Alena Zavarzina's pictures became one of the most searched items in internet history after she and her husband Vic Wild won medals in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
The high-adrenaline world of snowboarding took on a more sentimental side earlier this week when Alena Zavarzina and Vic Wild made successful turns in their respective events in the same day.
“For both of us to have success on the same day, it’s truly incredible,’’ Wild said.
“I don’t know how this happened.’’
Zavarzina and Wild's story started five years ago when the two were travelling in the same pack on the World Cup Snowboard racing circuit.
Wild, born and raised in White Salmon, Washington, competed for the United States. Zavarzina, a native of Novosibirsk, rode for Russia.
“When I first met her, I knew something was a little different, so I was very careful with how our relationship went,’’ said Wild of his wife Alena Zavarzina.
”Very, very, very careful.’’
Love bloomed between the two athletes. Alena Zavarzina, who became the world champion in 2011, remains very private regarding her relationship with Wild.
“I’ll tell them when I’m old, in my memoir,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, the parallel giant slalom reached a dead end in America, despite one of the event's most historic moments happening in the U.S.: the stirring bronze-medal victory of liver transplant survivor Chris Klug at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
With financial support dwindling during that time, Wild hopped on to a plane to Russia, with a dream of competing for his mother country. And to gain a quicker access into the country, he sought to marry Alena Zavarzina.
So, they tied the knot in July 2011 in what Wild described as “a full-on Siberian wedding.’’
“It was crazy and probably more stressful than today,’’ he said.
“I was so scared. Walking into one building and thinking to myself, ‘Dude, you’re way too far away to run.’ I had to walk through. Best decision I ever made.’’
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