Ilya Averbukh: “When I was a child, boys made fun of me because of figure skating”

Renowned choreographer and Olympic silver medalist Ilya Averbukh admitted that when he was a child he was embarrassed to practice figure skating.

Averbukh is a 2002 Olympic silver medalist in ice dancing with Irina Lobacheva. Their duo also won the World Championship (2002) and the European Championship (2003).

— When I was a child, boys made fun of me. It is common for boys to play hockey or football and not pretend to be a figure skater. I was a little shy about figure skating, it seemed to me that it was not a very childish story. However, there was no point arguing with my mother.

And I was so lucky to meet a man who worked in Luzhniki. Today, this place is becoming a concentration of sports facilities. I was just taken to the Crystal Rink. Therefore, my whole life is connected with Luzhniki. Since I came there at the age of six, my life has been connected with this, ”reports the correspondent of , according to Averbukh’s words.