competitions in Sochi under the leadership of Maurizio Marchetto. Unfortunately, in 2014, the athlete did not win a single Olympic award.
Ivan Skobrev: personal life
The athlete is married to Jadwiga Gorbova. The couple brings up two sons - Daniel and Philip.
Ivan met Jadwiga in his teens. She studied with Skobrev in the skating section. At that time, the guy was barely 13 years old and the only sign of attention to Jadwig on his part was throwing a ball. Serious relationships began when young people matured a little. According to Ivan, this was his first love, which continues to this day.
Yadviga Gorbova was considered a talented athlete. She became the champion of Russia (juniors) and dreamed of going to Turin for the Olympics. But the career had to be abandoned for the sake of the family. The girl entered the institute and learned to become a clothing designer. Soon, Ivan and Jadwiga moved to Moscow.
In 2010, their first-born Philip was born in the United States. Ivan was just at the training camp, and the pregnant Jadwiga accompanied him. Athlete's training took place near the clinic, where she was supposed to give birth. In 2013, the spouses had a second son.
The wife refers to her husband’s regular business trips with understanding. Before the birth of her children, she always went with Ivan to all gatherings and competitions. Now this is not possible, since Jadwiga with children lives in the United States. Spouses keep in touch on Skype.
But Ivan Skobrev spends rare weekends and holidays with his family. The athlete spares no money: he can easily "gather a party", book plane tickets, book a hotel and go with some loved ones to some exotic resort.
Scandals
In 2010, an American media published an interview with Ivan, where he talked about the desire to obtain US citizenship and play for the US team at the Vancouver Olympics. After that, Alexey Kravtsov (head of the skating union) immediately denied this statement. Skobrev himself called the published interview complete nonsense.