“I am definitely proud to be an American citizen,” said Magerovskiy, who lives in Northville, Mich. “I think it (will) make a better future for me and my family. I am very excited about this – I have been waiting for it to happen for a long time. It’s one of the most important things that has happened in my life. I’m just so happy.”

Magerovskiy met his wife and former partner, Rebecca Magerovskiy (formerly Rebecca Palmer) when she visited Sergey’s hometown of Moscow, Russia, in March of 2001, soon after which they began dating and skating together. Sergey moved to the United States with her in April of 2002, and they were married on May 18, 2002.

Magerovskiy applied for his visa before moving to the United States. He then applied for permanent residency through marriage, and was eligible to apply for naturalization after three years of marriage.

Sergey and Rebecca’s brief career together included a ninth-place finish at the 2004 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, after which they decided to stop skating together.

Sergey began training with Stiegler in the summer of 2004, and they placed fourth at the 2005 U.S. Championships. Internationally, the team has placed fifth at the 2005 Nebelhorn Trophy and seventh at 2005 Smart Ones Skate America. The Olympics is the only international event for which both partners must be citizens of the country they represent.

- U.S. Figure Skating -

U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 585 member clubs representing nearly 160,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States, including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.