Nikolay Ivanovich Kostomarov (Russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Костома́ров, Nikolai Ivanovich Kostomarov; Ukrainian: Микола Іванович Костомаров, Mykóla Ivánovych Kostomárov, May 16, 1817, vil. Yurasovka, Voronezh Guberniya, Russia – April 19, 1885, Saint Petersburg, Russia), of mixed Russian and Ukrainian origin, is one of the most distinguished Russian and Ukrainian historians, a Professor of History at the Kiev University and later at the St. Petersburg University, an author of many books, including his famous biography of the seventeenth century Ukrainian Cossack Hetman, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, and his fundamental 3-volume Russian History in Biographies of its main figures (Russkaya istoriya v zhizneopisaniyakh yeyo glavneyshikh deyateley).

As a historian, Kostomarov's writings reflected the romantic trends of his time. He was an advocate of the use of ethnography and folksong by historians, and claimed to be able to discern the "spirit" of the people, including "national spirit", by this method. On the basis of their folksongs and history, he claimed that the peoples of what he called Northern or Great Rus' on one hand and Southern or Little Rus' on the other (Russians and Ukrainians, respectively) differed in character and formed two separate nationalities. In his famous essay "Two Russian Nationalities" ("Две русские народности"), a landmark in the history of Ukrainian national thought, he propagated what some consider to be the stereotypes of Russians inclined towards autocracy, collectivism, and state-building, and Ukrainians inclined towards liberty, poetry, and individualism.

Tatyana Aleksandrovna Navka (Russian: Татьяна Александровна Навка) (born April 13, 1975 in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR) is a Russian ice dancer who has also competed for the Soviet Union and Belarus. With partner Roman Kostomarov, she is the 2006 Olympic Champion, two-time World champion (2004–05), three-time Grand Prix Final champion (2003–05), and three-time European champion (2004–06).

Tatiana Navka became interested in skating at the age of five after seeing it on television.

She originally skated for the Soviet Union with Samuel Gezalian. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Navka and Gezalian began skating for Belarus. They placed 11th at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Navka teamed up with Nikolai Morozov in 1996, continuing to represent Belarus. At their first practice at the 1997 World Championships, Morozov sustained a torn meniscus in his knee but they finished 14th at the event and he then underwent surgery. They earned an Olympic berth by winning gold at the 1997 Karl Schäfer Memorial. They finished 16th at the 1998 Winter Olympics and 10th at the 1998 World Championships. Navka and Morozov were coached by Alexander Zhulin. The partnership ended when Navka decided to skate with another partner.

Miki Ando (安藤 美姫, Andō Miki^?, born December 18, 1987) is a Japanese figure skater. She is the 2007 and 2011 World Champion, 2011 Four Continents Champion, 2004 World Junior Champion, and a three-time (2004, 2005 & 2010) Japanese National Champion.

Ando is the first and only female skater to complete a quadruple jump successfully in competition. She accomplished this at the 2002–2003 Junior Grand Prix Final in The Hague.

Ando was born in Nagoya, Japan in 1987. Her father died when she was eight years old. In 2006, she joined Toyota and also entered Chukyo University as an adult learner, from which she graduated in March 2011. Ando learned English during her time training in the U.S.

She began skating in 1996 at the age of eight. She soon turned to Yuko Monna whose students at that time included Mao Asada and Mai Asada. Beginning in the 2000–2001 season, she was coached by Nobuo Satō, and her program already featured a triple lutz-triple loop.

In the 2001–2002 season she won the Japan Junior Championships, as well as the Junior Grand Prix Final. She also earned bronze medals at the Japanese Championships (senior) and at the Junior Worlds.

Maxim Viktorovich Marinin (Russian: Максим Викторович Маринин, born March 23, 1977) is a retired Russian pair skater. With partner Tatiana Totmianina, he is the 2006 Olympic Champion, two-time World Champion, and five-time European Champion.

Marinin was born in Volgograd, Russia, and began skating at age four after his parents saw an advertisement for a skating school. After losing to the much younger Evgeni Plushenko, Marinin realized he would not be competitive in singles skating. Due to Marinin's height, a coach asked him to switch to pairs and move to Saint Petersburg. Marinin began skating pairs in 1993. He met Tatiana Totmianina in 1995 at the Russian Nationals which he attended without a partner. They began skating together in 1996. Early in their career together, they were coached by Natalia Pavlova in Saint Petersburg, with choreography by Svetlana Korol.

Totmianina and Marinin made consistent progress on the world scene through the late 90's. In 1998, the pair asked Tamara Moskvina to coach them but she was unable to take on more students and suggested 1984 Olympic pairs champion Oleg Vasiliev. He declined due to lack of ice and connections but he accepted in 2001 when Moskvina again directed them to him. Totmianina and Marinin left Pavlova just prior to the 2001 European Championships and moved to Chicago in the United States to train under Vasiliev.