Anton Tarielyevich Sikharulidze (Georgian: ანტონ ტარიელის ძე სიხარულიძე; , born 25 October 1976) is a Georgian-Russian former pair skater. With Elena Berezhnaya, he is the 1998 and 1999 World champion, 1998 Olympic silver medalist and 2002 Olympic champion.

His first partner was Maria Petrova, with whom he became the 1994 and 1995 World Junior Champion. He began competing with Berezhnaya in 1996 after helping her recover from an accident with her previous partner. Within two years of the accident, Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze had established themselves as one of the best pair teams in the world. During their competitive career, they were coached by Tamara Moskvina at the Yubileyny Sports Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey. Their Olympic gold medals are shared with Canadian pair Jamie Salé and David Pelletier.

In September 2021 Netflix premiered docuseries Bad Sport that includes an episode ("Gold War") detailing the events of the 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal. Sikharulidze appeared only in archival footage and did not participate in the documentary, though his former partner Berezhnaya did.

Early life

Anton Sikharulidze was born on 25 October 1976 in Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, Observers were impressed by their rapid progress. The pair missed the World Championships that year as a result of the disqualification.

Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze developed a rivalry with Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier. The 2001 World Championships were held in Salé/Pelletier's home country of Canada. Although Salé fell on the triple toe loop in the short program and then singled her double Axel in the long, Salé/Pelletier were awarded gold ahead of Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze. At the 2001 European Championships, Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze reclaimed their title. A second gold medal was awarded to the Canadian pair, and the IOC and ISU decided to declare both pairs as Olympic co-champions.

left|thumb|250px|Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze meet Russian President [[Vladimir Putin at a meeting of Olympic athletes in March 2002]]

Later skating career

In May 2003, Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze confirmed they had retired from competitive skating.

Personal life

Sikharulidze and Berezhnaya had an on-and-off romantic relationship between 1996 and 2002; they remain close friends.

  • Elena Berezhnaya/Anton Sikharulidze at pairsonice.net
  • Maria Petrova/Anton Sikharulidze at pairsonice.net