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Alisa Agafonova

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Alisa Alexandrovna Agafonova (married name: Besseghier, Ukrainian: Аліса Олександрівна Агафо́нова, born 15 January 1991) is a former competitive ice dancer. She is best known for her partnership with Alper Uçar. Representing Turkey, they competed at two Winter Olympics (2014 and 2018) and won eight international medals, including silver at the 2011 Winter Universiade and three medals on the ISU Challenger Series. They skated in the final segment at six European Championships and four World Championships.

Alisa Agafonova
Alisa Agafonova and Alper Uçar in 2018
Full nameAlisa Alexandrovna Agafonova
Native nameАліса Олександрівна Агафо́нова
Other namesAlisa Besseghier
Born (1991-01-15) 15 January 1991 (age 33)
Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR,
Soviet Union
HometownDetroit, Michigan,
United States
Height1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Figure skating career
Country Turkey
Began skating1997
Retired25 March 2018[1]

Competing with Dmitri Dun for Ukraine, Agafonova won five medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and placed as high as 7th at the World Junior Championships (2008).

Personal life

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Agafonova was born on 15 January 1991 in Kharkiv, Ukraine.[2] She studied business management at Kharkiv National University.[3]

On 14 February 2020, Agafonova married French figure skater Chafik Besseghier.[4]

Career

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Early years

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Agafonova began learning to skate in 1997.[2] Her first coach was Valeriy Barats.[5]

Agafanova teamed up with Dmitri Dun in 2001.[6] They represented Ukraine and competed on the novice level before making their ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut in September 2004, in Harbin, China. At the time, they were coached by Halyna Churylova and Svetlana Chernikova in Kharkiv.[7]

In 2006, Agafonova/Dun won their first JGP medal, silver, in Taipei. Svetlana Chernikova and Marina Zoueva were listed as their coaches in the 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 seasons.[8][9] In 2007–2008, they placed 4th at one JGP event, took silver at another, and finished 6th at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They placed 7th at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

In 2008–2009, Agafonova/Dun were coached by Chernikova, Zoueva, and Alexander Gorshkov.[10] After winning gold and silver on the JGP series, they qualified to the JGP Final, where they finished 7th. Having won the Ukrainian national junior title, they were sent to the 2009 World Junior Championships and finished 13th in Sofia.

Coached by Gorshkov and Chernikova in Moscow, Agafonova/Dun won bronze at the 2009 JGP event in Minsk.[6] After placing fourth at the JGP in Istanbul, in October 2009, they decided to end their partnership.[5]

First three seasons with Uçar

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In 2010, Agafonova teamed up with Alper Uçar to compete for Turkey. They won a silver medal at the 2011 Winter Universiade, skating in their first season together.

Agafonova/Uçar placed 26th at the 2012 European Championships in Sheffield, England, and 31st at the 2012 World Championships in Nice, France.

Agafonova/Uçar were originally coached by Natalia Dubova and Oleg Voyko in Stamford, Connecticut.[11] They changed coaches in December 2012, deciding to join Alexander Zhulin and Oleg Volkov in Moscow, Russia.[12][13] They placed 13th at the 2013 European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, and 28th at the 2013 World Championships in London, Ontario, Canada.

2013–2014 season

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Agafonova/Uçar began their season at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy, the final Olympic qualifying opportunity. By finishing 5th, they earned a spot for Turkey in the ice dancing event at the Olympics. They then won a silver medal at the 2013 NRW Trophy.

Agafonova/Uçar finished 17th at the 2014 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary. In February, the two competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia; their short dance placement, 22nd, was insufficient to advance to the next segment. They qualified to the free dance and finished 20th overall at the 2014 World Championships, which took place in March in Saitama, Japan.

2014–2015 season

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In December, Agafonova/Uçar won silver at the Santa Claus Cup in Hungary. In January, they took silver at the Toruń Cup in Poland and placed 12th at the 2015 European Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. In March, they achieved their career-best world placement, 16th, at the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai, China.

2015–2016 season

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Making their Grand Prix debut, Agafonova/Uçar placed 7th at the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard in November. In December 2015, the two moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan to work with Anjelika Krylova and Pasquale Camerlengo due to visa problems which were exacerbated following the 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown.[14]

They finished 12th at the 2016 European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, and 21st at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, United States.

2016–2017 season

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Agafonova/Uçar received two Grand Prix assignments; they placed 9th at the 2016 Skate America and 8th at the 2016 Rostelecom Cup. They ranked 11th at the 2017 European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.[15] It was the best continental result of their career.

