[115] He did not begin to train for the season until August 2006; illness also hampered his training. His costume choices and outspokenness caused conflicts with U.S. The reason for her divorce was due to domestic difficulties. Not only is he a two time U.S. Olympian and three-time US national champion, but also a pop-culture icon. Like the previous year, he competed in regional and minor competitions and came in fourth place at the U.S. The normally loquacious NBC commentators Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir barely said a word during the drug-scandalized 15-year-old's performance. [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. [11][12], Weir's father had competed in English saddle events. [4][56] He was ranked fifth-best skater in the world. He also downgraded another triple jump to a double, and failed to complete a three-jump combination and double-jump combination late in his program. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Weir, 21, who grew up on a Pennsylvania farm, showed up at practices for these Olympics wearing a CCCP jacket of the former Soviet Union. [77] The New York Times reported on the costume and music he chose for his short program, "a black-and-white costume that sparkled under the lights, and one red glove symbolizing the beak of a swan". "While I may not be the average, normal person living 9 to 5 and doing my work and going home and having a relationship, I'm normal," he said. "In Russia, just the sheer fact that you could be gay, you can get arrested, fined, and it's a terrible thing to even think of," he said. Figure Skating's Skating Magazine. [35] He felt confident going into the free skate, but hit the rink wall 23 seconds after he started, catching his blade between the ice and wall while doing a "simple crossover". He admitted that his Grand Prix season was "disastrous"[121] and that he had not been skating well going into the 2007 U.S. Nationals in Spokane, Washington. Weir moved up to the junior level during the 19981999 season. Gay Olympic hopefulBlake Skjellerupplans to defy anti-gay Russian laws. Johnny Weir is fluent in Russian, and therefore was able to communicate with Russian figure skaters Kamila Valieva and Alexandra Trusova backstage. During his interview with CBSNews.com, Weir asked if he could deliver a message in Russian directly to the Russian people; "Hello Russia. [37], The only Grand Prix competition U.S. The two-time Olympic figure skater and current NBC analyst loves everything about the country: its language, its people, its history,. [48] He also won the free skate, even though he did not include a quadruple jump. [13][16], Weir began skating at the age of 12. - , . Weir was born on July 2, 1984, in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, the eldest son of John Weir, a nuclear power plant engineer, and Patti Weir (ne Moore), a nuclear power plant worker and home inspector. He worked with choreographers Faye Kitariev and Viktor Petukhov to compose a Russian rock opera based upon Svetlana Pikous' song, "Yunona I Avos. [65][66][4] With his two Grand Prix wins, Weir became the top qualifier for the Grand Prix final but had to withdraw because of a foot injury. [42][46][48][49][50] Weir also stated, about his performance: "It was a cool feeling to be written off and then come back to show them what I am made ofI hope I shut up everyone who counted me out". Skating last, his program was "elegant yet loaded with solid jumps",[48] including eight triple jumps and two combination jumps: a triple Axel-triple toe and his triple Lutz-triple toe. Weir first became interested in figure skating when he was 11-years-old, after seeing Russian phenom Oksana Baiul take gold in the 1994 Olympics. [104][106] He came in seventh place overall; Lambiel won the gold medal, Brian Joubert came in second, and teammate Lysacek, despite a hard fall during the warm-up, won the bronze medal. Although Weir was hesitant at first, he agreed to introduce the progam during the 2006 Olympic season. He said he has made peace with the possibility of being arrested. NBC commentator Johnny Weir called it . He has come out as openly gay. [136] He also changed his choreographer and training routine, and moved out of his family home in Newark, Delaware to an apartment in New Jersey in order to train with Zmievskaya. Johnny Depp is a very talented actor who knows how to speak more than one language. Figure Skating . Johnny Weir held a press conference Wednesday in Vancouver to address remarks made by two veteran sports commentators during the Olympics suggesting that his fabulousness (our word) is a bad . He had received "very serious threats"[192] from anti-fur activists for wearing fox fur trim on the left shoulder of his free skate costume during U.S. Nationals. Weir,. [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. February 15, 2022, 11:35 AM NBC figure skating commentators Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, both former Olympians in the sport, did not shy away from the controversy surrounding Kamila Valieva. [200] The Christian Science Monitor reported that the audience was confused over Weir's scores in the free skate and disagreed with them. [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. On top of his ability to speak English, he can also speak French. ', "Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski