This is where we discuss figure skating and skating related items. How did you favourite skaters perform, and so on? However we never speculate on the private lives of skaters, like who might be going out with whom, because that is poison and is not tolerated here. A good guideline is that if it's not publicly announced, in the papers etc. then it's probably best to leave it alone. Is it a gray area? Then write to me and ask.
MOSCOW Dec 13 - RIA News. Olympic champion in the women's single figure skating Alina Zagitova announced a temporary suspension of her career.
“I decided to suspend the performance” she said on Channel One.
The athlete said that she will miss the championships of Russia this season so she also will not perform at the world and European championships. The skater explained this decision by saying that she’s “used to being selected according to the sport principle” and is not going to take part in these two tournaments without selection.
She also emphasized that she was not leaving big sport.
"I will train perform in many shows. I think it’s good I will learn new elements approaches to jumps. I stay with the coaches with whom we have come such a long way passed the whole Olympics. I am grateful to them my family to all the fans” the athlete added.
Last week Zagitova finished last in the Grand Prix finals in Turin. She withdrew from demonstrations at the tournament due to a hip injury.
In an article on RT.com tinyurl.com/sxk38o3, it says, "Zagitova finished third after the short program at last week’s Grand Prix Finals in Turin, but made several costly mistakes in the free skate, finishing in sixth place." It seems this may have driven some of her thinking.
There are a number of articles and I seem to remember one saying that is was unclear whether the ban would apply to figure skating,... but I can't find it now. Likely it does, but the world court for sports will have to rule on the whole ban as that's where the appeal goes.
fred wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:22 am
There are a number of articles and I seem to remember one saying that is was unclear whether the ban would apply to figure skating,... but I can't find it now. Likely it does, but the world court for sports will have to rule on the whole ban as that's where the appeal goes.
I posted the ISU statement on this in another thread on this very board - it is the "concerning news" one, Fred
Last edited by Elizabeth on Sun Dec 15, 2019 3:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
With respect to Zagitova - she is the most recent of the several young skaters in Eteri's group (part of the Sambo-70 sports school) to have "flown high, touched the sun, and fallen to earth" at an early age (mid to late teens). There is lot of talk about whether or not Eteri knows how to actually coach the skaters when they become young women, especially if they don't have the best jump technique to begin with. You may recall the talk about Medvedeva having to relearn some of her jump technique when she moved to Toronto.
There is a bit of a "war of words" going on within Russia at the moment.
It seems quite well spoken of, that Eteri's girls (yes, they are still girls!!), do not learn sustainable technique where the power of the jump comes from the legs. The learn a technique where they twist in and spin with the arms instead. This works for them when they are tiny, slight, and weigh very little. As puberty hits though, that technique does not work anymore and it's very difficult to break a habit like that. You can see all her pupils practicing that swing and pull with the arms just before they take their positions at centre ice. I for one, think in her effort to make history, she is ending up causing emotional harm to a lot of young skaters whose careers end just as they are becoming young adults. That's a bitter pill to swallow if you can only hope to have two years maximum at the senior level.
Kevin it seems to be logical what you're saying. I agree also, in the absence of any other explanation. I wonder if a coach could make a good living taking his students, when they start to fail and training them to jump properly, extending their careers.
I'm not quite understanding why she is doing this and think there must be more behind her break from the sport. It seems these young women are burning out way too young.
"At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)
I'm not sure either but here's a late development. Nothing on her personal motivations, but info about the event and her achievements.
"Zagitova to join national team for figure skating gala performance in Moscow next March."
"Russia’s 2018 Olympic Champion in figure skating Alina Zagitova will participate in the national figure skating team’s gala performance on March 29 in Moscow, Alexander Kogan, the director general of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (RFSF), said on Wednesday."
