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Rafael Arutyunyan

Armenian figure skating coach From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rafael Arutyunyan
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Rafael Arutyunyan[1][2] (Armenian: Ռաֆայել Հարությունյան, Harutyunyan; Russian: Рафаэль Владимирович Арутюнян; born July 5, 1957)[3] is an Armenian-American[4] figure skating coach. He has coached in Armenia, Russia and the United States.

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Personal life

Arutyunyan was born on July 5, 1957, in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, and studied in Yerevan, Armenian SSR at the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture.[3] Arutyunyan's mother brought him to an ice rink after watching figure skating on television; he was skating regularly in Tbilisi by the age of seven.[5] He is married to a skating coach, Vera, and moved to the United States in 2000.[6][7] They have a son – a pianist born in the mid-1980s, and a daughter, who is an artist.[8] On July 23, 2019, Arutyunyan and his wife became U.S. citizens.[9][10]

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Coaching career

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He coached young skaters in Yerevan from 1976.[11] In the 1980–1981 season, one of his students, Saak Mkhitarian, became the Soviet junior champion and placed 6th at the World Junior Championships. Soviet officials then invited Arutyunyan to Moscow, where he worked on his teaching certification and became an assistant to Tatiana Tarasova.[5]

Around 2000 or 2001, Arutyunyan joined the Ice Castle International Training Center, in Lake Arrowhead, California.[5][2][4] In August 2013, he relocated to the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, California.[6][12] He collaborates with his wife, Vera Arutyunyan, and Nadezda Kanaeva.[6] He moved to Lakewood ICE in Lakewood, California on June 25, 2016.[13] In 2019, he took on the role of Head Coach for Higher Performance Team at Great Park Ice & Fivepoint Arena in Irvine, California.[14]

His current students include:

  • Chen Yudong China (2023 – present),[15] three-time Chinese national champion (2023–2025)
  • Petr Gumennik Russia (2021 – present),[16] 2023 Russian silver medalist
  • Ilia Malinin United States (2021 – present), two-time World Champion (2024–25), 2023 World bronze medalist, three-time U.S. national champion (2023–25), two-time Grand Prix Final champion (2023–24), 2022 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2022 Junior World Champion
  • Camden Pulkinen United States (May 2022 – present),[17] 2024-2025 U.S. National Bronze medalist
  • Aleksandr Selevko Estonia (2024 – present),[18]
  • Mihhail Selevko Estonia (2024 – present),[19]
  • Eric Sjoberg United States (2013 – present),[20]
  • Matthew Nielsen United States (2019 – present),[21]
  • Andrew Torgashev United States (2020 – present),[22] 2023 U.S. national bronze medalist, 2025 U.S. national silver medalist
  • Sofia Samodelkina Kazakhstan (2024 – present),[23] 2025 Kazakh national champion, 2025 World University Games bronze medalist

His former students include:

Thumb
Arutyunyan with Tatiana Tarasova (center) and Mao Asada (right) at the 2007–08 Grand Prix Final
  • Alexander Abt Russia (early 1990s – 2002)[24] 2003 Russian National Champion, 2002 European silver medalist, 1998 European bronze medalist
  • Mao Asada (summer 2006 – January 2008),[25] 2010 Olympic silver medalist, 2008 World Champion, 2010 World Champion, 2014 World Champion, 4 x Grand Prix Final Champion (2006, 2009, 2013, 2014), 3x Four Continents Champion (2008, 2010, 2013), 6 x Japanese National Champion
  • Mariah Bell United States (August 2016 – October 2022),[26] 2022 U.S. national champion.
  • Michal Březina Czech Republic (June 2016 – March 2022)[27]
  • Jeffrey Buttle Canada (2004 – 2008),[28] 2006 Olympic bronze medalist, 2008 World Champion, 2004-2007 Canadian National Champion
  • Nathan Chen United States (2011 – 2022),[29] 2022 men’s singles Olympic Champion, 2018, 2019 and 2021 World champion, 2022 Olympic team gold medalist, 2018 Olympic team bronze medalist, 2017–2022 U.S. National Champion, 2017–2019 Grand Prix Final champion and 2017 4CC champion
  • Mandy Chiang Chinese Taipei (2018 – 2020)[30]
  • Sasha Cohen United States (2009),[31]
  • Ivan Dinev Bulgaria (2002 – 2003),[32]
  • Stephen Gogolev Canada (June 2019 – 2024), 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final Champion
  • Marin Honda Japan (March 2018 – 2019),[33] 2016 Junior World Champion, 2017 Junior World silver medalist
  • Taichi Honda Japan, (March 2018 – 2021)[33]
  • Alexa Knierim / Brandon Frazier United States (2020 – 2022),[34] 2022 World Champions, 2022 Grand Prix Final silver medalists
  • Alexa Knierim / Chris Knierim (2019 – 2020),[35]
  • Kiira Korpi Finland (August 2013 – 2014),[36]
  • Michelle Kwan United States (2003 – 2006),[4] 5 x World Champion (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003), 1998 Olympic silver medalist, 2002 Olympic bronze medalist, 9 x U.S. National Champion (1996, 1998-2005)
  • Hiu Ching Kwong Hong Kong (2019 – 2020),[37]
  • Alexandra Ievleva Russia (1996 – 2000) (2008 – 2010),[38]
  • Vivian Le (June 2016 – December 2017),[39]
  • Lim Eun-soo South Korea (April 2018 – September 2019),[40]
  • Amy Lin Chinese Taipei (2017 – 2018),[41]
  • Hannah Miller United States (June 2015 – August 2016),[42][43]
  • Hovhannes Mkrtchyan Armenia (unknown – 2011),[44]
  • Andrea Montesinos Cantú Mexico (2017 – 2023),[45]
  • Romain Ponsart France (August 2016 – March 2022),[26]
  • Adam Rippon United States (September 2012 – March 2018),[46] 2016 U.S. national champion. 2018 Winter Olympics U.S. Team bronze medalist
  • Audrey Shin United States (2016 – 2018),[47]
  • Alexander Shubin Russia (unknown – 2001),[48]
  • Sergei Voronov Russia (unknown – 2000),[7]
  • Ashley Wagner United States (June 2013 – March 2018),[49] 2016 World silver medalist, 2014 Winter Olympics U.S. Team bronze medalist, and three-time U.S. national champion
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References

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