Ilia Tkachenko

---

title: "Ilia Tkachenko" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1986-births", "russian-male-ice-dancers", "living-people", "figure-skaters-from-perm,-russia", "world-junior-figure-skating-championships-medalists", "russian-emigrants-to-the-united-states", "21st-century-russian-sportsmen"] description: "Russian ice dancer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilia_Tkachenko" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Russian ice dancer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox figure skater"]

Field	Value
name	Ilia Tkachenko
image	2017 World Figure Skating Championships Isabella Tobias Ilia Tkachenko jsfb dave5158.jpg
caption	Tobias and Tkachenko in 2017
native_name	Илья Алексеевич Ткаченко
native_name_lang	ru
fullname	Ilia Alexeyevich Tkachenko
country
birth_date
birth_place	Perm, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
hometown	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
height
partner	Isabella Tobias
coach	Marina Zueva, Johnny Johns, Massimo Scali, Oleg Epstein
skating club	Ice Holon Israel
beganskating	1991
show-medals	yes
medaltemplates
::

|name= Ilia Tkachenko |image= 2017 World Figure Skating Championships Isabella Tobias Ilia Tkachenko jsfb dave5158.jpg |caption= Tobias and Tkachenko in 2017 |native_name= Илья Алексеевич Ткаченко |native_name_lang= ru |fullname= Ilia Alexeyevich Tkachenko |country= |birth_date= |birth_place= Perm, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |hometown= Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |height= |partner= Isabella Tobias |coach= Marina Zueva, Johnny Johns, Massimo Scali, Oleg Epstein |skating club= Ice Holon Israel |beganskating= 1991 |retired= |show-medals= yes | medaltemplates=

(with Riazanova)

(with Monko)

(with Gorshkova)

Ilia Alexeyevich Tkachenko (, born 26 December 1986) is a Russian former competitive ice dancer. Skating for Russia with Ekaterina Riazanova, he became the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard silver medalist, the 2012 Skate Canada International bronze medalist, and a three-time Russian national medalist. Competing with Isabella Tobias for Israel, he won four medals on the ISU Challenger Series.

Personal life

Tkachenko was born on 26 December 1986 in Perm, Russian SFSR, the elder of two boys. He studied municipal administration. He married his wife, Ksenia, who is also from Perm, on 15 June 2012.

After deciding to compete for Israel, Tkachenko applied for Israeli citizenship. In November 2017, news media reported that his application had been unsuccessful.

Career

Early career

Tkachenko began skating at the age of four in Perm. Initially, he was a single skater, training in Andrei Kislukhin's group, but when it dissolved he took up ice dancing. He moved with his grandmother to Moscow at age 13.

Tkachenko competed with Anastasia Gorshkova from 2002 to 2006, coached by her father, Alexei Gorshkov. They won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Junior Championships and four medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series — two gold, one silver, one bronze. They finished 7th at the 2006 World Junior Championships. Gorshkova retired from competition in July 2006 due to a hip injury.

2006–2007 season: Debut of Monko/Tkachenko

Around late August 2006, Tkachenko began training with Maria Monko in Odintsovo under Gorshkov. They won the silver medal at the 2007 Russian Junior Championships and placed fifth at the 2007 World Junior Championships.

2007–2008 season

Monko/Tkachenko won a pair of medals on the Junior Grand Prix series and qualified for the JGP Final where they took gold. They finished fourth at the 2008 World Junior Championships after Monko fell on twizzles in both the original and free dance.

2008–2009 season

Monko/Tkachenko received two senior Grand Prix assignments, 2008 Skate America and 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard, and prepared new programs. They withdrew, however, from both events.

After their partnership ended, Tkachenko briefly skated with Isabella Tobias in 2008. Tobias and Tkachenko did not compete together. In spring 2009, Tkachenko expressed interest in skating with Ekaterina Riazanova. After a tryout, they both felt it would be a good partnership, despite her needing time to adapt to his different technique and some disapproval from the Russian skating federation. They decided to be coached by Gorshkov at Odintsovo FSC, near Moscow.

