Júlia Sebestyén was born on 14 May 1981 in Miskolc, Hungary.[1] Her full name in Hungarian is Gór-Sebestyén Júlia.[2]
Career
Júlia Sebestyén began skating at the age of three, practicing on the outdoor ice rink in Tiszaújváros.[3] When she was 13, she moved to Budapest where she had better training conditions.[3] Her coach was András Száraz.
Sebestyén began competing on the senior international level in 1995. She made her senior ISU Championship debut at the 1995 European Championships, where she placed 15th. She competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics and placed 15th.[4] In the 1998–1999 post-Olympic season, Sebestyen competed on both the Junior Grand Prix and at senior ISU championships. She made her senior Grand Prix debut in the 1999–2000 season. During summers, she trained in Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, England and the United States due to lack of ice time in Hungary.[5] In 2000, the Budapest ice rink burned down,[4] forcing her to train at an outdoor rink in a city park.[5]
Sebestyén suffered a foot injury toward the end of the 2008–09 season, and was unable to compete at 2009 Worlds.[8] As a result, she had to qualify for the Olympics via the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, which she was able to accomplish with a fourth-place showing.[8] At the 2009 Skate America, she earned her first Grand Prix medal since 2006, a bronze. Sebestyén, now in her fourth Olympics, was chosen to be Hungary's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.[8] She finished in 17th place at the Olympics, with a total score of 151.26. The final event of Sebestyén's competitive career was the 2010 Worlds, where she placed 15th.
Sebestyén continued to skate in shows and other events, such as the 2010 Japan Open.[9][10] She is an international technical specialist for Hungary[11] and coaches in Budapest. As of 2014, she is the coach of Ivett Tóth.[12]