Júlia Sebestyén (; born 14 May 1981) is a Hungarian former competitive figure skater. She is the 2004 European Champion and 2002–2010 Hungarian national champion. At the 2004 European Figure Skating Championships, she became the first Hungarian woman to win the European title. She is a four-time Hungarian Olympic team member, and was Hungary's flag-bearer at the 2010 Olympics.
Personal life Júlia Sebestyén was born on 14 May 1981 in Miskolc, Hungary. Her full name in Hungarian is Gór-Sebestyén Júlia.
Career Júlia Sebestyén began skating at the age of three, practicing on the outdoor ice rink in Tiszaújváros. When she was 13, she moved to Budapest, where she had better training conditions. Her coach was András Száraz.
Sebestyén began competing on the senior international level in 1995. She made her senior ISU Championship debut at the 1995 European Championships, where she placed 15th. She competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics and placed 15th. In the 1998–1999 post-Olympic season, Sebestyen competed on both the Junior Grand Prix and at senior ISU championships. She made her senior Grand Prix debut in the 1999–2000 season. During summers, she trained in Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, England and the United States due to lack of ice time in Hungary. In 2000, the Budapest ice rink burned down, forcing her to train at an outdoor rink in a city park.
Sebestyén competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics and placed 8th; she was also 8th at that season's Worlds. The next season, she earned her first European Championships medal, a bronze. In 2004, she won the 2004 European Figure Skating Championships, becoming the first Hungarian woman to win that competition. She later finished 6th at the 2004 Worlds, which would prove to be her best result in that event.
Sebestyén competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where she placed 18th. She changed coaches to Gurgen Vardanjan shortly after the 2005–2006 season. Her 2006–2007 season got off to a good start; she won the 2006 Cup of China and was the silver medalist at the 2006 Cup of Russia. This qualified Sebestyén for the 2006-2007 Grand Prix Final, where she placed 6th. She was 9th at the 2007 Europeans and 12th at the 2007 Worlds.
Sebestyén suffered a foot injury toward the end of the 2008–09 season, and was unable to compete at the 2009 Worlds. As a result, she had to qualify for the Olympics via the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, which she was able to accomplish with a fourth-place showing. At the 2009 Skate America, she earned her first Grand Prix medal since 2006, a bronze. Sebestyén, now in her fourth Olympics, was chosen to be Hungary's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. She finished in 17th place at the Olympics, with a total score of 151.26. The final event of Sebestyén's competitive career was the 2010 Worlds, where she placed 15th.
Post-competitive career Sebestyén continued to skate in shows and other events, such as the 2010 Japan Open. She is an international technical specialist for Hungary and coaches in Budapest. Her students have included Ivett Tóth.
Beginning in 2023, she came under investigation for abusing her students; allegations included screaming obscenities, hitting students or throwing water bottles at them, and depriving students of food. In August 2026, she was charged with three counts of endangering a minor.
Programs
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition 2009–2010 Song from a Secret Garden by Secret Garden Libertango by Astor Piazzolla performed by Bond Selection by Raúl Di Blasio 2008–2009 Selection by Edvin Marton 2007–2008 Serenade by Franz Schubert Virtuoso Paradise Ice Symphony Love in Venice Guitarra Latino by Edvin Marton 2006–2007 Otonal by Raúl Di Blasio Take My Breath Away (from Top Gun) performed by Jessica Simpson 2005–2006 Esperanza by Maxime Rodriguez Hungarian Dances by Johannes Brahms 2004–2005 Fire on Ice by Bizan Mortazavi Carmen by Georges Bizet Dance With Me by Debelah Morgan 2003–2004 La Vie Est Belle by Andre RieuSelection of Tangos: Jalousie by Jacob Gade Adiós Nonino Libertango by Astor Piazzolla choreo. by Nikolai Morozov Singin' in the Rain by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
The Moldau (from Má vlast) by Bedřich Smetana 2002–2003 Hungarian Dance by Johannes Brahms El Triste Musica Fantasiaby Raúl Di Blasio 2001–2002 Adagio from Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo Barcelona Nights by Ottmar Liebert The Man in the Iron Mask by Nick Glennie-Smith 2000–2001 Culture by Chris Spheeris The Glass Mountain by Nino Rota 1999–2000 L'homme de Suez by Vladimir Cosma Csárdás 1998–1999 Warm Air by Mike Batt performed by Vanessa-Mae Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber 1997–1998 The Blizzard by Georgy Sviridov Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus 1994–1995 Masquerade by Aram Khachaturian Not Without My Daughter by Jerry Goldsmith
Results
International Event 94–95 95–96 96–97 97–98 98–99 99–00 00–01 01–02 02–03 03–04 04–05 05–06 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10 Olympics 15th 8th 18th 17th Worlds 19th 19th 7th 18th 8th 14th 6th 12th 22nd 12th 11th 15th Europeans 15th 17th 6th 6th 6th 10th 3rd 1st 4th 14th 9th 4th 8th 6th Grand Prix Final 6th 6th GP Cup of China 1st 5th GP Cup of Russia 8th 3rd 6th 2nd 7th 7th 6th GP Lalique/Bompard 3rd 3rd GP NHK Trophy 7th 5th GP Skate America 5th 6th 8th 8th 3rd GP Skate Canada 6th 3rd 6th Finlandia 6th 3rd Karl Schäfer 3rd 3rd 2nd Nebelhorn 4th 4th Ondrej Nepela 1st 3rd 1st 2nd 1st Crystal Skate 1st Golden Spin 3rd 2nd 3rd 1st Skate Israel 2nd International: Junior Junior Worlds 21st 14th 9th JGP Germany 13th JGP Hungary 2nd 1st JGP Mexico 6th Blue Swords 8th J. Gardena 3rd J. National Hungarian 2nd 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
References
External links