In 2002, Melissa Gregory and Denis fPetukhov finished third in the U.S. Nationals. Then, for the next three years, the couple finished second in the same event. Their second-place finish in the 2006 Nationals earned them a trip to the Olympics in Torino.
Melissa found Denis via the internet. When they first began skating together, he could not speak English and she could not speak Russian. Not only did they become skating partners, but they fell in love! They were married in 2001.