Part of the reason for his return was his popularity in Russia. Weir's friend and fellow skater Sasha Cohen helped him contact Tarasova, who waived her fees for him. [135][134] Weir hired Zmievskaya because he needed more than Hill's "nurturing approach" and that Zmievskaya's "drill sergeant-like demands for discipline and rigor" would help him grow and win championships again. - . Weir was praised for being one of the few figure skaters who spoke his mind, even when he knew it would get him in trouble with federation officials and judges. The Olympic charter bars political gestures during the Games, which means that an athlete could theoretically be sanctioned for speaking out against the anti-gay laws, though it seems unlikely that the International Olympic Committee would take such a step. Be the first to know about all the best fashion and beauty looks, the breathtaking. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency . [2][6][7] He is of Norwegian heritage, and has one brother, Brian "Boz" Weir, who is four years younger. His primary source of income is his career as a figure skater and sports commentator. It was the first time since 1994 that no American male won medals at the World Championships. [89][90], At the 2006 U.S. Nationals, Weir was the first male skater to win three consecutive U.S. titles since Brian Boitano almost 20 years previously. [77] He also stated that although people were initially uncomfortable with the program, it would become one of most his most popular programs and would "completely change the world's perception of me". Both the IOC and U.S. Olympic Committee have beencriticizedfor not taking a strong stand against the Russian anti-gay laws, though it is not clear that either organization could have done much to change them. Television commentators would bring up his sexual orientation during his performances, causing him to publicly address homophobic remarks by commentators during the 2010 Olympics. [7][94], For the first time in his career, Weir changed his free skating program mid-season shortly before the Olympics, from "a techno medley"[95] written by Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica to "Otoal" by Argentine pianist Ral Di Blasio, which Weir used the previous season. [8][9][10] Weir was raised in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, a rural town in Amish-dominated central Pennsylvania. His next elements were a circular step sequence and a triple flip "that was lacking in crispness". Johnny Weir (no longer an honorary Russian) Adam Rippon. In his profile, he says he's a sports commentator at NBC and his. [121] As Weir said, "I couldn't outskate the negativity following me into the competition". He is a two-time Olympian ( 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics ), the 2008 World bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, the 2001 World Junior Champion, and a three-time U.S. National champion (2004 . Weir needed a clean skate in his free skate to win the gold medal, but he came in fourth place. The former Olympic figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir condemned the decision to allow the Russian Olympic Committee figure skater Kamila Valieva to continue competing in the Beijing Olympics after she tested positive for a banned drug. He also completed three level-four spins and good footwork. [4] He was one of two skaters to skate a clean short program with a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, a "scratchy triple Axel",[44] and the best spins in the field. At the 2006 U.S. Nationals, Weir was the first male skater to win three consecutive U.S. titles since Brian Boitano almost 20 years previously. Both two-footed their quadruple jump (Weir attempted a quadruple toe), both had similar entrances into their jumps, and both completed seven triples. "On the ice we are all the same," she said. He taught himself to speak and read the language. [116][122][125] Weir also said, "Evan didn't just beat me[h]e kicked my ass",[122] and called his free skate "probably the most difficult performance of my career thus far". [180][182] He successfully accomplished all his triple Axels in both programs. The Russian figure skater came into these Games being lauded as one of the greatest of all time. National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall Of Fame Inductee, 2013, Weir did not compete in the 201011 and 201112 season, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 10:18. [105] Weir had been troubled with back pain all week, which was aggravated during the warm-up for the free skate. When the weather was warmer, he practiced jumps on roller skates in the basement of his family's home. [71] The first half of his program was strong, with five triples in a row, but his foot pain caused him to change his circular step sequence, which resulted in a slip during the sequence and a fall during his opening triple Axel. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. )[130][131] They came up with the idea for the routine, which was choreographed by Petukhov, on the plane trip back from the Worlds championships. JW: . He was the third alternate at the 2000 Junior Grand Prix final, coming in sixth and second place at his two Junior Grand Prix assignments, but won, at the age of 16, the gold medal at the World Junior Championships. [11][12], Weir's father had competed in English saddle events. He came out in early 2011[5] and has been involved with LGBTQ activism. Luckily for viewers at home, Johnny Weir was there to describe the painful scene every step of the way. [71] His "respectable free skate"[72] pulled him up to fourth place. meanwhile, has continued practicing in the leadup to the CAS hearing but declined to speak to the media, walking . Reactions from non-Russian, non-Ukrainian skaters and elites. Johnny Weir, and Tara Lipinski started talking up a 15-year-old Russian during last weekend's . Weir's anger is completely understandable. [19][23] Also in his first year of skating (1997), Weir finished fourth as a juvenile in the Junior Olympics and won first place in the South Atlantic Regionals, also as a juvenile. Violence against gay Russians has been a longstanding issue, with at leasttwo murders seemingly motivated by anti-gay sentiment taking place this year. [147] In the free skate, even though Weir had not skated a full program in practice for almost two weeks due to his back pain,[148] Weir and Lysacek were evenly matched in their jumps. Johnny Weir is also a successful professional skater. He displayed good flow throughout his free skate, which included a triple Axel-triple toe loop combination, six more triple jumps, and good spins. Weir fell on his opening triple Axel in his short program, but successfully completed a triple Axel-triple toe loop combination, four more triple jumps, and high-quality spins. He later admitted that the pressure of being the defending champion bothered him, and said that it was difficult skating after Lysacek, especially after hearing that Lysacek had earned over 90 points in his element scores alone. [17], In 1992, after Weir and his family watched Kristi Yamaguchi win a gold medal at the Albertville Winter Olympics, his parents bought him a pair of used figure skates, which he used to teach himself to skate on a patch of ice in the cornfields near their home in Quarryville. Johnny Weir has used dating apps. He is learning how to speak Russian and has a. The normally loquacious NBC commentators Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir barely said a word during the drug-scandalized 15-year-old's performance. [135], He worked on including a quadruple toe loop in his programs, and on making his triple Lutz and triple flip bigger. Weir continued to train with Hill and with Tarasova in Simsbury for the 20042005 season. [37], The only Grand Prix competition U.S. He two-footed his quadruple toe loop, doubled a planned triple-triple combination jump, popped another triple Axel combination, and later in the program, fell on a triple loop. [162][161][25] Four days later, he was the only American to perform in a charity skating show in Seoul, performing with South Korean champion Yuna Kim; while there, he was hospitalized with the flu and lost eight pounds in one day. After completing his free skate, Weir kissed his hand and pounded the ice with it as the audience gave him a standing ovation; he stated, "I was very thankful at that point, and I was thanking the ice in Atlanta for letting me do my best". He earned a score of 207.99 points overall. Figure Skating sent him to the Olympics because of the documentary and series' popularity rather than on the strength of his skating performances. The 29-year-old former Olympian has wowed NBC viewers with his eye-catching ensembles while working as a commentator in Sochi alongside fellow former skater and close friend Tara Lipinski. The two-time Olympic figure skater and current NBC analyst loves everything about the country: its language, its people, its history,. Weir considered his style of figure skating artistic and classical and was known for his lyricism. [234][235][236][237][238][239] Weir and Lipinski appeared on reality shows together and separately. His first ballet teacher in Delaware Yuri Sergeev was a dancer for the St. Theres a Russian bus and an American bus Weir said matter-of-factly. If you want to know more about other sports personalities' net worths, you can do so here: Arnold Palmer Net Worth, Logan Paul Net Worth, Sean Gilmartin Net Worth, Terry Bradshaw Net worth, Erika Nardini Net Worth, Wladimir Klitschko Net Worth. He added that his presence in Sochi could help rally opposition to the anti-gay legislation and the treatment of LGBT Russians. He also had boot problems to overcome, but felt that he had done well. [140][141] He came in first place in the free skate, with 151.98 points and "a nearly perfect"[142] performance. First published on August 9, 2013 / 3:30 PM. - , . Commentator and former Olympic gold medalist Dick Button agreed, stating that the newer program "was not good enough for him". [48] He also won the free skate, even though he did not include a quadruple jump. [69] His free skate, which again did not include a quadruple jump but represented a "full range of perfectly executed triple jumps",[68] earned him five 6.0s in presentation. [195], Weir was in sixth place and earned 82.10 points after the short program;[196] sportswriter Nicholas Benton called it a "flawless program" and reported that the audience "booed lustily" when his scores were announced. / CBS News. [97] It was the first time Weir's father John Weir, who had difficulty traveling after a disabling car accident in 1984, attended one of his son's competitions since Weir was a novice. "If it takes me getting arrested for people to pay attention, and for people to lobby against this law, then I'm willing to take it," he said, adding: "Like anyone, I'm scared to be arrested. Tuesday, however, when Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva performed after failing a pre-Olympics drug test, they were uncharacteristically quiet. (Watch the video below.) [107] He also appeared in an episode, in which he called "my entertainment TV debut",[108] of My Life on the D-List with comedian Kathy Griffin, in which he taught Griffin how to skate. [42], U.S. Especially vintage Chanel. Lysacek and Weir both scored the same on their triple Lutz-triple toe