Finnish figure skater (born 1988)
Kiira Korpi
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Kiira_KORPI_Nebelhorn_Trophy_2009_Podium-2.jpg) Korpi in 2009
|
Full name
| Kiira Linda Katriina Korpi
|
---|
Born
| (
1988-09-26
)
26 September 1988
(age 35)
Tampere
, Finland
|
---|
Height
| 1.69 m (5 ft 6½ in)
[1]
|
---|
|
Country
| Finland
|
---|
Coach
| Carlos Avila de Borba,
Rafael Arutyunyan
, Vera Arutyunyan,
Nadia Kanaeva
, Maaret Siromaa, Susanna Haarala
|
---|
Skating club
| Tappara FSC
|
---|
Began skating
| 1993
|
---|
Retired
| 27 August 2015
|
---|
|
Kiira Linda Katriina Korpi
(
Finnish pronunciation:
[?kiːr?
?korpi]
; born 26 September 1988) is a Finnish
figure skater
. She
[a]
is a three-time
European medalist
(bronze in
2007
and
2011
, silver in
2012
), the 2010
Trophee Eric Bompard
champion, the 2012
Rostelecom Cup
champion, a two-time
Cup of China
medalist, and a five-time
Finnish national champion
(2009, 2011?2013, 2015). She retired from competitive skating in August 2015.
Personal life
[
edit
]
Korpi was born in
Tampere
,
Finland
.
[1]
Her father,
Rauno Korpi
, coached the
Finnish women's hockey team
to a bronze medal at the
1998 Winter Olympics
.
[2]
In Finland her nickname is
Jaaprinsessa
(Ice Princess)
[3]
due to her resemblance to
Grace Kelly
, the former
Princess of Monaco
.
In addition to her native
Finnish
, Korpi also speaks
Swedish
,
English
, and
German
.
[2]
She has practiced
pilates
and
Ashtanga yoga
.
[2]
[4]
She became engaged to Arthur Borges Seppala in May 2017
[5]
and they were married 3 years, until June 2021. She lived in Milan, Italy, after she retired from competitive skating, and in 2016, she moved to New York City, U.S.
[6]
[7]
On Jun 1, 2023, Korpi came out as a member of the
LGBT community
via Instagram, stating that she could "totally see [herself] falling in love with a person regardless of their gender."
Career
[
edit
]
Early career
[
edit
]
Korpi began skating at the age of five, following her older sister.
[2]
[8]
She landed her first triple jump, a
salchow
, when she was 11 or 12.
[2]
In 2003, Korpi finished 19th in her first appearance at the
World Junior Championships
. The following season, making her
ISU Junior Grand Prix
(JGP) debut, she placed 6th in Slovenia and took the bronze medal in Poland. She ranked 16th at the
2004 World Junior Championships
.
2004?2005 season
[
edit
]
Returning to the JGP series, Korpi placed 6th in Hungary before winning gold in Germany. She received a host wildcard spot at the JGP Final, where she finished fourth. She was awarded the silver medal at the
2005 Finnish Championships
and was assigned to the
2005 European Championships
, where she placed 13th. She then competed at the
2005 World Junior Championships
, where she came in tenth, her best finish at the event.
2005?2006 season
[
edit
]
Competing in the JGP series, Korpi placed 7th in Slovakia and won the bronze medal in Estonia. After taking the bronze medal at the
2006 Finnish Championships
, she was assigned to the
2006 European Championships
, which the Finnish skating federation had decided to use to determine the Olympic team. Korpi's European result, 6th, allowed her to compete at the
2006 Winter Olympics
in
Turin
, where she finished 16th.
2006?2007 season
[
edit
]
Korpi at the 2009 Europeans
In the 2006?07 season, Korpi made her senior Grand Prix debut. She placed 4th at the
2007 Finnish Nationals
, then went to the
2007 European Championships
and won the bronze medal, making her the second Finnish ladies' singles skater to ever win a European medal. She finished 14th at
Worlds
.
2007?2008 season
[
edit
]
Early in the 2007?08 season, Korpi suffered an esophagus infection, flu, and
sinusitis
, causing her to miss her first Grand Prix event.
[2]
Korpi was 5th at the
2008 European Championships
. At the
2008 Worlds
, she was 4th after the short program but had a poor long program and ended up in ninth place.
2008?2009 season
[
edit
]
Korpi did not participate in the Grand Prix series. Later that season, she became the
Finnish national champion
, a title she had previously won on the junior level. She was again 5th at the
European Championships
and won the bronze medal at the
2009 Winter Universiade
, her final event of the season.
