Olympic gold medalist Oksana Baiul is selling her Shreveport, Louisiana, mansion after struggling to make a living in the state and amid a divorce from her husband, Carlo Farina. The 47-year-old Ukrainian skater, who won gold at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, shared the news on Facebook, saying her “heart is broken.”
Baiul Say Bye to Louisiana
Baiul moved to Shreveport in 2022 with the goal of opening a figure skating school, but the venture “did not come to fruition.” She explained, “I can’t make a living in Shreveport. Unfortunately, I can’t. I do love all the people here. I came for a reason, and it did not happen. I came here to create some things, but they did not come to fruition. I have to go where the ice exists.”
The mansion, listed for $1.195 million, is a Georgian Italianate property built in 1925 and restored over the past three years. It covers about 6,000 square feet and features five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a sunroom, library, and seven fireplaces. Outside, it has six garages and extensive gardens with treehouses. The estate also includes a private 500-square-foot apartment and an additional restored cottage. Baiul called it “the most beautiful mansion in all of Shreveport.”
After her Olympic victory, Baiul continued performing in touring productions and lived in various U.S. cities, including Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. She married her former manager, Carlo Farina, in 2012, and the two share a 10-year-old daughter, Sophia. Baiul said relocating to Las Vegas will allow her to be near ice facilities and continue her career in skating.
Baiul, whose net worth at one point was estimated to be $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, recently celebrated two years of sobriety and revealed she and Farina had separated in August. “I’ve made all of the money in the world, lost all of the money in the world. I’ve been married, now I’m divorced. But, if you fall down on the ice, can you imagine how many times I had to fall down and get up?”
Baiul will reportedly start working with the Vegas Golden Knights organization to help develop and grow skating programs in Las Vegas.