Deividas Stagniūnas

Deividas Stagniūnas
Tobias and Stagniūnas in 2011.
Personal information
Country represented	Lithuania
Born	(1985-04-28) April 28, 1985 Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
Height
Former partner	Isabella Tobias, Katherine Copely, Kayla Nicole Frey, Laura Whipple
Former coach	Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva, Elena Garanina, Valeri Spiridonov
Former choreographer	Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva
Skating club	Baltų ainiai
Former training locations	Novi, Michigan Canton, Michigan
Began skating	1990
Retired	May 2014
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	142.31 2014 European
Short dance	59.66 2012 European
Free dance	85.55 2014 European

Deividas Stagniūnas (born April 28, 1985) is a Lithuanian former ice dancer. With Isabella Tobias, he is the 2011 Skate America bronze medalist and placed in the top ten at two European Championships. They represented Lithuania at the 2014 Winter Olympics, where Stagniūnas was the flagbearer.

Career

Early years

Stagniūnas began skating at age five. He moved to the United States at age 15 to skate with a partner.

Early in his career, Stagniūnas was coached by Walter Wielunski and Natalia Dubova, who trained him in ice dancing. They trained in Darien, Illinois, where he lived with his partner, Laura Whipple. He and Whipple won the senior bronze medal at the Lake Placid ice dancing competition, representing Lithuania. In the 2003–2004 season, Stagniūnas began skating with Kayla Nicole Frey. They competed internationally on the junior level and were three-time (2004–2006) Lithuanian silver medalists.

Partnership with Copely

In 2006, Stagniūnas formed a partnership with American Katherine Copely. They became the 2007 Lithuanian national champions and 2006 and 2007 Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalists. The duo qualified an entry for the 2010 Winter Olympics in the ice dancing event when they placed 14th at the 2009 World Championships. According to IOC rules, competitors must have citizenship of the country they are representing; however, Copely's special request for citizenship was denied by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė. The spot was left unfilled. Copely retired from competition due to an injury.

Partnership with Tobias

In spring 2010, Stagniūnas teamed up with American ice dancer Isabella Tobias. They initially trained under Igor Shpilband and Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan. Tobias/Stagniūnas made their debut at the 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy, where they placed 11th, and won their first international medal, bronze, at the 2010 NRW Trophy. At their first European and World Championships, they placed 12th and 14th, respectively.

Tobias/Stagniūnas won bronze at a Grand Prix event, the 2011 Skate America. In June 2012, they moved from Canton, Michigan to Novi, Michigan, following coach Igor Shpilband. According to IOC rules, Olympic competitors must be citizens of the country they are representing. In order to allow the team to compete at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Tobias submitted an application for Lithuanian citizenship in October 2012. It was denied on January 7, 2013.

Tobias/Stagniūnas withdrew from the 2013 European Championships as a result of Stagniūnas' back problem. By finishing 15th at the 2013 World Championships in London, Ontario, they qualified a spot for Lithuania in the Olympic ice dancing event. Tobias was granted Lithuanian citizenship in December 2013. Tobias/Stagniūnas placed ninth at the 2014 European Championships in January in Budapest, 17th at the 2014 Winter Olympics in February in Sochi, and then 15th at the 2014 World Championships in March in Saitama. In early May 2014, Stagniūnas announced his competitive retirement due to recurring injuries.

Programs

With Tobias

Season	Short dance	Free dance	Exhibition
2013–2014	Foxtrot: A Fine Romance by Marilyn Monroe Quickstep: Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friends by Marilyn Monroe	James Bond Theme Skyfall by Adele
2012–2013	Oklahoma! by Rodgers and Hammerstein	Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninov
2011–2012	Shakira medley	Let's Twist Again by Chubby Checker Only You by The Platters Tutti Frutti by Little Richard	Hips Don't Lie by Shakira
2010–2011	Waltz of the Flowers (from The Nutcracker) by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky	Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg

With Copely

Season	Original dance	Free dance
2009–2010	Lithuanian Polka	West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
2008–2009	Bei Mir Bist du Schön (from Swing Kids)	Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber
2007–2008	Two Guitars by Paul Mauriat	Beethoven's Last Night by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
2006–2007	Tango by Jaime Wilensky	Kalinka

Results

With Tobias

Results
International
Event	2010–11	2011–12	2012–13	2013–14
Winter Olympics				17th
World Champ.	14th	18th	15th	15th
European Champ.	12th	9th		9th
GP Skate America		3rd
GP Cup of Russia		5th
Nebelhorn Trophy	11th	5th
Golden Spin of Zagreb			4th
NRW Trophy	3rd
National
Lithuanian Champ.	1st
GP = Grand Prix

With Copely

Results
International
Event	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10
World Champ.	23rd	14th	14th
European Champ.	18th	12th	10th
GP Cup of Russia		5th	6th	8th
GP Skate America			8th
Golden Spin	3rd	3rd
Nebelhorn Trophy	6th			3rd
National
Lithuanian Champ.	1st	1st	1st	1st
GP = Grand Prix

With Frey

Results
International
Event	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06
World Junior Champ.		19th
JGP Croatia			7th
JGP United States		10th
International Ice Dance Cup			1st
National
Lithuanian Championships	2nd	2nd	2nd
JGP = Junior Grand Prix

External links

• Isabella Tobias / Deividas Stagniunas at the International Skating Union
• Katherine Copely / Deividas Stagniunas at the International Skating Union
• Kayla Nicole Frey / Deividas Stagniunas at the International Skating Union
• Copely & Stagniunas official site

Olympic Games
Preceded by Irina Terentjeva	Flagbearer for Lithuania Sochi 2014	Succeeded by Incumbent