Athletistic/ Figure skating. There are only a few days left until the end of 2023. Many people want to take stock of the past year and set goals for 2024. In particular, sport is one of the areas of life where it is difficult to pass results. The results of athletes, their public activity, the various events that happen to them can tell a lot. One of the most popular sports in Russia is figure skating. We offer to guess who could become the Russian athlete of the year in this sport in different categories.

Women’s individual skating

Of course, many deserve to receive the title of Athlete of the Year in women’s singles skating. This includes Adelia Petrosyan, who became the winner of the Russian Grand Prix in March and national champion in December, and Sofya Muravyova, who has made serious progress.

However, I would especially like to highlight Kamila Valieva. She showed very good results last year. The figure skater became second in the Russian Grand Prix final in last season’s final and also won bronze at the Russian Championship in Chelyabinsk. At the stage of the Russian Grand Prix in Kazan, Valieva became fourth, and in Moscow – first.

At the same time, since February 2022, the investigation into his doping control case has been ongoing and it is now being examined by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Therefore, it is worth respecting the fact that, despite such psychological pressure, Kamila Valieva continues to go on the ice and show very decent results. Many of his fans would like this story to end like a bad dream. This is what we expect from the coming year.

Kamila Valieva

Men’s single skating

This discipline was a pleasant surprise. It is clear that the young skaters are developing and preparing to be in better shape for when Russians compete internationally again. Evgeniy Semenenko and Pyotr Gumennik were among the best. Semenenko won the Russian figure skating championship last week. Gummenik won bronze there and in March became the winner of the final of the Russian Grand Prix of figure skating. Additionally, the skaters won a Grand Prix stage this fall.

However, as additional motivation, I would like to give the title of athlete of the year to Vladislav Dikidzhi. This season he immediately made a powerful statement and showed good results. Dikidzhi first won the Russian Grand Prix in Kazan, then gold in Moscow and silver at the Russian Championship. It can be said that the 19-year-old skater has become a worthy candidate to represent Russia in competitions in the future.

Vladislav Dikidji

Pair skating

In this discipline, there is serious competition between Anastasia Mishina/Alexander Gallyamov and Alexandra Boykova/Dmitry Kozlovsky. The confrontation takes on additional effect by the fact that Boykova and Kozlovsky joined Eteri Tutberidze’s group, while Mishina and Gallyamov remained with Tamara Moskvina. Thus, the couples now represent two opposing camps.

Alexandra Boykova and Dmitry Kozlovsky won the final of the Russian Grand Prix, in December Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov became Russian champions. At the same time, both pairs won two stages of the Russian Grand Prix. Mishina and Gallyamov should be recognized as athletes of the year because they continue the leadership that has developed in recent years, and Boykova and Kozlovsky, in turn, try to compete with them. This year, the situation has improved further.

Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov

Dancing on ice

After the suspension of the on-ice performances of Victoria Sinitsyna and Nikita Katsalapov, Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin became the big favorites. It was they who became the champions of Russia. At the same time, it should be noted that Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Yegor Bazin also have great potential.

Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin

Separate nomination “For the desire to live”

Of course, one of the most mentioned figure skaters in the media was 2006 Olympic champion Roman Kostomarov. He can be named athlete of the year in a separate category. In January, he ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. Further treatment led to necrosis. Because of him, the skater’s limbs were amputated.

Despite the difficult situation, Roman Kostomarov did not give up and set an excellent example for all humanity. He underwent prosthetics and hit the ice in December. He performed in two numbers of Ilya Averbukh’s show. Kostomarov showed incredible perseverance, courage and courage.

Roman Kostomarov

2023 was the second year without international competitions. Sanctions have two effects. On the one hand, some popular skaters (e.g. Alexandra Trusova and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva) lose motivation to participate in tournaments and therefore put their careers on hold. On the other hand, the current situation favors the discovery of young talents. However, many hope that in 2024 the discriminatory policy against Russian athletes will end and they will be able to participate in international tournaments.

Yaroslav Piatykh, Athletistic


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