loop combinations, 11.60 points, although Weir lost points on a two-footed landing on his triple flip. He also competed in the Cup of Russia in Moscow, although not for points towards the Grand Prix final. Weir's scores in his free skating program were the best among the male skaters since 1988, when Brian Boitano earned eight 6.0s for presentation. [221] The Associated Press conjectured that it likely marked the end of Weir's amateur figure skating career. He missed two triples in his free skate but placed third in the short program with 206.79 points, fourth in the free skate with 75.15 points, and earned a total of 131.64 points. Weir had Russian coaches most of his career, is fluent in Russian, and has spent time training there . He earned 146.20 points in the free skate and 220.25 points overall, beating his runner-up Timothy Goebel by over 20 points. "I can speak Russian," he says, "I can speak French. [169], After the free skate, in which Abbott earned over 13 points more than the second-place finisher Brandon Mroz, Lysacek came in third place and Weir came in fifth place, with what the Associated Press (AP) called "two dismal performances". Weir was the only American male in medal contention after his short program in Turin,[97][100] skating "well but not brilliantly". The following season (20002001), Weir competed as a senior for the first time, coming in sixth place at the U.S. Nationals despite "a bad hip flexor injury",[28] and winning the Eastern Sectionals as a senior. [26], Weir became eligible to compete in the Junior Grand Prix during the 19992000 season, coming in seventh and second place in his two Junior Grand Prix assignments. ", "They're athletes, they're there to compete," the president said. Russia has had a hold on Johnny Weir since he was a boy. In October 2013, Weir retired from competition and joined NBC as a figure skating analyst at the Sochi Olympics. He also received 5.8s and 5.9s in his technical score. [118] Weir competed at the Grand Prix Final, but had to withdraw after the short program due to an injury to his right hip from a fall. He was in first place after the short program, with marks ranging from 4.9 to 5.8. [67] Weir earned one 6.0 in his presentation scores and his program was "full of creative spins and complicated footwork". [111] He began working with ice dancer Marina Anissina, who choreographed both his short program and free skate. "All I feel I can say is that was the. They have been firm in their stance that she. If you were able to watch the episode at home, you'd hear Johnny Weir describe the painful scene every step of the way. [130][132][133], Weir began the 20072008 season with "a clean slate" and was "all business". Weir, 37, was a few years behind on the circuit, competing for Team USA in 2006 and 2010. [230][233] Weir named fellow figure skater and commentator Dick Button as an influence on his commentating style. His two Grand Prix wins made him eligible to compete at the Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy, where he came in fourth place. [134] In between seasons, he amicably parted from his longtime coach Priscilla Hill, and replaced her with Galina Zmievskaya, who had coached 1992 Olympic champion Viktor Petrenko and Weir's idol Oksana Baiul. [243] Prior to the purchase, he cited privacy, seclusion, and his need for rest from his busy life, as factors guiding his decision to settle in a more rural area.[244]. [119][120] Weir later said that he was embarrassed by his withdrawal, done after "trash-talking"[121] Lysacek for also withdrawing due to an injury. In his free skate, he earned 152.75 points, a new personal best score. Figure Skating Championships: Results", "World Figure Skating Championships Men Results", "2001 MasterCard Skate Canada International: Men Result", "2002 Four Continents Championships Men Result", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johnny_Weir&oldid=1141885331. [76][84][85] At Skate Canada also in October, Weir was in second place after the short program, but finished in seventh place, after falling on his first jump and spraining his left ankle during the free skate. [147] His footwork was "light and a perfect match for the music". [112] The costume he wore for his short program, skated to "King of Chess" by Silent Nick,[113] was described as "a black-and-white chess-themed costume that was restrained by his standards". [184][185], Weir placed third overall at the 2010 U.S. Nationals, with 232.09 points. [122] Weir came in fourth place in the free skate, with 135.06 points. [32] He came in seventh place and fourth place in his two Grand Prix assignments during the 20012002 season, participated in the Goodwill Games and a team pro-am competition, came in fifth place at the 2002 U.S. Nationals, and came in fourth place in the 2002 Four Continents Championships. [97] He earned 136.63 points in his free skate, coming in fifth place overall, for a total of 216.63 points. He has come out as openly gay. In his "elegant"[4] short program, Weir completed a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, but fell on his last jump, a triple flip, scoring 71.25 points. [95] Weir's coach and mother admitted that Weir felt nervous about competing at the Olympics, and was uneasy about competing against Plushenko,[96] but he was called "the breakthrough personality of the Games". Nationals. Weir was unprepared for Nationals because he was "compromised"[166] by his illness. At the 2008 U.S. Nationals, he tied for first place with Evan Lysacek, both with a combined score of 244.77 points, but Lysacek was named the U.S. champion because following ISU regulations, he won the free skate.

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