Figure skating fans know the famous Russian skater Maxim Shabalin, who performed in tandem with Oksana Domnina in ice dancing. Oksana and Maxim more than once became winners of various tournaments, world and European champions and bronze medalists of the Olympic Games. In 2010, Maxim graduated from a sports professional career, but he does not part with ice. What the honored master of sports in figure skating is currently doing is discussed in the article.
Figure skating
Parents took the child to the figure skating section in 1986, when he was 4 years old. Maxim didn’t like training, but most of all he didn’t like to work out at home, where his parents forced him to do twine stretching and squats on one leg. Until seven years old he was taken to the rink, and when he began to ride on his own, Maxim began to skip classes. He just walked around the Sports Palace and returned home with a sense of accomplishment.
Perhaps he would not have taken place as a skater if his coach, seeing the boy’s reluctance to be a loner, did not offer him to engage in ice dancing. Maxim liked this. He ran with pleasure on these trainings. Maxim had several partners, but did not work out of these pairs the duet that could win in the championships.
First successes
When Maxim Shabalin was 16 years old, he moved to Bulgaria, where he was invited to become a couple with Rita Toteva. After some training, the pair won silver at the championship in Bulgaria. But the partner's health problems caused her to leave the sport, and Maxim was forced to return to Russia.
Here, along with Elena Khalyavina, the first awards came. They won bronze, silver and gold at the Russian Championships 2000-2002. If the guys understood each other on the ice, then they had a difficult relationship outside the rink, which led to the breakup of the couple. Oksana Domnina became the next partner skater Maxim Shabalin. This duet has won the World and European Championships more than once. In 2008, Maxim had 2 operations on both legs. But, having healed, Maxim again went out on the ice with Oksana at the 2010 Olympics, they took third place. In the same year, they took a timeout in performances, suggesting that after Maxim’s treatment he would return to the ice, but in October 2010 a decision was made to end the ice sports career.
TV show projects
In the summer of 2010, Maxim Shabalin was invited to coach the Russian national figure skater team. In the same year, he became a member of the executive committee of the Figure Skating Federation.
After the performance, Maxim Shabalin began to take part in television ice shows, organized by Ilya Averbukh.
He participated in the "Ice Age" and the show "Ice and Fire." Repeatedly went on tour in the cities of Russia with demonstration numbers of the show. Currently also taking part in Averbukh's projects. Maxim in 2018 with a dance partner took part in a tour of Russia staged by Ilya Averbukh "Together and Forever."