2009?2010 season
[
edit
]
Korpi began her season with podium finishes at the
Nebelhorn Trophy
and the
Finlandia Trophy
, as well as her first senior Grand Prix medal, a silver at the
Cup of China
. She was unable to defend her national title, however, finishing second behind
Laura Lepisto
. At the
European Championships
, she was in second after the short program, but her performance in the long program kept her off the podium.
[9]
Korpi was 11th at the
2010 Winter Olympics
but only 19th a month later at the
World Championships
.
2010?2011 season
[
edit
]
Korpi decided to try new choreographers, and worked on her competitive programs with
Shae-Lynn Bourne
and
David Wilson
. She began the season at the
2010 Nebelhorn Trophy
, which she won for the first time in her career.
[10]
Her assigned Grand Prix events were the
2010 NHK Trophy
and the
2010 Trophee Eric Bompard
. She placed fourth at the NHK Trophy, then won her first Grand Prix title at the Trophee Eric Bompard.
[11]
The combined results left her as the first alternate for the Grand Prix Final. Her next event was Finnish nationals, which she won for the second time in her career. Korpi won the bronze medal at the
2011 European Championships
.
[12]
2011?2012 season
[
edit
]
Korpi with coach Susanna Haarala in 2011
In July 2011, Korpi injured the
metatarsus
in her foot, resulting in her withdrawal from the 2011
Japan Open
and
2011 Finlandia Trophy
.
[13]
[14]
She resumed practicing
toe jumps
in October and said they were going well but she did not feel they were completely ready for the
2011 NHK Trophy
,
[15]
where she finished 6th. She was fifth at the
2011 Cup of Russia
. She successfully defended her national title at the
2012 Finnish Figure Skating Championships
in December.
Korpi won her third medal at the
Europeans
, finishing second behind
Carolina Kostner
despite hurting her upper leg a few weeks before the championships.
[16]
She withdrew from the
2012 World Championships
two weeks prior to the event, citing lingering foot and hip injuries.
[16]
[17]
2012?2013 season
[
edit
]
Korpi and the other medalists at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup
Korpi began her season at the
2012 Finlandia Trophy
, where she won the silver medal. She then won her third Grand Prix medal, a bronze, at the
2012 Cup of China
. At the
2012 Rostelecom Cup
, Korpi won the second GP title of her career and qualified for her first
Grand Prix Final
.
[18]
In doing so, she became the first Finnish figure skater to ever qualify for the final. She finished fourth at the event.
[19]
Korpi's next event was the
2013 Finnish Nationals
, where she took the gold medal. Korpi withdrew from the
2013 European Championships
due to inflammation in her left Achilles tendon.
[20]
[21]
She missed the
2013 World Championships
for the same reason.
2013?2014 season
[
edit
]
On 23 August 2013, Korpi confirmed a coaching change to
Rafael Arutyunyan
in
Lake Arrowhead, California
.
[22]
[23]
She was assigned to two Grand Prix events, the
2013 Skate Canada International
and the
2013 Trophee Eric Bompard
, but had to withdraw from both due to an Achilles tendon injury sustained in September.
[24]
Carlos Avila de Borba became one of her coaches in December 2013.
[25]
After an operation in April 2014 due to
necrosis
, she wore a cast for six weeks and resumed training in late June.
[25]
2014?2015 season
[
edit
]
Korpi made her return to competition at the
2014 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
after a two-year hiatus due to injuries. She finished 4th in the short but moved up in the free skate to win the event. She won her fifth national title in December.
[26]
She competed at the
2015 European Championships
in
Stockholm
,
[27]
placing fourth in the short program. However, Korpi withdrew from the competition before the free skate citing illness.
[28]
She placed 31st at the
2015 World Championships
.
[1]
Later career
[
edit
]
Korpi initially planned to compete in the 2015?2016 season.
[29]
She was assigned to the
2015 Trophee Eric Bompard
,
[30]
but withdrew from the event.
[31]
On 27 August 2015, she announced her retirement from competitive skating at a press conference in Helsinki.
[32]
In a later interview, she stated that she had been struggling with anxiety.
[33]
She also said, "Every time I started training, I got injured. I was mentally very empty. I took time for myself to think about what I need to do. I knew that I cannot continue competing."
[34]
Korpi has continued to perform in ice shows. She signed up to appear as an athlete ambassador and work for Finnish TV at the
2017 World Championships
in Helsinki.
