Kiira Korpi

Biography

Kiira Linda Katriina Korpi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkiːrɑ ˈkorpi]; born 26 September 1988) is a Finnish figure skater. She is a three-time European medalist (bronze in 2007 and 2011, silver in 2012), the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard champion, the 2012 Rostelecom Cup champion, a two-time Cup of China medalist, and a five-time Finnish national champion (2009, 2011–2013, 2015). She retired from competitive skating in August 2015.

== Personal life == Korpi was born in Tampere, Finland. Her father, Rauno Korpi, coached the Finnish women's hockey team to a bronze medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. In Finland her nickname is Jääprinsessa (Ice Princess) due to her resemblance to Grace Kelly, the former Princess of Monaco. In addition to her native Finnish, Korpi also speaks Swedish, English, and German. She has practiced pilates and Ashtanga yoga. In 2009, she had a brief relationship with a Russian oligarch and billionaire, who gave her numerous luxurious gifts, including a €300,000 Audi R8. She became engaged to Arthur Borges Seppälä in May 2017 and they were married three years, until June 2021. She lived in Milan, Italy, after she retired from competitive skating, and in 2016, she moved to New York City, U.S. In March 2023, in an interview with Apu Magazine, Kiira announced that she does not identify as heterosexual and that she likes women. On June 1, 2023, Korpi came out as a member of the LGBT community via Instagram, stating that she could "totally see [herself] falling in love with a person regardless of their gender".

== Career ==

=== Early career === Korpi began skating at the age of five, following her older sister. She landed her first triple jump, a salchow, when she was 11 or 12. In 2003, Korpi finished 19th in her first appearance at the World Junior Championships. The following season, making her ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut, she placed 6th in Slovenia and took the bronze medal in Poland. She ranked 16th at the 2004 World Junior Championships.

=== 2004–2005 season === Returning to the JGP series, Korpi placed 6th in Hungary before winning gold in Germany. She received a host wildcard spot at the JGP Final, where she finished fourth. She was awarded the silver medal at the 2005 Finnish Championships and was assigned to the 2005 European Championships, where she placed 13th. She then competed at the 2005 World Junior Championships, where she came in tenth, her best finish at the event.

=== 2005–2006 season === Competing in the JGP series, Korpi placed 7th in Slovakia and won the bronze medal in Estonia. After taking the bronze medal at the 2006 Finnish Championships, she was assigned to the 2006 European Championships, which the Finnish skating federation had decided to use to determine the Olympic team. Korpi's European result, 6th, allowed her to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, where she finished 16th.

=== 2006–2007 season ===

In the 2006–07 season, Korpi made her senior Grand Prix debut. She placed 4th at the 2007 Finnish Nationals, then went to the 2007 European Championships and won the bronze medal, making her the second Finnish ladies' singles skater to ever win a European medal. She finished 14th at Worlds.