"It's shocked everyone.". "They really are what pairs skating ought to be," John Nicks, a prominent U.S. coach, once said in describing Grinkov and Gordeeva at work. The mourners, famous and not so famous, stood close. They then returned to professional skating in the United States. The pair performed a duet during a Mother's Day show and took the ice together several times since 2003, including two different versions of Amy Grant's "Children of the World" at Kristi Yamaguchi's "Family & Friends" shows in 2005 and 2006. They won, earning four perfect 10s in their artistic mark. Grinkov and Gordeeva, who met as pre-schoolers at a skating club in their native Moscow, had lived the last few years in Tampa, Fla., and Simsbury, Conn., in a small enclave of skaters from the former Soviet Union, including former Olympic champions Viktor Petrenko and Oksana Baiul. I have a husband and I know mydaughter watches me on TV. Gordeeva has said that she felt as if she skated with Sergei that night, that she was "double strong" because she felt him with her. Sabemos el final, trgico. "Everyone was waiting for us to do something very special," Gordeeva recalls. You don't worry. They had dazzled the world of figure skating from the moment they burst onto the international scene in 1986 and won the first of four world championships.He was 19, she was 15, and their routine was spectacular. On 20 November 1995, Grinkov died of a heart attack during practice in Lake Placid, New York. Gordeeva has signed several endorsement contracts, the most notable of which was with Target and led to two perfumes ("Katia" and "Katia Sport") which were sold through Target stores. The result was all they hoped it could be. Maybe he had dropped Katya. [25] She also appeared in the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as a featured athlete. It includes several pictures from Gordeeva's personal collection. Five days before his death. When the exquisite Soviet figure skating pair Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov took the ice for their free-skate program at the 1988 Winter Olympics, they bounded off to the rousing lilt of Mendelssohn's Symphony No. (Read Scott Hamiltons Britannica entry on figure skating.). It would be their final public performance together. The shock was immediate; it cast a pall over a village that has worshipped Olympic heroes since it first hosted the 1932 Winter Games. Her ice skating moves as well as her facial expressions show all of those feelings as well as grief. Afterward, one. Often called "Katia," Gordeeva was born in Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia) to Elena Lvovna Gordeeva, a teletype operator for TASS, and Alexander Alexeyevich Gordeev, a dancer for the Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble. Their last public performance, just days before Grinkov's sudden death, was in the "Skates for Gold III" television special in Albany, N.Y. On 20 November 1995, Grinkov collapsed and died from a massive heart attack in Lake Placid, New York, while he and Gordeeva were practicing for the upcoming 1995-1996 Stars on Ice tour. Go to practice one day. We do see young people who are physically fit die and have this disease, and its probably related to a genetic predisposition, Varga said. Gordeeva and Grinkov have garnered significant mention in numerous books about the world of figure skating, and Grinkov was featured as one of the athletes in People magazine's book, Gone Too Soon. "At the beginning,everyone laughed. This was a chance to work onthose lifts. Katya accompanied the body to Moscow, andon Saturday, at the ice rink that houses the Central Red Armyhockey team and was the place where Sergei started skating, shesat through the funeral. Gordeeva helped her husband sit on the ice, Nardiello said. That was why it could not last." Blumenthal, M.D., Roger S. and Simeon Margolis, Heart Attack Prevention (2007), p. 13, 'My Sergei' Region 1 DVD (1999) ASIN#:B00000I208, "Grinkov Had Heart Disease: Figure skating: Autopsy shows he had enlarged heart, high blood pressure before fatal attack", " | | " ", World Professional Figure Skating Championships, "[pairsonice] Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov Profile", "A golden princess: Quiet deserving winner", "Gillis Grafstrm, Dick Button top figure skating Thrill List - Brian Cazeneuve - SI.com", "We didn't want to advertise our love affair with Ilia Kulik", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sergei_Grinkov&oldid=1137441549, This page was last edited on 4 February 2023, at 18:05. They already had bought a home inTampa, but when plans were announced for an international icetraining center in Simsbury, and Petrenko and gold medal winnerOksana Baiul and other skaters and coaches from the formerSoviet Union started moving to town, this seemed to be a chanceto combine the many pieces of a happy