Yahoo上看到的，虽然很难过以后不能在世锦赛中看见他们的身影了，但是这是他们的选择，祝福他们！
Russian Olympic Duo Retire
Mon May 26, 4:43 PM ET Add Sports - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Gennady Fyodorov
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Olympic figure skating pairs champions Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze have retired from amateur competition.
"We have made a decision to finish our amateur careers and now we look forward to a new life in the professional ranks," Berezhnaya told Reuters from St Petersburg on Monday.
The duo hit the headlines at last year's Salt Lake City Winter Olympics (news - web sites) when they beat Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier to win the pairs title.
Sale and Pelletier were later awarded a duplicate gold medal after French judge Marie Reine Le Gougne was accused of deliberately under-marking the Canadians to favor the Russians.
Both Le Gougne and the president of the French figure skating federation Didier Gailhaguet, who she claimed had pressured her to vote for the Russians, have since been banned for three years for misconduct.
Berezhnaya, 25, and Sikharulidze, 26, took a year off from amateur competition following their Olympic success to perform in the professional show "Stars on Ice," but now they have quit the amateur ranks for good, mirroring Sale and Pelletier who made the same decision just over a year ago.
NOT EASY
"It wasn't an easy decision, by no means. We weren't ready to retire a year ago, but now we are," Berezhnaya said.
"Last year, we didn't know what it would be like performing in the pros but after spending a year there, we knew if would be impossible to combine the two. You just can't compete as amateurs, then go and skate in the Stars on Ice."
She said finding proper motivation as well as financial factors were the main reasons for their decision to quit.
The Russians, who began skating together in 1996, won two world and two European titles and also finished second behind compatriots Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
"We have won every major trophy as amateurs, so it became really difficult to motivate yourself," Berezhnaya said.
"Money-wise it was also difficult to remain in the amateur ranks because it was getting harder and harder to find sponsors."
The duo's coach Tamara Moskvina said: "It was their decision and I respect it. But, there are some good young Russian pairs still competing and I'm sure our country will remain a major force in pairs competition for years to come."
Berezhnaya said the bitter taste of the 2002 Olympics had no bearing on their decision.
"Well, it's history now. It left a bad taste in our mouth for a few months after the Games, but it's over now," she said.
"We are still the Olympic champions and nobody can take our gold medals away from us," she added.
"We feel we deserved it and we're heroes in our country. I'm sure the Canadians feel the same way about their skaters."
Berezhnaya said the pair would skate a farewell performance in St Petersburg to commemorate the city's 300th anniversary on June 7.
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