Tuktamysheva: “When I took a break from my career, I knew it wasn’t the end”

World figure skating champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva in an interview with , she told how she felt about putting her career on hold.

Tuktamysheva announced in October 2023 that she was taking a career break. The 27-year-old figure skater actively participated in the show, after which she returned to training to prepare for the Russian Show Jumping Championships, which will be held on January 20-21 in Moscow. The fact of his participation in the competition was confirmed by coach Alexei Mishin.

— You announced a break in your career at the end of October. It is clear that such decisions are not made in one day, which is why I would like to analyze them chronologically. Your last competition at the moment is the Russian Grand Prix Final in March 2023 in your beloved St. Petersburg. How did you feel when the tournament ended and you realized it was the season finale?

— Everything was as usual: I was a little worried, the adrenaline was playing, and at the same time there was calm, an attitude as if it were an ordinary tournament. I certainly didn’t have the mindset of an athlete finishing his career that “this is my last competition” – when you want to cry, your soul hurts. That is, I knew that this was not the end,” Tuktamysheva told .

Tuktamysheva is world and European champion, winner of the Grand Prix final of the 2014/15 season.