[34]
Programs
[
edit
]
Korpi at the 2012 Grand Prix Final
Korpi at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup
Korpi at the 2010 NHK Trophy
Competitive highlights
[
edit
]
Korpi and her fellow medalists at the 2012 Europeans
The ladies' podium at the 2004 Junior Grand Prix in Germany
GP:
Grand Prix
; CS:
Challenger Series
; JGP:
Junior Grand Prix
Detailed results
[
edit
]
2014?15 season
|
Date
|
Event
|
SP
|
FS
|
Total
|
March 23?29, 2015
|
2015 World Championships
|
31
41.11
|
|
|
Jan. 26 ? Feb. 1, 2015
|
2015 European Championships
|
4
60.60
|
WD
|
WD
|
December 19?21, 2014
|
2015 Finnish Championships
|
1
55.31
|
1
112.69
|
1
168.00
|
December 4?6, 2014
|
2014 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb
|
4
56.22
|
1
111.59
|
1
167.81
|
2012?13 season
|
December 14?16, 2012
|
2013 Finnish Championships
|
1
66.39
|
1
103.66
|
1
170.05
|
December 6?9, 2012
|
2012?13 Grand Prix Final
|
4
63.42
|
5
111.52
|
4
174.94
|
November 8?11, 2012
|
2012 Rostelecom Cup
|
2
61.55
|
1
115.64
|
1
177.19
|
November 2?4, 2012
|
2012 Cup of China
|
4
59.69
|
3
110.17
|
3
169.86
|
October 4?7, 2012
|
2012 Finlandia Trophy
|
1
69.27
|
2
111.89
|
2
181.16
|
2011?12 season
|
January 23?29, 2012
|
2012 European Championships
|
2
61.80
|
4
105.14
|
2
166.94
|
December 16?18, 2011
|
2012 Finnish Championships
|
1
58.70
|
1
112.28
|
1
170.98
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Korpi uses both
she/her
and
they/them
pronouns. This article uses she/her pronouns for consistency.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Kiira KORPI: 2014/2015"
. International Skating Union. Archived from
the original
on 27 July 2015.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Mittan, Barry (3 May 2008).
"A Fine Figure of a Finn"
.
GoldenSkate.com
. Retrieved
6 February
2011
.
- ^
"Archived copy"
.
www.kiirakorpi.net
. Archived from
the original
on 29 October 2017
. Retrieved
6 June
2022
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
- ^
Jangbro, Eva Maria (24 January 2011).
"Kiira Korpi: "I have learned how to handle the pressure better!"
"
.
AbsoluteSkating.com
. Retrieved
6 February
2011
.
- ^
Tahtivaara, Sarianne (8 May 2017).
"Kiira Korpi ja Arthur-rakas: Kihlat!"
.
Iltalehti
(in Finnish).
- ^
Tahtivaara, Sarianne (27 August 2015).
"Kiira Korpi avoliittoon! Muuttaa rakkaansa luo Milanoon"
(in Finnish).
MTV
[
fi
]
. Retrieved
23 February
2021
.
- ^
"Kiira Korven uudet tuulet: rooli teatterissa ja muutto Manhattanille!"
.
Iltalehti
(in Finnish). 27 April 2016
. Retrieved
23 February
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Mittan, Barry (3 April 2005).
"Comely Korpi Captivates Crowds"
.
Skate Today
.
- ^
Kondakova, Anna (23 January 2010).
"Kostner wins third European title"
.
GoldenSkate.com
. Retrieved
6 February
2011
.
- ^
Flade, Tatjana (25 September 2010).
"Korpi skates to victory at Nebelhorn Trophy"
.
GoldenSkate.com
. Retrieved
6 February
2011
.
- ^
"Kozuka and Korpi win Trophee Bompard"
. ESPN.
Associated Press
. 27 November 2010
. Retrieved
6 February
2011
.
- ^
Flade, Tatiana (29 January 2011).
"Sarah Meier captures ladies European title"
.
GoldenSkate.com
. Retrieved
6 February
2011
.
- ^
"Kiira Korpi ei ole viela kisakunnossa"
[Kiira Korpi is not yet in competitive form].
YLE
(in Finnish). 30 September 2011
. Retrieved
30 September
2011
.
- ^
a
b
Paasonen, Elina (15 November 2011).
"Kiira Korpi Finds Her Rhythm"
.
IFS Magazine
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-05-26
. Retrieved
17 November
2011
.
- ^
"Korpi "superinnoissaan" kohti Sapporoa"
[Korpi is looking forward to Sapporo].