2009–2010 season: Debut of Riazanova/Tkachenko

Riazanova/Tkachenko began competing together during the 2009–2010 season. They finished fourth at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, sixth at their sole Grand Prix event, the 2009 Cup of Russia, and fourth at the Russian Nationals.

2010–2011 season

Riazanova/Tkachenko decided to scrap the free dance they had planned for the 2010–2011 season and prepare a new one. They placed fifth at their first Grand Prix event of the season, the 2010 Skate America, and then won silver at the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. At the 2011 Russian Nationals, they won the silver medal and their first berth to the European Championships. At the 2011 Europeans, Riazanova/Tkachenko placed fifth in the short dance, sixth in the free dance, and sixth overall. Russia had only two spots to the World Championships and since both Bobrova/Soloviev and Ilinykh/Katsalapov had placed ahead of them at Europeans, they did not make the team, however, they continued training as first alternates and also worked on new programs until the end of May; after vacation, they resumed training for the new season on 20 June, including a three-week camp in Bulgaria.

2011–2012 season

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/2011_Rostelecom_Cup_-_Riazanova&Tkachenko.jpg" caption="Riazanova and Tkachenko with coach [[Alexei Gorshkov]] (right) and choreographer Sergei Petukhov (left)"] ::

For the 2011–2012 season, Riazanova/Tkachenko were assigned to 2011 Skate Canada and 2011 Cup of Russia as their Grand Prix events. On their free dance, which was choreographed by Sergei Petukhov, Riazanova said, "A young woman remembers her beloved, who is no longer alive. She is so deeply immersed in the memories of happy times that her dreams seem to become reality for a short while." They had to withdraw from 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy because Tkachenko's new passport was not ready. On 13 December 2011 Riazanova sustained a concussion and a broken nose when Tkachenko accidentally elbowed her in practice; she was released from hospital at her own risk on 20 December At the Russian Championships which began on December 25, Riazanova/Tkachenko won the bronze medal after placing third in the short dance and fourth in the free dance. They finished 5th overall at the 2012 European Championships but received a small bronze medal for their 3rd place in the short dance. They finished 9th at the 2012 World Championships.

2012–2013 season

In April 2012, Tkachenko said that they would spend some time preparing for the following season in Marina Zueva and Igor Shpilband's group in the United States, however, the coaches parted ways so the skaters decided to train with Shpilband in Novi, Michigan. At a camp in Bulgaria, Tkachenko lost his balance while practicing a lift on the floor in skates and stepped on Riazanova's hand; she had surgery on her hand and recovered well. At the suggestion of Tatiana Tarasova, they decided to scrap a new free dance to Pink Floyd's Hey You and made a new one to a waltz from the Godfather films. Riazanova/Tkachenko won bronze medals at the 2012 Skate Canada and 2012 Trophée Eric Bompard. They repeated as bronze medalists at the 2013 Russian Championships.

2013–2014 season

Riazanova/Tkachenko finished fourth at their two Grand Prix events, the 2013 Skate Canada International and the 2013 Rostelecom Cup. They then finished fourth at the 2014 Russian Championships behind Victoria Sinitsina / Ruslan Zhiganshin. In April 2014, Tkachenko left the partnership.

2014–2015 season

Tkachenko and Isabella Tobias teamed up in the summer of 2014 to represent Israel. They had skated together for six months in 2008. On their decision regarding which country to represent, Tobias stated: "The U.S. would have granted him citizenship one year too late at best; Russia wanted me to give away my American passport, which I would never do; and the experts we consulted assured (us) that Lithuania would never grant him citizenship (I barely got mine). So we chose Israel, as I am of Jewish origin, and Ilia has also some Jewish roots via his family, which makes it easier." The two sat out the 2014–2015 season in order to become eligible to compete for the following season.