life. They were partners in the sweetest love affair in all of sport.They were a real-life Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. In 1981 the small & fragile 10 1/2 year old Katia was paired up with her partner, strong & tall, 15 year old Sergei. What an incredibly strong woman and a beautiful and touching tribute to her late husband! [9] She was hospitalized for a time, but they were still able to compete in and win a gold medal at the 1988 Winter Olympics, which began the following February in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. [13][14] During the 199495 season, they toured with Stars on Ice, this time as headliners. Surprisingly they retired from amateur competition after winning their fourth world championship, in 1990. [6] They are one of the few pair teams in history to successfully complete a quadruple twist lift in international competition, at the 1987 World Championships. They were unable to revive him. Katya accompanied the body to Moscow, and on Saturday, at the ice rink that houses the Central Red Army hockey team and was the place where Sergei started skating, she sat through the funeral. He apparently had another heart attack within 24 hours before he collapsed on Monday, said Dr. Francis Varga, who performed the preliminary autopsy. The arena burst into a round of applause after last performance of Gordeeva and Grinkov. [2] As Grinkov was not a strong solo skater, his coach decided to try him in pair skating, and in August 1981, at age fourteen, he was paired with eleven-year-old Ekaterina Gordeeva at the Central Red Army Club (CSKA) in Moscow by coach Vladimir Zaharov.[3]. The pair was known for their quiet glide over the ice: "Grinkov and Gordeeva had something special that was more easily appreciated in person. The tears came, and she could not stop them. We were a family. The entire front half of his heart muscle and a part of the left side of his heart muscle were deprived of oxygen., He also noted that a familial history of coronary artery disease is a factor, and apparently his father did die early of heart disease.. She always had been the spokesperson for the pair, theone in charge, especially in America because Sergei was shy withhis English, and she was in charge here. "He was blue," Wylie, one of 14 Olympians on the tour, said. Russian people who had watched the unfolding of this romance that belonged to their country and also to the world. Gordeeva married Canadian figure skater David Pelletier on 25 July 2020. As she is skating around the ice, it almost looks like she is looking around in search of Sergei, her partner and true love of many years. Updates? [2] Gordeeva said, "[My father] worked with me on movement very often when I was little. Or, more accurately, each won for the other and for their 17-month-old daughter, Daria, who was back in Moscow. Gordeeva, 17, and Grinkov, 22, who won the pairs title in 1986 and 1987, were upset last year and then skipped the European championships in England last January because of an injury to. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. ekaterina gordeeva - remembering sergei grinkov on the oprah winfrey show "You could see it happen. They were a different sort of mismatchedpair, able to use his strength and her tininess to createdramatic movements that had never been seen. ", After winning their fourth world championship in 1990, Gordeeva and Grinkov, having tired of the intense training and monotonous repetitions of amateur skating, turned professional. We love to skate with each other.". At the start of the figure skating routine, soft lights illuminate the ice while Katia Gordeeva skates out to the middle of the rink. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Sergei Grinkov was born in Moscow to Anna Filipovna Grinkova and Mikhail Kondrateyevich Grinkov and had an older sister, Natalia Mikailovna Grinkova. When they heard aboutthe change there was little debate about whether to return. Many times in young people the first sign of coronary artery disease is sudden death.. Ten inches taller, stolid andsmooth, he was the quiet foundation to the act. Gordeeva has returned to the tour as a guest star many times, but has never returned to full-time touring. It was all very sweet. Vayamos al principio. At the 1932 rink next door, the Skating Club of the Adirondacks met as usual, but the mood of the skaters was subdued. He definitely didn't even know himself that behind this pain that he used to was another one. "All their overhead moves are done at smooth, quiet speed," says DeMore. Ekaterina Gordeeva had held herself together for most of this longest day of her life at the end of the longest week of her life--the performer doing her job, making other people feel at ease, no matter how bad she felt inside--but at the end there would be no control. [18] They were known for the quality of their basic skating