Olympic Gold Winner Must Sell Louisiana House Due to Financial Struggles Following Recent Divorce Filing

Olympic champion figure skater Oksana Baiul has announced she is putting her Louisiana home up for sale because she ‘can’t make a living.’

The Ukrainian skater, who won a gold medal in 1994 at just 16 years of age, had been living in a luxurious $1.195million mansion in Shreveport. 

However, she shared on her Facebook page late last month that she was moving to Las Vegas after failing to make ends meet in Louisiana.

She continued ‘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.’

In a video posted to Facebook, Baiul, 47, called the home the ‘most beautiful mansion in all of Shreveport.’

Baiul is believed to have lived at the home in Shreveport for three years after moving from Las Vegas in 2022. She had relocated to Louisiana in the hope of setting up a figure skating school there. 

She now returns to Sin City to work under the Las Vegas Golden Knights umbrella, according to WKRG. The NHL franchise has two training facilities with four total ice rinks, which are used for hockey and figure skating.

In its listing of the property, Osborn Hays, the real estate broker company, says that most of the mansion has been ‘painstakingly restored’ over the past few years by its current owner, who spared ‘no expense.’ 

Spanning 6,000 sq. ft, the opulent red-brick mansion boasts five bedrooms and five bathrooms, as well as a sunroom and library. 

Built in 1925 in the Georgian Italianate style, the home exudes the grandeur of the Gilded and New Ages, fitted with marble fireplaces, original chandeliers and sconces, and a Virginia blue slate roof. 

Every bedroom offers luxury with cedar built-out closets, while the primary suite includes an ensuite bathroom and connected nursery. 

The oversized eat-in kitchen offers a pantry, butler’s pantry, a commercial grade gas stove, abundant storage and cabinets and silver closet.

It is also home to a floating spiral staircase, which is rumored to be the country’s first-ever. 

Meanwhile, the expansive parklike gardens are perfect for families thanks to the two custom-built treehouses with a drawbridge. 

The sprawling outdoor space is also home to a 500 sq. ft. apartment providing private living with its own kitchen, living space, bedroom, and full bath; and an additional restored and unfinished cottage.

The announcement comes two months after Baiul announced on social media that she and husband Carlo Farina were getting a divorce.

The couple have one child together: a 10-year-old named Sophia.

Baiul, who also won a world championship in 1993, said her ‘heart was broken’ by having to leave Louisiana and her reported 6,000 sq. foot property.

Baiul initially said she would be hosting a garage sale at the property from October 4-5. However, she announced on September 29 that she had unfortunately had to cancel it out of fear of overwhelming demand. 

Following the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, Baiul moved to the United States and would go on to live in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

She continued to skate in various touring productions and ultimately married Farina – who had been her manager – in 2012.