Editing Elena Berezhnaya (section)

== Early career ==
After unsuccessful partnerships with Ruchkin and another skater, the 14-year-old Berezhnaya teamed with Latvian-born [[Oleg Shliakhov]], who had been dumped by his seventh partner.<ref name=lah/> The partnership went well at first, however, over time he started to become physically and verbally abusive, hitting Berezhnaya and dropping her from lifts.<ref name=lah/> He decided to move to [[Riga]], [[Latvia]], saying they would have better and cheaper training conditions.<ref name=lah/> Seeing no alternative partner, she went with him.<ref name=lah/> Although not violent outside the rink, he became abusive again in training.<ref name=lah/> Berezhnaya kept quiet and did not tell her mother, worrying it would worsen her poor health.<ref name=cbs98olys/> She continued for her mother's sake, "I knew that she would watch me skate on TV and that it gave her strength. She was the only reason for me to continue."<ref name=cbs98olys/> They trained on their own for a year as no coach wanted to take the pair but eventually found a coach unaware of Shliakhov's reputation.<ref name=lah/> They had a strong showing at the [[1994 Winter Olympics]] in [[Lillehammer]], [[Norway]], finishing eighth.<ref name="hines-36">{{Cite book |last=Hines |first=James R. |title=Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating |date=2011 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6859-5 |location=Lanham, Maryland |page=36}}</ref> The next season they won a pair of silver medals at the [[1994 Skate Canada International]] and [[1994 Trophée de France]] and finished 7th at the [[1995 World Figure Skating Championships|1995 World Championships]]. Having little success in keeping Shliakhov in line, their coach resigned at the end of the season.<ref name=lah/>

The Latvian federation appealed to renowned coach [[Tamara Moskvina]] to take on the pair and she eventually invited them to train with her in May or June 1995. They spent a few months training in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]]<ref name=95itcfs/> and then trained mostly at [[Yubileyny Sports Palace]] in [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia, despite the deteriorating and crowded facilities of the 1990s.{{efn|''"They only have two hours of ice time a day and they skate with ten other pairs on the ice. That's extremely dangerous, there's a lot of collisions."'' – [[Barbara Underhill]] on Petrova and Sikharulidze who trained at the same Saint Petersburg rink as Berezhnaya and Shliakhov. ([[ESPN Classic Canada]] broadcast of 1995 Skate Canada free programs.)}}<ref name=con2/><ref name=con3/> Berezhnaya/Shliakhov won bronze at [[1995 Skate America|Skate America]], gold at [[1995 Trophée de France|Trophée de France]] and bronze at [[1995 Nations Cup|Nations Cup]]. Shliakhov was well behaved for half a year, but then dropped her from a lift.<ref name=lah/> Moskvina had professional psychologists work with him regularly,<ref name=lah/> however, after brief periods of calm with [[Cycle of abuse|apologies and professions of affection]], he would start to slip back to his old behavior.<ref name=Shliakhov/> Berezhnaya thought he showed some improvement, however, Moskvina told her it was not enough and advised her to end the partnership.<ref name=lah/> Shliakhov was registered at a mental hospital in Riga.<ref name=mk091126/>

Berezhnaya had begun to develop friendships with the other skaters at Yubileyny, becoming particularly close to [[Anton Sikharulidze]], the 1994 and 1995 World Junior champion with [[Maria Petrova (figure skater)|Maria Petrova]].<ref name=lah/> Shliakhov began to perceive Sikharulidze as his rival.<ref name=Shliakhov/> At the end of 1995, Shliakhov demanded that they train in Riga for three weeks in preparation for the [[1996 European Figure Skating Championships|1996 European Championships]].<ref name=lah/> Sikharulidze urged her to stay in Saint Petersburg but she believed she could manage a few weeks.<ref name=lah/>

On 9 January 1996, Berezhnaya was seriously injured when Shliakhov's blade sliced into her skull while the pair were practicing a side-by-side [[camel spin]] in Riga.<ref name=miracle/><ref name="hines-36"/> Two surgical operations were performed to remove bone fragments from her brain. The accident caused partial paralysis on her right side, and doctors were unsure if she would walk again.<ref name=miracle/> She also briefly lost the ability to speak.<ref name=comeback/>

During her hospitalization, Sikharulidze heard of the news, and traveled to Latvia to be with her, joining Moskvina.<ref name=oc/><ref name=perfectcouple/> Berezhnaya was surprised and overjoyed to see him, but unable to speak or move.<ref name=back/> Shliakhov also arrived at the hospital with flowers but Berezhnaya did not wish to see him again.<ref name=Shliakhov/> Her mother, Sikharulidze, and Moskvina took her back to Saint Petersburg, Russia where she could begin her rehabilitation. She was grateful for his support, saying she was "skinny, shaved, half-alive, almost a skeleton, and Anton so tenderly cared about me. Perhaps it was his belief in me that helped me recover so quickly."<ref name=back/>