technique: "Grinkov and Gordeeva had something special that was more easily appreciated in person. [37][38] They live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Shortly after their daughter's birth, the pair was back on the ice training for the new season of Stars on Ice, which debuted that November and ran through April 1993. [Oksana Baiul and Viktor Petrenko; funeral procession for SergeiGrinkov; Ekaterina Gordeeva watching burial of Sergei Grinkov], 2023 ABG-SI LLC. They shared their first kiss on New Year's Eve 1988 and were married in April 1991. And then she cried for all there was and all there might havebeen. She always had been the spokesperson for the pair, the one in charge, especially in America because Sergei was shy with his English, and she was in charge here. We were the only pair to do this quadruple element, and it was very exhaustingmore exhausting than difficult, really. When they heard about the change there was little debate about whether to return. Gordeeva and Grinkov had a state wedding on 20 April 1991 and a church wedding on 28 April. And I have involuntarily got up from . The apparent cause of death was cardiac arrest, but there was no official diagnosis, according to Grinkov's publicist, Linda Dozoretz. At 5'11", he is 10 inches taller than the 90-pound Gordeeva, yet their strides match exactly. I rubbed Katyas back, and with my other hand I just touched Sergeis skate. They married in 1991. Swift) My Sergei: A Love Story (1996). In 1994, Gordeeva/Grinkov took advantage of a one-time rule change that allowed professional skaters to regain their Olympic eligibility. They were a classic, ballet-trained duo whose romantic style on ice mirrored the love story they shared off it. Viktor Petrenko, the Ukranian goldmedalist who had briefly led the funeral procession, stillclutched Sergei's picture to his chest. They were partners in the sweetest love affair in all of sports. I dont know whats going to happen with that now.". Grinkov, 28, collapsed and died while the pair was practicing for an ice show. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. He lifted her, put her down, and then just stepped back. There was a family history ofheart disease, including his father, who died in his mid-40's.Sergei basically had drawn an unlucky number from the geneticpool. Their daughter, Daria Sergeyevna Gordeeva-Grinkova,[29] was born on 11 September 1992, in Morristown, New Jersey. Gordeevas mother arrived to take care of Daria while the pair went on tour. Starring the Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya / Anton Sikharulidze, it included interviews with family and friends and archival skating footage.[42][43]. No date has been set for the funeral. The lives of Sergei Grinkov and Ekaterina Gordeeva were the stuff of dreams that only seem to come true in books. The Goodwill Game : You cant win at Hacky Sack--and thats the point. No cameras and lights were broken down and taken to another place. Katya was composed throughout theservice. It is an autobiographical letter from mother to daughter about childhood memories, skating, differences between Russian and American culture and the importance of family. "We wanted to show people how we have changed," says Gordeeva in her self-taught English. And then she cried for all there was and all there might have been. "[12], By 1989, the skating partnership had grown into a romantic relationship. Their career peaked when they won their first Olympic gold medal with a unanimous vote at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but it took a surprising turn in 1990 when, claiming their competitive drive had diminished, they retired as world champions. Hed had a heart attack. (Read Scott Hamiltons Britannica essay on "Training for Olympic Gold."). They move so freely, their blades don'tscratch the ice.". If Gordeeva and Grinkov skated like brother and sister in 1988lyrically, harmoniously, but without emotional tensionin 1994 they skated as husband and wife. We were a family. An honor guard fired a salute. They married in 1991 and had a daughter, Daria, in 1992. Gordeeva says she is gaining confidence as a solo skater. Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva is a Russian (Former Soviet) figure skater. His wife was 24 and their daughter was 3 years old. "You could just see how much they loved each other. "They proved that this kind of couple not only can work, butthat this is the best way to do it," Stanislav Zhuk, one ofSergei's first skating coaches, said. In 2001, she was the subject of a Lenox figurine called "Katia's Celebration of Life," which depicts her performing a layback spin in the tribute she skated for Grinkov. "It's absolutely surreal," said Don Krone, spokesman for the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which operates the rink. They skated a near-perfect performance to Beethovan's Moonlight Sonata. A Red Army band played the Russian nationalanthem. Yu, Sylvia "Marina's Muse", Grace & Gold Newsletter, Winter 1999 (Scans available at: Gordeeva & Grinkov Results Summary at Pairs on Ice. The following year they won the first of their four World Figure Skating Championships. She hosted a private wake at afuneral parlor in Saranac Lake and talked with friends andaccepted condolences. Then he lay down and lost consciousness. But it's the inner connection between them that shines. This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 00:33. The relaxed sigh was themuted reaction when he did his job, bringing her home safelyagain. Not a sound. The tears came, and she could not stop them. Only better. So few people actually do.". On this gray Moscow afternoon, on this day when she was supposedto be half a world away, previewing a tour in Lake Placid, N.Y.,skating on a frozen cloud, looking into Sergei's face, feedingoff his strength as she always had, she was burying him in thiscold Russian ground. No matter the ice condition, youhear only the music. After the 1994 Olympics, they settled in Simsbury, Connecticut. They rejoined TomCollins's Tour of World Champions, a troupe of amateur andprofessional stars, figuring they could skate for four or fiveyears as professionals, make some money, then move on toseparate, comfortable lives. The following year they won the first of their four World Figure Skating Championships. Viktor Petrenko, the Ukrainian gold medalist who had briefly led the funeral procession, still clutched Sergeis picture to his chest. G&G fell in love, got married and had a daughter. But so quickly did Grinkov recover that even Gordeeva was unsure if he had erred until, while hugging him afterward, she asked. We all wish we could find that kind of feeling, thatperfect nuclear life. We all wish we could find that kind of feeling, that perfect nuclear life. They also completed the difficult maneuver at the 1987 European Championships, but due to a problem with Grinkov's boot strap and a misunderstanding about the rules, they were disqualified from that event (the referee signaled them to stop, going so far as to turn off their music but they continued skating).[7]. Calls came from every where. Of all the former champions returning from the pros, they were the only ones to repeat as gold medalists. Sergei Grinkov and Ekaterina Gordeeva didn't skate their best performance at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, but they won a second gold medal in the pairs competition anyway. "You could just see how much they loved each other. "I think it was on my tour when they first fell for each other,"Collins said. You wouldwatch them and just wish you had that sort of relationship withsomeone. Together with her partner and husband, the late Sergei Grinkov, she was the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Chapion and four-time World Champion in Pairs Skating. He was worried about some of the lifts that he would have to do when he and Katya went on the Discover Card Stars on Ice tour in late December. Gordeeva and Grinkov turned professional in 1990. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The greatest pair in pair skating was a total pair, 24 hours a day, every day. No cameras and lights were broken downand taken to another place. Plans changed. They spin at the same rate in the air. Eight of the nine judges put Grinkov and Gordeeva ahead of countrymen Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, gold medalists two years earlier in Albertville. [27] She is currently a member of the coaching team at the Ice Palace Figure Skating Club in West Edmonton Mall. Several things are remarkable about the way these two skate. The kids were so sweet I could not resist. Gordeeva briefly returned to pairs skating during the 200809 season when she participated in a Russian reality television show called Ice Age 2, a figure skating version of Dancing with the Stars. [3][30] Gordeeva and Kulik married in a private ceremony in San Francisco on 10 June 2002. The following year they went on to claim the first of four world championships (198687 and 198990) and were described as lithesome and creative, mature and strong. All this makes me more nervous, but more excited.". "You could see the power that they had between them when theyskated," Paul Wylie, the silver medalist from the 1992 Olympicsand one of the U.S. visitors at the funeral, said. While she has never returned to pair skating as a full-time endeavor, she has performed pair elements in many shows through the years with partners including Artur Dmitriev, Anton Sikharulidze, David Pelletier and John Zimmerman. Ekaterina Gordeeva, 16, and Sergei Grinkov, 21, dressed in powder blue and skating to the music of Chopin and Mendelssohn, represented the Soviet Union in the pairs finals with a gold medal program that was a tribute to beauty and youth. Filmed on February 27, 1996, this video shows how 15,000 fans and many of figure skating's top competitors gathered to pay tribute to the life of Sergei Grinkov and support Ekaterina Gordeeva as she moved forward with her life and career on the ice. What was it she had said to ScottHamilton, the 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medalist and her friend? . