Peter Tchernyshev (; also romanized as Pyotr Andreyevich Chernyshev; born February 6, 1971) is a Russian-American ice dancer. With skating partner Naomi Lang, he is a two-time Four Continents champion (2000 and 2002), a five-time U.S. national champion (1999–2003), and competed at the Winter Olympics in 2002.

Career

Early career Tchernyshev began skating at the age of six because his parents felt it would be good for his health. He also studied ballet from the age of eight. He was originally a singles skater but injured his landing ankle at the age of 18 and it did not heal fully. He spent the next three years touring with the Russian All Stars in England and Turkey before returning to competition as an ice dancer.

Tchernyshev skated with Maria Anikanova in the late 1980s. He later competed with Olga Pershankova for Russia and the Soviet Union but he and his partner had problems and split up. After a girl arrived in Russia looking for a partner, he decided to move to the United States.

Tchernyshev competed with Sophie Eliazova for three years until they split in the summer of 1996.

Partnership with Naomi Lang Having noticed Naomi Lang at U.S. Nationals, Tchernyshev wrote her a letter in mid-1996 asking for a tryout. They had a successful tryout in Lake Placid, New York, and trained there for nine months with Natalia Dubova; then, due to Lang's homesickness, they moved to Detroit and began training with Igor Shpilband and Elizabeth Coates.

Lang/Tchernyshev first won the U.S. national title in 1999. The following season, they took gold at the 2000 Four Continents Championships and placed 8th at the 2000 World Championships. They also performed with Champions on Ice.

In 2000, Lang/Tchernyshev moved to Hackensack, New Jersey, to train with Alexander Zhulin, who coached them until the end of the 2001–02 season. They missed their 2001 Grand Prix events because Tchernyshev had shin splits. Returning to competition, they won their fourth national title at the 2002 U.S. Championships and then won their second Four Continents title. They placed eleventh at the 2002 Winter Olympics and ninth at the 2002 World Championships.

In 2002–03, Lang/Tchernyshev were coached by Nikolai Morozov. After missing their 2002 Grand Prix events due to an injury to Lang, the duo won their fifth national title at the 2003 U.S. Championships, took bronze at the 2003 Four Continents, and placed 8th at the 2003 World Championships.

Lang/Tchernyshev did not appear internationally in the 2003–04 season. They intended to compete at the 2004 U.S. Championships but withdrew after Lang re-injured her Achilles tendon. They announced their competitive retirement in February 2004. The duo continued to skate together professionally and appeared in several U.S. ice shows, including many of the Disson skating shows televised on NBC and the Hallmark Channel. They also toured extensively in Europe and Russia.

Other work Tchernyshev has done choreography for competitive skaters. He choreographed for Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Smirnov (2011-2016 short and free program), Sinead Kerr / John Kerr (2010–2011 free dance), and Maia Shibutani / Alex Shibutani (2014-2015 exhibition and 2015-2016 free dance).

He appeared in the 3–5 seasons of ice show contest Ice Age.

Personal life Peter Tchernyshev's grandfather, Pyotr Chernyshev, was a four-time Soviet champion in singles skating in the late 1930s.

Tchernyshev became a U.S. citizen in January 2001. He lived in the United States for about 15 years and currently lives in Russia. He was formerly married to Natalia Annenko. In October 2008, Tchernyshev married Russian actress Anastasia Zavorotnyuk. The wedding took place in the Foros Church, Crimea, Ukraine. The couple remained married until Zavorotnyuk's death in May 2024; she was diagnosed with brain cancer in late 2018, shortly after giving birth to the couple's firstborn daughter, and went public with her diagnosis in May 2020.

Programs (with Lang)

Season Original dance Free dance Exhibition 2002–2003 Waltz by Dmitri Shostakovich Polka by Bedřich Smetana Still Loving You by Scorpions 2001–2002 Carmen by Georges Bizet: March of the Toreadors Habanera March of the Toreadors Parisian Walkways by Gary Moore Fallin' by Alicia Keys 2000–2001 Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra One Minute Tramp by C. Basie Air on a G String by Johann Sebastian Bach Storm (from The Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi performed by Vanessa-Mae Parisian Walkways Still Got the Blues by Gary Moore 1999–2000 Oye Cómo Va by Carlos Santana Anytime, Anywhere by Sarah Brightman All I Ask of You by Andrew Lloyd Webber 1998–1999 Masquerade Waltz by Aram Khachaturian

Waltz of the Flowers by Pyotr Tchaikovsky Adiós Nonino by Astor Piazzolla Falling into You by Celine Dion 1997–1998 Good Golly, Miss Molly by Little Richard Sobre El Arco Iris by Pérez Prado Ran Kan Kan by Tito Puente Sempre Nel Mio Cuor by Pérez Prado Mambo Caliente by Arturo Sandoval Good Golly, Miss Molly by Little Richard

Results

With Naomi Lang International Event 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 Olympics 11th Worlds 10th 8th 9th 9th 8th Four Continents 3rd 1st 2nd 1st 3rd GP Cup of Russia 5th GP Lalique 5th GP Skate America 6th 5th 3rd 5th GP Skate Canada 9th Lysiane Lauret 2nd National U.S. Champ. 5th 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st WD GP = Grand Prix; WD = Withdrew

Earlier partnerships (with Sophia Eliazova) Event 1995–96 U.S. Championships 13th

(with Olga Pershankova) Event 1992–93 Vienna Cup 2nd

References

External links

Official site

Care to Ice Dance? - Lang & Tchernyshev

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