|
Post by Admin on Mar 2, 2020 19:51:45 GMT
Adelina Sotnikova, the Sochi Olympic figure skating champion who last competed in 2015, confirmed that she retired from competition, according to Russian media.
“Officially, I want to say one thing — I’m done with professional sport, that’s for sure, because at the moment I want to be healthy, happy,” Sotnikova said on Russian TV, according to a TASS translation. “It’s sad and hard for me to say this. I will continue to make my fans happy, but not on the professional level. I do miss it insanely, when I watch competitions, my heart breaks because I want to, but, unfortunately, my health doesn’t allow me to.”
Sotnikova, then 17, became Russia’s first Olympic women’s singles champion in 2014, upsetting defending champion Yuna Kim of South Korea. The result was close and controversial, with Sotnikova overtaking Kim in the free skate to prevail by 5.48 points.
Korea Skating Union complaints about the judging were dismissed by the International Skating Union, which found no bias from Russian judge Alla Shekhovtseva, who had married a top Russian figure skating federation official and was seen hugging Sotnikova shortly after she won gold.
Sotnikova became the first female singles skater to take Olympic gold without any prior individual Olympic or world championships medals. In 2018, countrywoman Alina Zagitova matched the feat.
After Sochi, Sotnikova skated just once on the international Grand Prix circuit. Her last competitive skate was a sixth-place finish at the December 2015 Russian Championships.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2020 18:34:00 GMT
The first Olympic champion in women's single skating in the history of Russia and the USSR Adeline Sotnikova announced the completion of her career, on air on the television show "The fate of a person with Boris Korchevnikov" on Rossiya-1 on Monday. Last time Sotnikova participated in the competition in 2015-16 season. "Officially, I want to say one thing - I'm done with professional sport, that's for sure, because at the moment I want to be healthy, happy," Sotnikova said. "It's sad and hard for me to say this. I will continue to make my fans happy, but not on the professional level. I do miss it insanely, when I watch competitions, my heart breaks because I want to, but, unfortunately, my health doesn’t allow me to. I want to say thank you to everyone for their support, for my love for me, this is really my big family, my figure skating story is not over, but professional sport is over." Sotnikova studied at the Moscow CSKA School from 2004 to 2017 under the guidance of coach Elena Buyanova, in the 2007/08 season she made her debut at the Russian Championship among the Juniors, taking 10th place. A year later, she won the tournament. In addition, in 2008, at the age of 12, she took part in the first adult championship of Russia for herself, which was held in Kazan. At that tournament, she won a gold medal, becoming only the second figure skater in the history of the national championships of Russia and the USSR, who managed to win the tournament at the age of 12. The first was her coach Buyanova, who reached these heights in 1975/76. Due to age restrictions, she was not included in the national team for the main starts of the season. She took part for the first time in international junior competitions in the 2009/10 season, winning two stages of the Grand Prix and in the series finale, as well as at the World Junior Championships. In addition, she again won the gold of the adult championship of Russia. The following season, she made her debut in the adult Grand Prix series (two Third places in the stages did not allow her to qualify for the final), became third in the junior world championships and second in the Winter Youth Games, adding to this a third gold medal of the national championship.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Mar 23, 2020 20:51:38 GMT
Sochi Olympic figure skating champion Adelina Sotnikova has revealed the scars she received as a result of her recent spinal surgery, bravely vowing that she will not “hide what decorates me.” Sotnikova, 23, became Russia’s first ever ladies' singles figure skating gold medalist when she triumphed on home soil at the 2014 Winter Games. But while the victory made Sotnikova a national sweetheart, it failed to ignite more success as she faced troubles on and off the ice in the ensuing years. http://instagram.com/p/B-AD9tOoYzn Sotnikova officially announced her retirement in March of this year, having not competed internationally since 2015 due to persistent injuries, although still taking part in gala shows. The skate star also revealed this month that she was due to undergo spinal surgery, with her injury pain becoming so severe that she “couldn’t sleep or sit” properly. http://instagram.com/p/B-DM2WLItl4 After having titanium screws inserted into her vertebrae, Sotnikova has now bravely shown the lengthy neck scar from the operation to her 73,000 Instagram followers. “Everyone looks at my scar like that and says how brave I am that I do not hide it,” Sotnikova wrote. “Why hide what decorates me?" “I really like it. You have to show yourself with scars as if it’s a necklace [worth] a billion, right? Right." While Sotnikova was replaced by a younger generation of Russian skating stars such as Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova, she remains a popular figure in her homeland, making appearances on TV and in gala shows.
|
|