Olympic Figure Skating: A Russian-Dominated Field

The Rise and Fall of Russian Figure Skating

The Russians have dominated the field of figure skating for years, and it’s been a wild ride! Olympics after Olympics, they’ve wowed us with their talent. But let’s be real—scandals have shaken the figure skating world like a bad pair of skates on ice! Take the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, for example. The whole event was under fire, and the winner of the women's figure skating, Adlenia Sotnikova, was a total surprise. Everyone thought Yuna Kim from Japan would take home the gold, just like she did in the previous Olympics. But nope! The figure skating community erupted in outrage, blaming the judges for being bribed and claiming the whole thing was rigged in Russia's favor. Yikes!

The 2018 Olympics: A New Twist

Fast forward to the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, and guess what? The Russians snagged both first and second place! Evgenia Medvedeva was the favorite, and people thought she was unstoppable. Seriously, she had never fallen in competition! But then, her younger teammate, Alina Zagitova, decided to shake things up. She did something no one else had done before—she put all her jumps in the second half of her program! Why is that a big deal? Well, jumps in the second half get extra points because, let’s face it, they’re way harder when you’re tired. So, Alina won, and poor Evgenia ended up in second place. Talk about a plot twist! And just to add salt to the wound, they decided to ban that strategy the very next season. Medvedeva lost because of a rule that got tossed out right after the Olympics. Ouch!

The Quad Queen and the Doping Scandal

Now, let’s talk about Eteri Tutberidze, the coach behind both Alina and Evgenia. She had some serious talent in her stable, including Alexandra Trusova, aka “The Quad Queen.” This girl was a force to be reckoned with! She landed a quadruple jump in competition at just 13 years old—something only the guys had done before. When the 2022 Olympics rolled around, it was either Trusova or her teammate Kamilla Valieva who would take the gold. Trusova was athletic and a strong jumper, but Valieva had the whole package: strong jumps, beautiful performances, flexibility, and killer spins. But then, plot twist! Kamilla tested positive for doping. Fifty-six different drugs were found in her system. What the heck?! This scandal was wild, especially since she was only 15. Did she really take all those drugs herself? Or were they given to her? All eyes turned to her coach, Eteri Tutberidze.

Despite the drama, Kamilla was allowed to compete. But the stress from the scandal got to her, and she couldn’t deliver the performance everyone expected. Her points were nowhere near gold medal territory.

The Heartbreak of Competition

At this point, we all thought Alexandra Trusova, the Quad Queen, had it in the bag. She landed five quad jumps in her program and walked off the ice with a proud smile, thinking she had won. But wait—her younger teammate Anna Scherbakova, with only two quads in her program, scored higher and snatched the gold! The results were shocking. When it was all said and done, Trusova was in the background, screaming and crying over her loss. Her black makeup was running down her face as she pushed her coach away, declaring she hated this sport and would never compete again. It was a heartbreaking scene. Meanwhile, Scherbakova stood alone, no one to hug or celebrate with. The whole situation was just gut-wrenching.

After the 2022 Olympics, the International Skating Union decided that every athlete must be over 17 years old to compete. A much-needed change, if you ask me!

A New Era: The 2026 Olympics

Now, we’re gearing up for the 2026 Olympics, and guess what? No Russian athletes are allowed to represent their country due to the war in Ukraine. Personally, I think this is a good thing—not just for political reasons, but also because do we really want to encourage the harsh training methods that lead to young skaters retiring at 16? Or the situation with Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old with 56 different drugs in her system? The 2026 Olympics is opening the door for skaters from other countries to shine.

Take Alyssa Liu, for example. She’s the American skater and gold medalist from this year’s Olympics. Would she have won against a bunch of Russian 15-year-olds doing quad jumps? Probably not. But does that mean she didn’t deserve the gold? Absolutely not! I’m thrilled Alyssa Liu won. She embodies what figure skating should be: unique, athletic, aesthetic, beautiful, and FUN! She delivered breathtaking performances, hugged her rivals, and shared both happiness and sorrow with fellow skaters disappointed over their programs. Alyssa Liu, with her bleached circles in her hair and a lip piercing, shows us that a great figure skater comes in all forms.

This year's Olympics gave me hope for the future of figure skating, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

• Elsa,

Spicy Hostel