2015–2016 season: Debut of Tobias/Tkachenko

Tobias/Tkachenko began the season on the Challenger Series (CS), winning silver medals at the Finlandia Trophy and Mordovian Ornament. They placed 10th at the 2016 European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, and 12th at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, United States. They were coached by Igor Shpilband and Adrienne Lenda in Novi, Michigan.

2016–2017 season

Tobias/Tkachenko ranked 4th at the 2016 CS Autumn Classic International in Canada before making their Grand Prix debut as a team. After placing 6th at the 2016 Skate America and 5th at the 2016 Trophée de France, they won silver behind Elena Ilinykh / Ruslan Zhiganshin at the 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy.

The two placed 12th at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Due to their result, Israel qualified a spot in the ice dancing event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. They were coached by Shpilband and Lenda in Novi, Michigan.

On 12 April 2017, Tobias/Tkachenko announced a coaching change, having decided to join Marina Zoueva, Oleg Epstein, Massimo Scali, and Johnny Johns at the Arctic Edge in Canton, Michigan.

2017–2018 season

Tobias/Tkachenko withdrew from both of their Grand Prix assignments – the 2017 NHK Trophy and 2017 Skate America. Due to Tkachenko's unsuccessful application for Israeli citizenship, they were not included in Israel's team to the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Post-competitive career

In January 2019, Tkachenko moved to Estero, Florida, to coach at the Hertz Arena's International Skating Academy.

Programs

With Tobias

::data[format=table] | Season | Short dance | Free dance | Exhibition | 2017–2018 | 2016–2017 | 2015–2016 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

With Riazanova

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Ice_Dancing_2010_Trophée_Eric_Bompard.jpg" caption="Riazanova and Tkachenko at the [[2010 Trophee Eric Bompard]]"] ::

::data[format=table] | Season | Short dance | Free dance | Exhibition | 2013–2014 | 2012–2013 | 2011–2012 | 2010–2011 | Original dance | 2009–2010 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

With Monko

::data[format=table] | Season | Original dance | Free dance | Exhibition | 2007–2008 | 2006–2007 | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

With Gorshkova

::data[format=table] | Season | Original dance | Free dance | 2005–2006 | 2004–2005 | |---|---|---|---|---| | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Tobias for Israel

::data[format=table]

International	Event	2015–16	2016–17	2017–18
World Champ.	12th	12th
European Champ.	10th	4th
GP NHK Trophy			WD
GP Skate America		6th	WD
GP Trophée de France		5th
CS Autumn Classic		4th
CS Finlandia Trophy	2nd
CS Mordovian Ornament	2nd
CS Tallinn Trophy	1st	2nd
Lake Placid IDI	1st
::

With Riazanova

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Ekaterina_Riazanova_Ilia_Tkachenko_2009_Rostelecom_Cup.JPG" caption="Riazanova and Tkachenko at [[2009 Cup of Russia]]"] ::

::data[format=table]

International	Event	09–10	10–11	11–12	12–13	13–14	National
World Champ.			9th	11th
European Champ.		6th	5th	4th	5th
GP Bompard		2nd		3rd
GP Rostelecom Cup	6th		4th		4th
GP Skate America		5th
GP Skate Canada			5th	3rd	4th
Golden Spin	2nd			1st
Nebelhorn Trophy	4th	3rd
Russian Champ.	4th	2nd	3rd	3rd	4th
::

With Monko

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Maria_Monko_Ilia_Tkachenko_2007-2008_JGPF.jpg" caption="2007–08 JGP Final]]"] ::

::data[format=table]

International	Event	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	International: Junior	National
GP Skate America			WD
GP Trophée Bompard			WD
World Junior Champ.	5th	4th
JGP Final		1st
JGP Austria		2nd
JGP United Kingdom		1st
Russian Junior Champ.	2nd	2nd
::

With Gorshkova

::data[format=table]

International: Junior	Event	2004–05	2005–06	National
World Junior Champ.	3rd	7th
JGP Final	5th	5th
JGP Estonia		1st
JGP Poland		1st
JGP Serbia	2nd
JGP United States	3rd
Russian Junior Champ.	2nd	2nd
::