The two finished 17th at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Due to their result, Turkey qualified a spot in the ice dancing event at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

2017–2018 season

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Agafonova/Uçar at the 2018 European Championships in Moscow

Agafonova/Uçar competed at two Grand Prix events and then won silver at the 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy. In January, they finished 13th at the 2018 European Championships in Moscow, Russia. In February, the two competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics and qualified to the final segment. They ranked 20th in the short dance, 18th in the free dance, and 19th overall in Pyeongchang, South Korea. They had the same result at the 2018 World Championships in Milan, Italy. They announced their retirement from competitive skating on March 25, 2018.[16][1]

Programs

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With Uçar

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Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2017–2018
[2][3]
  • Samba: Cuba
    by DJ Rebel ft. Gibson Brothers
  • Rhumba: How Deep Is Your Love
    (DJ Maksy Remix)
    by Sophia Guem
  • Samba: Cuba
    by DJ Rebel ft. Gibson Brothers
2016–2017
[17]
2015–2016
[18]
  • Preserved Figs
    ("Incir Receli")
    by Engin Bayrak
2014–2015
[19]
  • Flamenco: Babaylon
    by Gaudi
  • Paso Doble: Fuegos
    by Puro Latino
  • Flamenco: Bailando bajo la luna
    by Chiquita Herrada
2013–2014
[20]
  • Quickstep: Stepping Out With My Baby
    by Frank Devol
  • Foxtrot
  • Quickstep
  • Black and Blue
    by Dave Brubeck
  • I Feel Good
    by James Brown
2012–2013
[12][13]
  • Fairytale
    by Alexander Rybak
  • Muhteşem Yüzyil
    (Magnificent Century)
    by Fahir Atakoglu
2011–2012
[11]
  • La vida es un carnaval
  • Historia de un amor
  • Baila baila conmigo
  • Summertime
    performed by Victoria Pierre-Marie
  • Istanbul Pas Constantinople
    by Ayhan Sicimoglu
2011–2012

With Dun

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Season Original dance Free dance
2009–2010
[6]
  • Gandzya
    (Ukrainian folk dance)
2008–2009
[10]
2007–2008
[9]
  • Verkhovyno
    (Ukrainian folk dance)
2006–2007
[8]
2004–2005
[7]
  • Black Bottom
  • Torero
  • Fish and Chips
  • Spring Tango
    by Astor Piazzolla
    arranged by P. Nicholson

Competitive highlights

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

With Uçar for Turkey

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International[21]
Event 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18
Olympics 22nd 19th
Worlds 31st 28th 20th 16th 21st 17th 19th
Europeans 26th 13th 17th 12th 12th 11th 13th
GP France 7th
GP Rostelecom 8th 9th
GP Skate America 9th
GP Skate Canada 10th
CS DS Cup 1st
CS Golden Spin 3rd 7th
CS Mordovian 4th
CS Nebelhorn 6th
CS Tallinn Trophy 4th 2nd
CS U.S. Classic 7th
CS Warsaw Cup 6th
Universiade 2nd
Bavarian Open 6th
Crystal Skate 5th
Cup of Nice 8th
Golden Spin 9th
Ice Challenge 6th 12th 6th
Istanbul Cup 4th
Mont Blanc Trophy 5th
Nebelhorn Trophy 11th 5th
NRW Trophy 7th 9th 9th 2nd 1st
Santa Claus Cup 2nd
Toruń Cup 4th 2nd
Warsaw Cup 5th

With Dun for Ukraine

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Agafonova and Dun in 2008
International[22]
Event 04–05 05–06 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10
Junior Worlds 7th 13th
JGP Final 6th 7th
JGP Belarus 1st 3rd
JGP China 7th
JGP Estonia 2nd
JGP France 4th
JGP Germany 10th 4th
JGP Poland 10th
JGP Taiwan 2nd
JGP Turkey 4th
JGP U.K. 2nd
Pavel Roman 2nd J
National[22]
Ukrainian Champ. 6th J 1st J

References

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  1. ^ a b Agafonova, Alisa; Ucar, Alper (25 March 2018). "This was an emotional 8 years of our career. We say good bye to all our fans with our performance of free dance yesterday in Milano World Championship" (Facebook).
  2. ^ a b c "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Athlete Profile - Alisa AGAFONOVA". PyeongChang2018.com. PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018.
  4. ^ Besseghier, Chafik (14 February 2020). "I can officially call you my Wife ❤️💍👰🏽🇲🇻" (Instagram). Archived from the original on 2021-12-25.
  5. ^ a b "Аліса Агафонова: Ніколи не говори ніколи". champion.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 26 November 2009. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010.
  6. ^ a b c "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Dmitri DUN: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Dmitri DUN: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 4 April 2005.
  8. ^ a b "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Dmitri DUN: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007.
  9. ^ a b "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Dmitri DUN: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008.
  10. ^ a b "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Dmitri DUN: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009.
  11. ^ a b "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013.
  13. ^ a b Bőd, Titanilla (27 February 2013). "Alisa Agafonova and Alper Ucar – a fairytale on the ice". Absolute Skating.
  14. ^ Luchianov, Vladislav (24 May 2016). "Agafonova, Uçar show resolve in trying season". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018.
  15. ^ Bőd, Titanilla (21 March 2017). "Alisa Agafonova and Alper Ucar: "We always managed to overcome obstacles"". Absolute Skating.
  16. ^ Calder, Anne (30 March 2018). "Agafonova & Uçar: The Final Dance". ice-dance.com.
  17. ^ "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017.
  18. ^ "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016.
  19. ^ "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015.
  20. ^ "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014.
  21. ^ "Competition Results: Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018.
  22. ^ a b "Competition Results: Alisa AGAFONOVA / Dmitri DUN". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013.
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