| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Country represented | Israel |
| Born | February 5, 1970 |
| Height | 168 cm |
| Former coach | Valentin Nikolayev, Galina Zmievskaya |
| Skating club | Canada Centre, Metulla, ISR |
| Retired | 2002 |
Michael "Misha" Shmerkin (born February 5, 1970, in Odessa, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)) is an Israeli figure skater.[1]
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Shmerkin was born and raised in the Soviet Union and competed for them internationally, most notably at the 1990 Junior Worlds.
As he advanced, he discovered that the fact that he is Jewish[2] was being held against him. Consequently, his family moved to Israel in 1991,[3] and Shmerkin began representing it in international competition.[4][4][4]
At the 1994 Winter Olympics, where he placed 16th, Shmerkin became the first skater to represent Israel at the Olympic Games.[4][5] He placed 18th at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
In the late 1990s he had Jewish songs provide the music for his dances in the International Skating Union world championship, and had a tallis and menorah embroidered on his costume.[3]
He retired from competitive skating following the 2001/2002 season.[5]
Shmerkin currently coaches in New York.
| Event | 1990–91 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 1994–95 | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999-00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 16th | 18th | |||||||||
| World Championships | 19th | 14th | 11th | 11th | 15th | 15th | 35th | 33rd | |||
| European Championships | 14th | 13th | 19th | 20th | 25th | ||||||
| Israeli Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||||
| Golden Spin, Zagreb | 8th | 5th | |||||||||
| Skate Israel | 1st | 2nd | 8th | 3rd | |||||||
| NHK Trophy | 5th | 10th | |||||||||
| Nations Cup on Ice | 5th | 6th | 8th | ||||||||
| Skate Canada | 2nd | 2nd | |||||||||
| Skate America | 7th | ||||||||||
| Ondrej Nepela Memorial | 1st | ||||||||||
| Prize of Moscow News | 2nd |