Inna Volyanskaya

Inna Volyanskaya
Volyanskaya at the 1980 Blue Swords
Personal information
Native name
Инна Волянская
Born(1965-07-05)5 July 1965
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died29 January 2025(2025-01-29) (aged 59)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Figure skating career
CountrySoviet Union
PartnerValery Spiridonov
CoachTatiana Tarasova
Retired1983

Inna Volyanskaya (Russian: Инна Витальевна Волянская; 5 July 1965 – 29 January 2025) was a Russian pair skater who competed for the Soviet Union. With Valery Spiridonov, she won six international medals, including gold at the 1982 Nebelhorn Trophy.

Career

Volyanskaya/Spiridonov (centre) at the 1980 Blue Swords

Volyanskaya/Spiridonov won silver at the 1980 St. Ivel International,[1] gold at the 1980 Blue Swords,[2] silver at the 1981 Prague Skate,[1] gold at the 1982 Grand Prix International St. Gervais,[3] and gold at the 1982 Nebelhorn Trophy.[4] After retiring from competition, they skated together in ice shows, including Torvill & Dean and the Russian Allstars.[5]

From 2017 until her death in 2025, Volyanskaya worked as a skating coach at the Ashburn Ice House in Ashburn, Virginia, United States.[6][7]

Personal life and death

Volyanskaya was born on 5 July 1965.[5] She was at one-time married to Spiridonov, and was at the time of her death married to Jeremy Wilson.[5] Volyanskaya also had a daughter, Maria, whose godmother was Volyanskaya's former coach, Tatiana Tarasova.[8][9]

On 29 January 2025, Volyanskaya died when the passenger jet she was onboard collided with an U.S. Army helicopter above the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., leaving no survivors. She was 59.[10][11] On March 2, 2025, U.S. Figure Skating held the ice show Legacy on Ice, which paid tribute to Volyanskaya and the other victims that were killed aboard American Eagle Flight 5342.[12] Volyanskaya's former students paid tribute to their coach by skating to "You'll Be in My Heart" by Phil Collins.[13]

Competitive highlights

with Spiridonov
International
Event 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83
Blue Swords1st2nd
Nebelhorn Trophy1st
NHK Trophy4th
Prague Skate2nd
St. Gervais International1st
St. Ivel International2nd
National[14][15]
Soviet Championships3rd6th4th

References

  1. 1 2 "Results Book, Volume 2: 1974–current" (PDF). Skate Canada. pp. 80–83, 123–125. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2009.
  2. ↑ "Blue Swords (Pokal der Blauen Schwerter) – Gold Medalists". Figure Skating Corner. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Results Book, Volume 1: 1896–1973" (PDF). Skate Canada. pp. 22–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2010.
  4. ↑ "Nebelhorn Trophy gold medalists since 1969". Deutsche Eislauf-Union (German Ice Skating Union). Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "Torvill & Dean, Russian Allstars skating into S.L." Deseret News. 12 January 1990. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Figure Skating Coaches". Ashburn Ice House. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018.
  7. ↑ "2016 – 2017 Coach Compliance" (PDF). U.S. Figure Skating. p. 319. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2017.
  8. ↑ "'The world of sports has suffered a great loss' A look back at the lives of the Russian figure skaters killed in the D.C. plane crash". Meduza. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "Inna Volyanskaya, 59, is remembered as a tiny woman with a fierce heart of gold". Instagram. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  10. ↑ Ward, Jasper (30 January 2025). "US Figure Skaters Were on Board Flight That Crashed Into Potomac". reuters.com. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  11. ↑ "Washington DC plane crash: World champion figure skaters and coaches among victims". The Independent. 30 January 2025. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  12. ↑ "Legacy on Ice". U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
  13. ↑ "Legacy on Ice a Powerful Showcase of Community". IceDance.com. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  14. ↑ "Инна Волянская". fskate.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 18 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Волянская Инна". solovieff.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 6 April 2016.
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