Roman Kostomarov started figure skating at the age of 9 — quite late. But he quickly achieved success, becoming the world junior champion. Despite this, Kostomarov left for the USA to build a career.
How did Roman Kostomarov live in the USA?
Once Kostomarov quarreled with the coaches — he was fined and disqualified for a year. Then 21-year-old Roman decided to move to the USA — to Natalia Linichuk’s group. Since 1998, he performed in tandem with Tatyana Navka, and then with Anna Semenovich (eventually returned to Navka).
In the USA, Kostomarov had to live on $150 a month. He didn’t have enough money for proper food, so he ate at McDonald’s. He rented a house with several people and slept on an air mattress on the floor, and devoted all his free time to training.
Added to all these difficulties were problems in the marriage. A month before leaving Russia, Roman Kostomarov married his beloved Yulia Lautova. The wife refused to go with her husband to the USA, so for the next four years they saw each other very rarely.
How did Kostomarov’s period in the USA end?
Kostomarov passed the tests that befell him with dignity. The figure skater admits that they strengthened his character, made him stronger and brought him closer to the main achievement in his life — Olympic gold in Turin.
After the 2006 Olympic Games, Kostomarov ended his career and returned to his homeland. Then a new round in Roman’s professional activity began: he became a regular participant in various television projects related to figure skating — “Stars on Ice” and “Ice Age”.