Júlia Sebestyén (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈjuːliɒ ˈʃɛbɛʃceːn]; 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 also a four-time Hungarian Olympic team member, and was Hungary's flag-bearer at the 2010 Olympics.

Júlia Sebestyén
Júlia Sebestyén at the 2007–2008 Hungarian Championship.
Native nameGór-Sebestyén Júlia
Born (1981-05-14) 14 May 1981 (age 43)
Miskolc, Hungarian People's Republic
HometownBudapest
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Figure skating career
CountryHungary
Skating clubTiszaújvárosi SC
Retired2010
Medal record
Representing  Hungary
Figure skating: Ladies' singles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Budapest Ladies' singles
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Malmö Ladies' singles
Júlia Sebestyén
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)  National Competitions  
Combined total 171.86
2010 Hungarian Figure Skating Championships

Personal life

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Júlia Sebestyén was born on 14 May 1981 in Miskolc, Hungary.[1] Her full name in Hungarian is Gór-Sebestyén Júlia.[2]

Career

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Júlia Sebestyén began skating at the age of three, practicing on the outdoor ice rink in Tiszaújváros.[3] When she was 13, she moved to Budapest where she had better training conditions.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] In 2000, the Budapest ice rink burned down,[4] forcing her to train at an outdoor rink in a city park.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7] 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 2009 Worlds.[8] 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.[8] 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.[8] 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.

Sebestyén continued to skate in shows and other events, such as the 2010 Japan Open.[9][10] She is an international technical specialist for Hungary[11] and coaches in Budapest. As of 2014, she is the coach of Ivett Tóth.[12]

Programs

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Sebestyén performs at the 2010 Olympics
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2009–2010
[1]
2008–2009
[13]
2007–2008
[14]
2006–2007
[15]
  • Serenade
    by Franz Schubert
  • Otonal
    by Raúl di Blasio
2005–2006
[16]
2004–2005
[17]
  • Fire on Ice
    by Bizan Mortazavi
2003–2004
[18]

Selection of Tangos:

choreo. by Nikolai Morozov


2002–2003
[19]
2001–2002
[20]
2000–2001
[21]
1999–2000
[4]
1998–1999
1997–1998
1994–1995

Results

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Sebestyén with her fellow medalists at the 2009 Skate America
 
Júlia Sebestyén at the 2004 World Championships in Dortmund
International[22]
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[22]
Junior Worlds 21st 14th 9th
JGP Germany 13th
JGP Hungary 2nd 1st
JGP Mexico 6th
Blue Swords 8th J.
Gardena 3rd J.
National[22]
Hungarian 2nd 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st

References

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  1. ^ a b "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010.
  2. ^ "Brassóban egyeztetett a MOB a téli sportok előtt álló feladatokról" (in Hungarian). samsungsport.hu. 21 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Flying high – a chat with Julia Sebestyen". AbsoluteSkating.com. 2005. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Mittan, J. Barry (2000) [1999]. "Hungary's Sebestyen Maximizes Opportunities". Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b Mittan, Barry (4 February 2002). "Hungary's Sebestyen Gets Second Olympic Chance". Golden Skate. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Sebestyen: first Hungarian woman to win title". ESPN. Associated Press. 7 February 2004.
  7. ^ Bod, Titanilla (2008). "Júlia Sebestyén: "I want everyone to see what I'm capable of"". AbsoluteSkating.com. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  8. ^ a b c Bőd, Titanilla (2010). "Júlia Sebestyén: "I decided not to care about the judges"". AbsoluteSkating.com. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  9. ^ "News from her official website". Archived from the original on 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  10. ^ "Japan Open 2010". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  11. ^ "List of Referees, Judges, Technical Controllers, Technical Specialists, Data & Replay Operators 2013/14" (PDF). International Skating Union. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Ivett TOTH: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014.
  13. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009.
  14. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008.
  15. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007.
  16. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2006.
  17. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 April 2005.
  18. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2003/2004". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004.
  19. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 22 June 2003.
  20. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 11 June 2002.
  21. ^ "Julia SEBESTYEN: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 19 April 2001.
  22. ^ a b c "Competition Results: Julia SEBESTYEN". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013.
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  Media related to Júlia Sebestyén at Wikimedia Commons

Winter Olympics
Preceded by Flagbearer for   Hungary
Vancouver 2010
Succeeded by
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