References

References

1. "Anastasia GORSHKOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO". International Skating Union.
2. "Anastasia GORSHKOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2004/2005". International Skating Union.
3. "Anastasia GORSHKOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2005/2006". International Skating Union.
4. "Competition Results: Maria MONKO / Ilia TKACHENKO". International Skating Union.
5. "Maria MONKO / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2006/2007". International Skating Union.
6. "Maria MONKO / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2007/2008". International Skating Union.
7. "Competition Results: Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO". International Skating Union.
8. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2009/2010". International Skating Union.
9. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2010/2011". International Skating Union.
10. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2011/2012". International Skating Union.
11. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2012/2013". International Skating Union.
12. "Ekaterina RIAZANOVA / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2013/2014". International Skating Union.
13. "Competition Results: Isabella TOBIAS / Ilia TKACHENKO". International Skating Union.
14. "Isabella TOBIAS / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2015/2016". International Skating Union.
15. "Isabella TOBIAS / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2016/2017". International Skating Union.
16. "Isabella TOBIAS / Ilia TKACHENKO: 2017/2018". International Skating Union.
17. "Илья Алексеевич Ткаченко".
18. Flade, Tatjana. (20 July 2008). "Monko and Tkachenko look for a strong senior debut". GoldenSkate.com.
19. link. Olga. Yermolina. [[Vremya Novostei]]. (13 November 2008)
20. Flade, Tatjana. (24 July 2011). "Riazanova and Tkachenko get into starting position for Sochi". GoldenSkate.
21. Kondakova, Anna. (28 December 2010). "Bobrova and Soloviev win first Russian National title". GoldenSkate.com.
22. Flade, Tatjana. (29 January 2011). "Pechalat and Bourzat dance to first European title". GoldenSkate.com.
23. link. Ermolina. Olga. [[Moskovskiye Novosti]]. (26 August 2011)
24. link. Ekaterina. Kulinicheva. [[Sport Express]]. (9 September 2011)
25. Flade, Tatjana. (16 September 2011). "Russian Skaters Preview New Programs". IFS Magazine.
26. Kondakova, Anna. (25 December 2011). "Bobrova and Soloviev skate last to finish first". Golden Skate.
27. Kondakova, Anna. (26 December 2011). "Bobrova and Soloviev defend national title". Golden Skate.
28. Flade, Tatjana. (28 December 2011). "Plushenko Captures Ninth Title: A Recap of Russian Nationals". IFS Magazine.
29. link. Andrei. Simonenko. rsport.ru. (24 April 2012)
30. link. Ekaterina. Kulinicheva. [[Sport Express]]. (22 August 2012)
31. Luchianov, Vladislav. (14 November 2012). "Shpilband opens new horizons for Russian duo". [[U.S. Figure Skating.
32. link. team-russia2014.ru. (12 September 2012)
33. link. Inna. Kuznetsova. team-russia2014.ru. (27 April 2014)
34. (March 14, 2015). "Programs". Facebook of Isabella Tobias & Ilya Tkachenko.
35. Flade, Tatjana. (26 October 2015). "Tobias and Tkachenko seize second chance". Golden Skate.
36. Yofis, Andrey. (15 January 2017). "Isabella Tobias and Ilia Tkachenko: "We always push ourselves"". Absolute Skating.
37. Berlot, Jean-Christophe. (January 29, 2016). "Bratislava Rolls: Tobias explains Israeli connections". [[IceNetwork.com]].
38. (April 12, 2017). "We would like to announce that our new coaching team is Marina Zoueva, Oleg Epstein, Massimo Scali and Johnny Johns.". Facebook.
39. Sinai, Allon. (November 22, 2017). "Israeli athletes set to don gloves for Winter Olympics". [[The Jerusalem Post]].
40. McKinnis, Mimi. (15 January 2019). "Marina Zoueva Relocates International Skating Academy". [[U.S. Figure Skating]].

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