Figure skater Akhantieva: “I always admire Valieva, I have followed her successes since I was a junior!”

Russian figure skater Ksenia Akhantieva in an interview with , she highlighted the innovative idea Kamila Valieva in a room with a hood.

During the 2022/23 season, Valieva’s performances echoed events at the Beijing Olympics, where she pulled a hood over her head while walking past reporters in the mixed zone.

— Which skater did you like last season?

-Camila [Валиева]. I still admire him, I have followed his successes since I was a junior. After all, we played together at his victorious Junior World Championships in Tallinn.

In pairs, I support, first of all, Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin – my classmates. I also always rejoice at the successes of Nastya Mishina and Sasha Gallyamov, I congratulate them on every medal. We happen to cross paths at university.

— What do you think of Camila’s program from last season, dedicated to the Olympics? Could you play out your pain on ice?

— The idea is of course very innovative. The main thing is that it arouses emotions in the audience. So it was worth it! For Kamila, it is also a kind of experience, like therapy. Can I do this? I don’t know. Probably not. I understand standard images better,” Akhantieva told .

Valieva at the 2022 Olympics helped the Russian team win gold in the team competition. Before the personal tournament, it became known that the banned drug trimetazidine was found in the doping sample of the figure skater of the Russian championship. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) admitted the Russian to the individual competitions of the Games, where she took fourth place. However, the award ceremony for the winners of the team tournament has not yet taken place due to the investigation.

On Tuesday, the CAS began closed-door hearings on appeals by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), the International Skating Union (ISU) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against RUSADA’s decision in the case of the athlete. The CAS closed hearings will take place on September 26, 27, 28 and 29 (as applicable).

Find the full version of the interview with Ksenia Akhantieva on Wednesday September 27 on the website!