Thread: Eteri Tutberidze and the team at Sambo 70 have a long and horrifying history of disregarding skater health, diminishing serious injuries, and forcing injured teenage athletes into premature retirement. All of this has been enabled by the ISU, judges, and commentators. 1/x
1. Yulia Lipnitskaya
OWG: 🥇 (2014)
WC: 🥈 (2014)
Retired at: 19 (injury & anorexia)
"Eteri Tutberidze was proud to inform the press that Yulia Lipnitskaya ... sometimes existed almost entirely on a diet of 'powdered nutrients.'" aleteia.org/2017/12/29/a-t…
OWG: 🥇 (2014)
WC: 🥈 (2014)
Retired at: 19 (injury & anorexia)
"Eteri Tutberidze was proud to inform the press that Yulia Lipnitskaya ... sometimes existed almost entirely on a diet of 'powdered nutrients.'" aleteia.org/2017/12/29/a-t…
2. Polina Tsurskaya
Youth Olympics: 🥇 (2016)
Junior GPF: 🥇 (2015)
Retired at 17 after struggling with consistency due to body changes.
Polina at her prime:
Youth Olympics: 🥇 (2016)
Junior GPF: 🥇 (2015)
Retired at 17 after struggling with consistency due to body changes.
Polina at her prime:
3. Daria Panenkova
Junior GP: 🥇🥈 (2017)
Retired at 17.
After she left Sambo, her old coaches accused her of shirking training: "[She] once again refused to go on the ice ... she said that did not want to go to training." rsport.ria.ru/20180725/11397…
Junior GP: 🥇🥈 (2017)
Retired at 17.
After she left Sambo, her old coaches accused her of shirking training: "[She] once again refused to go on the ice ... she said that did not want to go to training." rsport.ria.ru/20180725/11397…
4. Anastasia Tarakanova
Junior GPF: 🥉 (2017)
Retired at 17, citing "health reasons." She also struggled with receiving funding and federation support at the end of her career.
Junior GPF: 🥉 (2017)
Retired at 17, citing "health reasons." She also struggled with receiving funding and federation support at the end of her career.
https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1425754708183031811?s=20&t=F2zSKnZR_vxgVyb18ZU5ng
5. Alena Kanysheva
Junior GPF: 🥉(2017) - under coach Svetlana Panova.
Switched to ice dance from singles at 15 following a chronic back injury aggravated by training the 4T at Sambo. Retired from the sport entirely at 16.
Alena's beautiful JGPF FS:
Junior GPF: 🥉(2017) - under coach Svetlana Panova.
Switched to ice dance from singles at 15 following a chronic back injury aggravated by training the 4T at Sambo. Retired from the sport entirely at 16.
Alena's beautiful JGPF FS:
6. Elizabet Tursynbaeva (KAZ)
Youth Olympics: 🥉 (2016)
4CC: 🥈 (2019)
Worlds: 🥈 (2019)
Retired at: 21, but had not competed since age 19.
Despite a chronic back injury, she trained and competed a 4S. She cited her health as the reason for her retirement.
Youth Olympics: 🥉 (2016)
4CC: 🥈 (2019)
Worlds: 🥈 (2019)
Retired at: 21, but had not competed since age 19.
Despite a chronic back injury, she trained and competed a 4S. She cited her health as the reason for her retirement.
7. Evgenia Medvedeva
Olympics: 🥈🥈 (2018) - had a stress fracture.
Worlds: 🥇🥇🥉 (2016-17, 2019)
Has not competed since age 20. She can only safely execute two types of jumps due to a chronic back injury that leaves her unable to turn to the left.
Olympics: 🥈🥈 (2018) - had a stress fracture.
Worlds: 🥇🥇🥉 (2016-17, 2019)
Has not competed since age 20. She can only safely execute two types of jumps due to a chronic back injury that leaves her unable to turn to the left.
https://twitter.com/medvedevanation/status/1466056315919388682
8. Alina Zagitova
Olympics: 🥇🥈 (2018)
Worlds: 🥇 (2019)
Has not competed since age 17.
Alina commented that she and Evgenia were not permitted to drink water to keep their weight down at the Olympics: "We just rinsed our mouths and spit it all out."
Olympics: 🥇🥈 (2018)
Worlds: 🥇 (2019)
Has not competed since age 17.
