Michael Shmerkin
Encyclopedia
Michael "Misha" Shmerkin (born February 5, 1970, in Odessa
, Soviet Union
(now Ukraine
)) is an Israeli figure skater.
and competed for them internationally, most notably at the 1990 Junior Worlds
.
As he advanced, he discovered that the fact that he is Jewish was being held against him. Consequently, his family moved to Israel in 1991, and Shmerkin began representing it in international competition.
At the 1994 Winter Olympics
, where he placed 16th, Shmerkin became the first skater to represent Israel at the Olympic Games. He placed 18th at the 1998 Winter Olympics
.
In the late 1990s he had Jewish songs provide the music for his dances in the International Skating Union world championship, and had a tallis
and menorah
embroidered on his costume.
He retired from competitive skating following the 2001/2002 season.
Shmerkin currently coaches in New York.
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
)) is an Israeli figure skater.
Biography
Shmerkin was born and raised in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and competed for them internationally, most notably at the 1990 Junior Worlds
World Junior Figure Skating Championships
The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion...
.
As he advanced, he discovered that the fact that he is Jewish was being held against him. Consequently, his family moved to Israel in 1991, and Shmerkin began representing it in international competition.
At the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
, where he placed 16th, Shmerkin became the first skater to represent Israel at the Olympic Games. He placed 18th at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
.
In the late 1990s he had Jewish songs provide the music for his dances in the International Skating Union world championship, and had a tallis
Tallis
-People:* Gorden Tallis, an Australian rugby league player* John Tallis, cartographer* Raymond Tallis, an English geriatrician and intellectual* Thomas Tallis , an English composer-Other:...
and menorah
Menorah
The menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-branched ancient lampstand made of gold and used in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Fresh olive oil of the purest quality was burned daily to light its lamps...
embroidered on his costume.
He retired from competitive skating following the 2001/2002 season.
Shmerkin currently coaches in New York.
Competitive highlights
| Event | 1990–91 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 1994–95 | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999-00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 16th | 18th | |||||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
19th | 14th | 11th | 11th | 15th | 15th | 35th | 33rd | |||
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
14th | 13th | 19th | 20th | 25th | ||||||
| Israeli Championships Israeli Figure Skating Championships The Israeli Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Israel. Winners are given the title National Champion. Over the years, the date of the competition has been moved for regional political reasons or for the lack of ice.... |
1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||||
| Golden Spin, Zagreb | 8th | 5th | |||||||||
| Skate Israel Skate Israel Skate Israel is a senior-level international figure skating competition, held in Metulla, Israel. Skaters compete in four disciplines: ladies and men's singles, pairs and ice dancing... |
1st | 2nd | 8th | 3rd | |||||||
| NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
5th | 10th | |||||||||
| Nations Cup on Ice | 5th | 6th | 8th | ||||||||
| Skate Canada Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's... |
2nd | 2nd | |||||||||
| Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly... |
7th | ||||||||||
| Ondrej Nepela Memorial Ondrej Nepela Memorial The Ondrej Nepela Memorial is an annual senior-level international figure skating competition held in Slovakia. Skaters compete in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies singles, pairs, and ice dancing. In some years, some disciplines have not been held.... |
1st | ||||||||||
| Prize of Moscow News Prize of Moscow News The Prize of Moscow News , also known as the Moscow Skate, Nouvelles de Moscou, and the Moscow News Trophy, was an international, senior-level figure skating competition held in the former Soviet Union from 1966 to 1990... |
2nd |
External links
- Skatabase: 1990s Olympics
- Skatabase: 1990s Europeans
- Skatabase: 1990s Worlds
- Skatabase: 2000–2002 Europeans
- bio
- Jews in Sports bio