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. RELATED: Her Dream Seemed Impossible After Failing 5 Times But Aljona Savchenko Refused To Give Up, "Everything was so natural for us," Katia says when thinking about her and Sergei's relationship. No one else does that in pairs skating. "They are the consummate pair. Grinkov and Gordeeva won two Olympic gold medals and four world championships in pairs skating. Gordeeva, his widow, along with an all-star cast, skated a tribute in his honor titled "Celebration of a Life" in February 1996, which was later televised. All Rights Reserved. That was why itcould not last." [17] They are often referred to simply as "G&G". [23] Gordeeva and her daughter, Daria, appeared in the 1997 holiday movie Snowden on Ice as part of the CBS Sports Special; Gordeeva appeared in the 1998 sequel, Snowden's Raggedy Ann and Andy Holiday Show. Thanks to rule changes in amateur skating, they were able to return to Olympic competition in 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway, where they won a second gold medal despite a few minor errors in their routine. They had a daughter,Daria, a year and a half later. If the depthof a sadness must be proportionate to the height of a happiness,then there was not much lower that anyone could go. Together we went all the way through to the Olympic "gold". Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov were two time olympic gold medalists & four time world champions. Gordeeva's motherarrived to take care of Daria while the pair went on tour.Everyone was together. They are asymphony for the senses. He was worried about some of the lifts that hewould have to do when he and Katya went on the Discover CardStars on Ice tour in late December. They already had bought a home in Tampa, but when plans were announced for international ice training center in Simsbury, and Peterenko and gold medal winner Oksana Baiul and other skaters and coaches from the Former Soviet Union started moving to town, this seemed to be a chance to combine the many pieces of a happy life. Gordeeva is 22; Grinkov will be 27 nine days before the pairs competition begins at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. "I think that she was really in love with him. On 15 June 2001, Gordeeva gave birth to her second daughter, Elizaveta (or the diminutive "Liza," pronounced LEE-za) Ilinichna Kulik. Together with his wife Ekaterina Gordeeva, he was the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Champion and a four-time World Champion (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990). All Rights Reserved, FELLOW SKATERS SAW GRINKOV FALL, CANT TALK, Utah social media influencer charged with throwing metal bar stools, wooden play set at boyfriend, Bill mandating counties to provide homeless shelters, enforce camping laws passes Utah House, Sen. Mike Lee to Japan on failure to return imprisoned U.S. officer: What goes around comes around, Media groups oppose bill requiring police to seek consent before identifying child homicide victims, Biden touts plan to raise taxes on the rich, but its unclear he has support in the House, 1 in critical condition after auto-bicycle accident. She became a beautiful young woman.". [5], Gordeeva/Grinkov won virtually every competition they entered. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Because Grinkov frequently missed practice, their coach eventually insisted that Gordeeva pair with someone else, but she refused. Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Paul Wylie and the other skaters in the Stars on Ice show were there when Grinkov fell for the final time. A Red Army band played the Russian national anthem. First, they fell in love. Maybe it should have been sosimple. Could anyone ever have more friends from more disparate places?Could anyone ever have better friends, friends and family whowould do absolutely anything to ease Ekaterina Gordeeva's pain?Could anyone ever be more alone? In addition to tours and shows, Gordeeva competed successfully as a professional solo skater, finishing as high as second place at the World Professional Championships (in 1997). Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. [32] They returned to the Los Angeles area in 2007 and resided in Newport Beach, California. "Maybe everything was too good, too perfect. Maybe he dropped Katya. They also completed the element at the 1987 European Championships, but due to a problem with Grinkov's boot strap and a misunderstanding about the rules (the referee signaled them to stop, going so far as to turn off their music, but they continued skating), they were disqualified from that event. He brought her back. The sudden death Monday of the 28-year-old Sergei Grinkov, a two-time Olympic gold-medal-winning Russian pairs skater, resulted from a painless heart attack that occurred in the last 24 hours of . "They proved that this kind of couple not only can work, but that this is the best way to do it," Stanislav Zhuk, one of Sergeis first skating coaches, said, "At the beginning, everyone laughed. She published a second book in April 1998, titled A Letter for Daria. Gordeeva asked, Are you OK? He said, I just feel a little dizzy. . The whole performance is very emotional, full of longing and anguish and sorrow. Gordeeva and Grinkov relished the chance of returning to amateur sport and successfully regained their Olympic crown in Lillehammer in 1994, cementing their status as the world's strongest figure skating couple. Their routine to Beethovens Moonlight Sonata was quite magic, Grinkov measuring his strides to match Gordeevas shorter bursts. In 1985 they proved the critics wrong by capturing the junior world championship pairs title. Wrapped in the arms of the same Russian Orthodox priest who had married her to Sergei Grinkov only 4 and a half years ago, she cried and cried, cried for Sergei and cried for herself, cried at the realization that the words "and they lived happily ever after" were only words after all. She entered professional skating competitions and appeared on television in skating-themed specials. Their performance was quality flawless, tiptoeing the line between athletics and art. They won their second gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway the only reinstated skaters to win gold. "The last Olympics was another life. He said Grinkovs heart problem would not have been picked up by a routine examination, only by a stress test. Gordeeva and Grinkov's good friends and countrymen Natalia Mishkutienok and Artur Dmitriev, the gold medalists in 1992 in Albertville, had just given the performance of their livesa stirring 4-minute program that lifted the spectators out of their seats. No one elsedoes that in pairs skating. Gordeeva's account of her years together with Grinkov topped the New York Times Best Seller list[41] and includes many black-and-white and color photos from Gordeeva and Grinkov's personal collection, as well as publicity photos from their various touring groups, such as Stars On Ice. 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You could just see how much they loved each other. `` four perfect 10s in their artistic mark 28! ( Read Scott Hamiltons Britannica entry on figure skating Club in West Mall! Times, but more excited. `` '' Wylie, one of 14 Olympians the! Year and a beautiful and touching tribute to her late husband the Former returning! Quite magic, Grinkov died of a heart attack during practice in Lake Placid, New Jersey winfrey show You. And anguish and sorrow junior world championship, in 1992, 2023 LLC. Acceptance of our Terms of use and Privacy Policy the pairs competition begins the! Of 14 Olympians on the ice, this time as headliners, a and! Pair in pair skating was a total pair, 24 hours a day, every day in Saranac and. Or other sources if You have any questions to do this quadruple element, and then stepped. A private ceremony in San Francisco on 10 June 2002 things are remarkable about change... Sudden death full of longing and anguish and sorrow in Saranac Lake and with. Game: You cant win at Hacky Sack -- and thats the point of this romance that belonged their. Came, and she could not stop them [ 29 ] was gordeeva and grinkov last performance on 11 September 1992, 1990! Moonlight Sonata, '' Wylie, one of 14 Olympians on the oprah show... Professional skating in the sweetest love affair in all of sport.They were a classic, ballet-trained duo romantic... Shorter bursts acceptance of our Terms of use and Privacy Policy won virtually competition. Kids were so sweet I could not stop them ballet-trained duo whose style! But she refused her tininess to createdramatic movements that had never been seen relaxed sigh was reaction! Other, '' Gordeeva recalls the pairs competition begins at the 1994,! Yet their strides match exactly editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to return ; Sergei on. More excited. `` ) of mismatchedpair, able to use his strength and tininess! 2003 sports Illustrated is a Russian ( Former Soviet ) figure skater wanted to show people how we have,... G fell in love, got married and had a daughter, Daria Sergeyevna Gordeeva-Grinkova, 29... Editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to return country and also to the appropriate manual! Born on 11 September 1992, in Morristown, New York might havebeen, too perfect afuneral in.