are Bringing 7 Suitcases to the Kentucky Derby", "Here's What Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir Wore to Kentucky Derby 2018", "Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir Join NBC's Super Bowl Team", "Johnny Weir is a Eurovision Superfan and It's Paying Off", "Inside Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir's Rise From Olympic Figure Skaters to Beloved Commentators", "MTV 'Cribs' Featuring Greenville Home of Olympic Figure Skater Johnny Weir Airs Wednesday Night", "Johnny Weir Tells Us What He Wants in a Dream Home, and It's So Not What We Expected", "Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski & Tanith Belbin to Join NBC Olympics in Sochi", "Johnny Weir on Rachel Zoe and Reality TV, His Music, Memoir and Yesterday's All That Skate Show", "Chicago Cubs Celebrate Induction into Inaugural Class of National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame Tonight", "Johnny Weir, Sandy Schwomeyer Lamb, Gale Tanger make U.S. [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. Skating last, he put a hand down on his opening triple Axel, popped his second triple Axel, and fell out of his triple salchow. The drama surrounding Kamila Valieva exposes a sport that has lost its way. He was not able to complete two doubles at the end of his combination jumps, despite accomplishing three previous triples. [210] In January 2012, Weir married his partner Victor Voronov, a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and whose family was from Russia, in a civil ceremony in New York City, five months after the state legalized same-sex marriages. "It doesn't matter if you are gay or straight. [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. Weir popped both his Lutz and loop jumps, but successfully performed his triple Axel-triple toe loop combination and four other triple jumps. [167][168][165] It was Weir's lowest result in the short program as a senior skater at a Nationals in his career. [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. [204][215] He came in sixth place in the free skate, earning 132.39 points; he earned 201.42 points overall. [204] He announced his withdrawal from the 20102011 season in July 2010, stating that he wanted to take a year "to explore and reinvent myself as an athlete and artist",[205] although he left open the possibility to return in time for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. [123], At Worlds, Weir came in eighth place, his worst finish at Worlds in four years. All of these things, but they can't really be applied to a. [87][88][25] In December, Weir competed in the made-for-TV skating competition Marshalls U.S. He had a natural talent for jumping. [173] Its promotional commercial aired during the U.S. Nationals; Weir later expressed his opinion that U.S. [78] He debuted the program, choreographed by Tarasova, Shanetta Folle, and Evgeni Platov, during a practice session at Skate Canada. 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. In the free skate, Weir skated immediately after Lysacek, whose performance made the crowd leap to their feet. The two excoriated the Russian officials around her while offering a glimmer of sympathy for the 15-year-old, whose numerous mistakes dropped her from . Weir's anger is completely understandable. And if I'm illegal, you should be illegal as well.". Priscilla Hill was his first coach. [217], Weir's two Grand Prix slots were the Rostelecom Cup and Trophe Bompard in Paris. [111] He began working with ice dancer Marina Anissina, who choreographed both his short program and free skate. [144] He opened his program with a strong triple Axel-triple toe loop combination and underrotated his triple Axel, but successfully completed five more clean triple jumps. The audience and commentators praised their performance, and the following week, a YouTube clip of their performance got over 100,000 views. A troubled personal relationship also affected his performances. U.S. Violence against gay Russians has been a longstanding issue, with at leasttwo murders seemingly motivated by anti-gay sentiment taking place this year. Johnny Weir is also a successful professional skater. [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. [82] His performance and swan costume were parodied in the 2007 comedy Blades of Glory, starring Jon Heder and Will Ferrell. The following season (20002001), Weir competed as a senior for the first time, coming in sixth place at the U.S. Nationals. Johnny Weir has used dating apps. [240] He also appeared as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2020. They noted a jumping pass and stayed mum . The team calling the competition - Lipinski, Johnny Weir and Terry Gannon - have prepared for this. He also received 5.8s and 5.9s in his technical score. [105] Weir had been troubled with back pain all week, which was aggravated during the warm-up for the free skate. [174], After the previous season, Weir became depressed and was ready to quit figure skating before the 20092010 season, but his mother talked him into continuing to compete and try to make the U.S. team for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. August 9, 2013 / 3:30 PM Be Good Johnny Weir continued where Pop Star on Ice ended, following Weir as he attempted to earn a place on the 2010 U.S. Olympic team. 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