Athletistic/ Figure Skating. No sooner had the passions surrounding the upcoming operation on the thigh of Alena Kostornaya subsided than Anna Shcherbakova gave the opportunity for another part of unrest. On the eve of the Olympic champion in Beijing, she said that in the very near future she will go to Germany, where she will undergo knee surgery.

The concern of fans of the figures is quite understandable – they do not fly to Germany for ordinary operations. And that means the injury Shcherbakova suffered last season has become chronic.

Already today we can say that Anna will give up the competition process for a long time – recovery after knee surgery takes at least several months.

Thus, Shcherbakova automatically misses the September test skates of the Russian team (September 24-25) and the starting stages of the National Cup, the draw of which begins in October.

Many fans began to talk about the end of Shcherbakova’s career, although Anna herself in her last post made it clear that she was optimistic about the future.

“I have an operation in a few days. But I’m sure everything will be fine,” Anna wrote.

What do we know about Shcherbakova’s injury?

The media became aware of Shcherbakova’s injury last season, when Anna appeared with teips at the Russian Championship in December and then at the European Championship in Tallinn. We’re talking about a left knee injury, jogging leg. There was also talk of Shcherbakova’s functional problems during the Beijing Olympics, but early in life Khrustalny’s medical staff managed to “recover” her figure skater. The result exceeded all expectations – Shcherbakova returned from Beijing with a gold medal on her chest.

However, today it is already clear at what price Anna received the capture of the Olympic Fortress in the Celestial Empire – now the sporting fate of the Crystal Princess was in the hands of German surgeons.

Could Shcherbakova’s injury have gotten worse after the figure skater’s long tour of Sochi with Ilya Averbukh’s show? The question is good, especially since from July 8 to August 8, Shcherbakova went out on the ice in Sochi no less than 22 times! The load is enormous, you will tell me. Yes, everything is so – really huge. However, in this case we can only talk about the total load on the body, and not about the critical load on the sore knee.

In other words, even 22 outings on the ice as part of the show cannot be compared with a week of shock training in Khrustalny. It is therefore impossible to accuse Shcherbakova or Averbukh of frivolity.

Does Anna plan to return to the ice next season?

Already at the beginning of the summer of this year, the media learned that Kamila Valieva was preparing a new program – Interstellar. Also in social networks there was information about new programs for Alexandra Trusova and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, but nothing was heard about the preparation of a new “repertoire” for Shcherbakova this year!

It is quite possible that the coaching staff of Khrustalny and Anna herself decided in advance to skip the competition year, devoting the second half of 2022 to the restoration of the figure skater.

Two factors argue in favor of this version. First of all, of course, we are talking about Anna’s motivation – after the victory in Beijing, the figure skater absolutely needs to recharge psychologically. The second factor is the aforementioned trauma.

As you know, Russia has been suspended from international departures until the end of this year, and it is not a fact that our skaters will be able to return to the international stage in the 2023/24 season. Thus, only the Russian championship of serious competitions remains, but Anna has already won three national championships – much more?! Shcherbakova’s motivation is zero, and without mental strength, the new Everests, as you know, do not conquer. The perfect time for surgery and the restoration of sporting ambitions!

All this together speaks for the fact that Anna was not even going to perform in the second half of 2022. The lack of information about new programs and operation a month before the test skates is another confirmation of this.

Will Shcherbakova continue her professional career?

One thing can be said about this: fans have nothing to fear. Shcherbakova is only 18 – the desire to compete, defend and prove at this age is only reaching its peak.

Shcherbakova will perform and compete, the main thing is to wait for Russian sports to return from insulting isolation on the international stage. Shcherbakova will not.

This summer, another Olympic champion from Russia, Alina Zagitova, clarified in an interview that she could resume her professional career in the near future. If you allow yourself to imagine, assuming that Zagi really does return, then in March we can witness a very spectacular picture.

Imagine that in the spring competition restrictions are lifted for Russian figure skaters, and along with this long-awaited news, Olympic champions Shcherbakova and Zagitova, holding hands, walk into the Khrustalny press room and announce the pursuit of their professional career.

Dreams, you say? Maybe. But, thanks to our amazing skaters, we know for sure that dreams come true! So be it!

Timofey Belenko, Athletistic