Alina commented that she and Evgenia were not permitted to drink water to keep their weight down at the Olympics: "We just rinsed our mouths and spit it all out."
9. Daria Usacheva
Jr Worlds: 🥈 (2020)
Jr GPF: 🥉 (2019)
Daria fractured her hip (reported by Russian media as an upper leg injury) in warmup at the 2021 NHK Trophy, at age 15. She left in a wheelchair and has not competed since.
Tw: Injury, bodily harm
Jr Worlds: 🥈 (2020)
Jr GPF: 🥉 (2019)
Daria fractured her hip (reported by Russian media as an upper leg injury) in warmup at the 2021 NHK Trophy, at age 15. She left in a wheelchair and has not competed since.
Tw: Injury, bodily harm
10. Alena Kostornaia
GPF: 🥇 (2019)
Euros: 🥇 (2020)
Eteri claimed Alena had refused to share the ice with other girls. When Alena returned to Sambo after a season with another coach, she was placed on a "probationary period" that required her to re-master the 3A in two months.
GPF: 🥇 (2019)
Euros: 🥇 (2020)
Eteri claimed Alena had refused to share the ice with other girls. When Alena returned to Sambo after a season with another coach, she was placed on a "probationary period" that required her to re-master the 3A in two months.
Alena later fractured her wrist during a 3A attempt and could not compete for an Olympic spot.
Eteri said, "I believe that with such an injury it was possible to skate." fs-gossips.com/i-believe-that…
Alena is 18.
Eteri said, "I believe that with such an injury it was possible to skate." fs-gossips.com/i-believe-that…
Alena is 18.
11. Anna Shcherbakova (2022 Olympian)
Worlds: 🥇 (2021)
Euros: 🥈🥈 (2020, 2022)
Sambo's choreographer, Daniil Gleikhengauz, bragged that Anna could eat two shrimp for dinner and be full, and said he was "glad that she was not obsessed with food."
Worlds: 🥇 (2021)
Euros: 🥈🥈 (2020, 2022)
Sambo's choreographer, Daniil Gleikhengauz, bragged that Anna could eat two shrimp for dinner and be full, and said he was "glad that she was not obsessed with food."
Anna contracted pneumonia in the fall of 2020 and visibly struggled to breathe at 2020 Russian Nationals. Her coaches gave her something to inhale at the boards, possibly smelling salts. Despite this, her "tenacity" was praised by commentators. Anna is 17.
12. Alexandra Trusova (2022 Olympian)
Worlds: 🥉 (2021)
Euros: 🥉🥉 (2020, 2022)
Sat out most of the fall of 2021 due to a fractured foot, but still competed quadruple jumps in the events that she entered. She is 17.
Worlds: 🥉 (2021)
Euros: 🥉🥉 (2020, 2022)
Sat out most of the fall of 2021 due to a fractured foot, but still competed quadruple jumps in the events that she entered. She is 17.
13. Kamila Valieva (2022 Olympian)
Euros: 🥇 (2022)
Kamila is undefeated this season and the favorite for the Olympic title. On Feb. 8, after the team event, it was revealed that she had tested positive for TMZ, a banned substance used to increase heart metabolism. She is 15.
Euros: 🥇 (2022)
Kamila is undefeated this season and the favorite for the Olympic title. On Feb. 8, after the team event, it was revealed that she had tested positive for TMZ, a banned substance used to increase heart metabolism. She is 15.
Skating fans are well-aware of the horrors that arise from Sambo 70's training methods. I hope that this thread will help bring this into a mainstream light. As fans, there's little we can do, but sports authorities can and should act.
Please protect these girls.
End thread.
Please protect these girls.
End thread.
Addendum:
Adian Pitkeev
Jr Worlds: 🥈 (2014)
Jr GPF: 🥈 (2013)
Left singles skating at 18. Most elite men are able to compete well into their 20s.
Spent much of his career competing on a chronic injury. Despite this, Sambo coaches persisted in having him train quadruple jumps.
Adian Pitkeev
Jr Worlds: 🥈 (2014)
Jr GPF: 🥈 (2013)
Left singles skating at 18. Most elite men are able to compete well into their 20s.
Spent much of his career competing on a chronic injury. Despite this, Sambo coaches persisted in having him train quadruple jumps.
Thank you to everyone who kindly reminded me to include him.
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