The Olympic champion, world champion, European champion, Russian champion, and winner of the ISU Grand Prix Final, Alina Zagitova, revealed her difficult childhood, where she often faced humiliation from her coach. According to her, these words undermined her belief in her own abilities and dreams of victory.
'I'm from Izhevsk, I practiced for a while in Almetyevsk, I didn’t even have such thoughts [about becoming a champion]. Probably again because of some words from the coach. We talked about a teacher, and here was a coach who could humiliate, say: 'How ugly, untalented, incapable', 'what can be expected from you', 'you will reach the Olympics as far as China on foot,' - Zagitova recounted.
It is also worth noting that Russian figure skater Alexandra Saitova was recognized as a neutral athlete and participated in a Russian event where she supported the head of state, Vladimir Putin. This caused outrage in the International Olympic Committee, as participation in political events contradicts the principles of sports.