• Olympic ice dance champions: Klimova and Ponomarenko won bronze (1984), silver (1988) and gold (1992).
  • The couple moved to the Bay Area and coach at Sharks Ice in San Jose.
  • Their son Anthony Ponomarenko competes for Team USA with partner Christina Carreira.
  • Both remain active in skating as coaches and technical advisors.

H2: Olympic champions turned Bay Area coaches

Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko are among ice dancing’s most decorated pairs. Competing for the Soviet Union and later the Unified Team, they earned Olympic bronze in Sarajevo (1984), silver in Calgary (1988) and gold in Albertville (1992). Their 1992 free dance, set to Bach and titled “A Man and a Woman: From the Mundane to the Sublime,” remains widely admired.

H3: From Moscow rinks to the Olympic podium

Klimova, born in 1966 in Yekaterinburg, relocated to Moscow to train. Ponomarenko, born in 1960 in Kazakhstan, also moved to Moscow and after an earlier partnership teamed with Klimova. They married in September 1984 and continued their competitive run through three Olympic cycles. In recognition of their career, the pair was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000.

H3: A family rooted in skating

After retiring from competition the couple settled in the United States, making the Bay Area their home. They have two sons: Tim (born 1998) and Anthony (born 2001). Both parents coached their children in early years and remain closely involved in Anthony’s development — Anthony calls them his “background coaches.” Sergei also has served as an ISU technical specialist for Russia, bringing deep technical knowledge to his coaching.

H4: Coaching at Sharks Ice and shaping the next generation

Klimova and Ponomarenko coach young skaters at Sharks Ice in San Jose, California. Their guidance reaches beyond technique — they share performance insight drawn from decades on the world stage. Even as Anthony now trains with top coaches and choreographers including Scott Moir and Madison Hubbell, he still turns to his parents for technical feedback and steadiness.

H4: Anthony’s rise and parental perspective

Anthony Ponomarenko skates for Team USA with partner Christina Carreira. Ahead of national and international competitions, Anthony has said his parents were initially reluctant about him entering the sport: they joked their sons would be “completely normal” and away from rinks. Still, their own legacy inspired Anthony — he grew up watching their performances and cites their 1992 free dance as a favorite. He also relays his mother’s key advice: treat your partner as your best friend.

H3: Watch and follow

Town & Country produced a short video featuring Team USA skaters, including a look at the athletes’ off-ice lives and talents. Watch: Team USA Figure Skaters Share Their Secret Talents (Town & Country YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/townandcountrymag). For live results and updates, follow Anthony Ponomarenko and Christina Carreira as they compete internationally, most recently at the 2025 World Championships and into the 2026 season.

Klimova and Ponomarenko’s story spans Cold War-era sport to modern American rinks. As Hall of Famers, coaches and parents, they remain central figures in ice dance — passing technical skill and artistic memory to the next generation.

Image Referance: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/sporting/a70011829/who-are-anthony-ponomarenko-parents-sergei-marina-klimova/