In 2015, Anastasia Tarakanova won gold at the Russian Junior Championships. It is ahead of Ann Szczerbakow by 24.5 points and Aleksandr Trusow by 24.7 points. Seven years later, Szczerbakowa became the Olympic champion in Beijing, and Trusowa won the silver medal.
Tarakanova lost with an injury
Tarakanowa represented Russia, among others at the Junior Grand Prix in Poland, USA, Slovenia and Canada. She explained her decision to end her career in an interview with matchtv.ru. He has been suffering from an injury to his left leg for a long time.
– We talked to the doctors for a long time, we developed a detailed treatment plan in connection with the stresses. I trained according to this pattern, but my leg felt painful even after the injections. At one point, the doctors had already admitted that I should say goodbye to sports. I still can’t cut my leg normally, not even jumping, she admitted.
The 17-year-old revealed that she could not come to terms with the end of her career. – I have not accepted this situation for a long time. I even go out to the ice rink and try what he will do. For a long time I could not believe that everything is over. She misses sport, but the stage of accepting the decision is behind me – she added.
Tarakanova collaborated with the group Eteri Tutberidze. She is a famous Russian trainer whose training methods are increasingly criticized. Zaoya in Moscow of the factories of nutrition of talent. The problem is that many of her charges end their careers very early, just like Tarakanowa.
Destroyed Careers List
The list of Eteri players who have or have had health problems is long and painful:
- Jullija Lipnicka (Olympic champion in the team from Sochi 2014, due to an injury and anorexia, she ended her career at the age of 19)
- Polina Curskaja (gold medalist at the 2016 Youth Olympics, ended her career at the age of 17 due to numerous injuries)
- Daria Panenkowa (gold and silver medalist of Junior Grand Prix 2017, finished her career at the age of 17)
- Yevgeny Medvedev (Olympic vice-champion in the competition of soloists and in the team from Pyongchang 2018, did not start for three years due to a chronic back injury)
- Alina Zagitowa (2018 Olympics champion among soloists, has not competed for three years, claims that she cannot drink water at the Olympics to keep weight low)
- Daria Usaczewa (2020 junior world vice-champion, a hip injury at the age of 15 a year ago, she has not started since then).
Controversial training methods
Workouts that give young Russian women Olympic medals while quickly destroying the body. “I’m afraid these girls won’t last long.” It’s good to win medals, but no one wants to live the trauma for the rest of their lives –
French Benoit Richaud, leading figure skating choreographer and former ice dancer: “Eteri was smart about her approach: she was the first to find a way to teach girls the toughest jumps. This method works, but only until the age of 17. What do the skaters do next?”
Tutberiga players are described as “perishable goods”. Jane Moran, head of the Medical Committee of the International Nutrition Union: “Teenagers’ training must be adapted to their stage of development.” But Tutberidze doesn’t think so. Her strategy is: she will teach the youngest and most difficult jumps. The Russian trainer does not answer questions about the cost of successes.
During the Tutberiga Games in Beijing, there was loud noise in connection with doping scandals. The case of the 15-year-old is still pending a verdict at the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
The International Union of the Union has announced that it will consider raising the age limit of players at the next congress. Perhaps in this way he will save several careers of figure skaters.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