YLE
(in Finnish). 8 November 2011
. Retrieved
10 November
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Korpi withdraws from worlds, cites leg problems"
.
Ice Network
. 16 March 2012. Archived from
the original
on 2018-02-18
. Retrieved
2012-03-16
.
- ^
"Kiira Korpi jaa pois MM-kisoista loukkaantumisen vuoksi"
[Kiira Korpi withdraws from World Championships due to injury].
Sportti.com
(in Finnish). Elisa Corporation. 16 March 2012.
- ^
Kondakova, Anna (10 November 2012).
"Gold for Korpi, silver for Gold"
.
Golden Skate
.
- ^
Rutherford, Lynn (8 December 2012).
"Runaway victory gives Asada third GP Final title"
.
IceNetwork
. Archived from
the original
on 2013-01-23
. Retrieved
2012-12-09
.
- ^
"Korpi withdraws from Euros with Achilles injury"
.
IceNetwork.com
. 9 January 2013. Archived from
the original
on 26 June 2018
. Retrieved
10 January
2013
.
- ^
Karttunen, Anu (9 January 2013).
"Korpi luottavaisena: Ei uraa uhkaava vamma"
[Korpi with confidence: Not a career-threatening injury].
Yle
(in Finnish).
- ^
"Korpi to train with Arutunian in Lake Arrowhead"
.
IceNetwork.com
. 23 August 2013. Archived from
the original
on 7 February 2017
. Retrieved
25 August
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"Kiira Korpi hakee olympiakauteen vauhtia Yhdysvalloista"
[Kiira Korpi changes coaches] (Press release) (in Finnish). Finnish Figure Skating Association. 23 August 2013.
Archived
from the original on 16 November 2016.
- ^
"Ando to make competitive return at Nebelhorn: Two-time world champion replaces injured Korpi"
.
IceNetwork.com
. 17 September 2013. Archived from
the original
on 20 September 2013
. Retrieved
10 October
2013
.
- ^
a
b
c
Luchianov, Vladislav (23 July 2014).
"Korpi ready to return following surgery on Achilles"
.
IceNetwork.com
. Archived from
the original
on 2014-07-29
. Retrieved
2014-07-24
.
- ^
Oivo, Mikael (21 December 2014).
"Korpi vann sitt femte FM-guld ? EM vantar"
[Korpi won her fifth Finish Championship gold ? waiting for European Championships].
Yle
(in Swedish).
- ^
"ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2015 - Stockholm (SWE) Preview"
(Press release).
International Skating Union
. 26 January 2015. Archived from
the original
on 28 January 2015.
- ^
"ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2015 Ladies Free Skating"
(PDF)
(Press release).
International Skating Union
. 31 January 2015.
- ^
Korpi, Kiira (8 June 2015).
"Programs"
(Instgram). Archived from
the original
on 2021-12-24.
- ^
"ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2015/16 - Ladies"
(PDF)
.
International Figure Skating
. 15 June 2015. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2 July 2015.
- ^
"ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2015/16 - Ladies"
(PDF)
.
International Figure Skating
. 14 August 2015. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 18 August 2015.
- ^
"Korpi announces retirement from competition"
.
IceNetwork.com
. 27 August 2015. Archived from
the original
on 27 September 2015
. Retrieved
5 September
2015
.
- ^
Mattila, Raisa (June 2016).
"Kiira Korpi: Ahdistus vei ilon urheilusta ja elamasta"
[Kiira Korpi: Anxiety took away joy of sports and life].
Tunne & Mieli
(in Finnish). Mielenterveyden keskusliitto. Archived from
the original
on 13 January 2017
. Retrieved
13 January
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Elfman, Lois (10 November 2016).
"Korpi draws inspiration from artistic side of skating"
.
IceNetwork.com
. Archived from
the original
on 3 July 2018
. Retrieved
16 November
2016
.
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2013/2014"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
Paasonen, Elina (20 August 2012).
"Kiira Korpi Back on Track"
.
IFS Magazine
. Archived from
the original
on 12 May 2013.
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2012/2013"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2011/2012"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2010/2011"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2009/2010"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 16 April 2010.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2008/2009"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 14 July 2009.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2007/2008"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2006/2007"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 May 2007.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2005/2006"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2006.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2004/2005"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 April 2005.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2003/2004"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Kiira KORPI: 2002/2003"
. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 August 2003.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Competition Results: Kiira KORPI"
. International Skating Union.
Archived
from the original on 4 March 2016.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Kiira Korpi
at Wikimedia Commons