Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian has hardly been seen on the international stage, but the mysterious skater who could threaten some of the biggest U.S. stars made her debut at the Milan Cortina Olympics — all while her coach was forced to watch away from the rink.
Questions swirled as Petrosian took the ice for her short program skate. Could she contend for a gold medal?
It certainly seems possible now.
But outside of her skate, much conversation has been had about Petrosian’s controversial coach.
So who is the skater and why was her performance Tuesday so anticipated?
Who is Adeliia Petrosian?
The 18-year-old Russian Skater has only skated one senior competition outside of her homeland, the qualifier that earned her place as a neutral athlete in Milan. That’s because Russia has been banned from international sports events during its war with Ukraine.
Petrosian has landed quadruple jumps in Russian national events, much like her compatriots were able to do in previous Olympics, and none of the other skaters at the Milan Cortina Games are able to match those high-scoring elements.
The big question is whether she’s fit enough to do it in Milan.
Her fitness had been uncertain following comments about injuries last month in a recent Russian documentary.
Petrosian said she felt “excellent” after a practice session at the Winter Olympics, however, so it certainly seems possible.
The International Skating Union vetted Petrosian before granting her neutral status for the Olympic qualifier she won in September, before her controversial coach joined her entourage.
Who is her coach?
Petrosian is the latest star produced by Eteri Tutberidze, who revolutionized women’s skating a decade ago by getting young girls barely in their teens to perform bigger and bigger jumps, only to have many of them struggle with repeated injuries.
She coached 2018 gold medalist Alina Zagitova, and a trio of standouts in 2022, when Anna Shcherbakova won the gold medal.
But the Beijing Games have been remembered less for Shcherbakova’s triumph and more for the positive doping test turned in by another Tutberidze talent, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva. The case ended ultimately in a doping ban for Valieva that only recently ended, and an investigation into Tutberidze, though it found no evidence of wrongdoing by the Russian coach.
Tutberidze also was criticized for her harsh words toward her students in Beijing, while World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Bańka said he didn’t “feel comfortable with her presence” at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
As part of the fallout from the Valieva case, the International Skating Union increased the minimum age from 15 to 17 for senior-level athletes. That means Petrosian is one of the oldest women’s skaters that Tutberidze has coached at a major championship.
The International Olympic Committee manages coaches’ accreditations for the Olympics, where Tutberidze is also present as a coach for a Georgian men’s skater.
The IOC said Tutberidze was at the Games as a coach for Georgia and indicated she won’t be rink-side when Petrosian skates in competition.
“As at all Olympic Games, during training, figure skating athletes are able to seek guidance from other coaches that they know well,” the IOC said in an e-mailed statement. “During the actual competition, the athletes may only be coached by their accredited team officials.”
How did Petrosian do in the women’s short program?
The teen skater went second during the start of the women’s figure skating competition. She performed to a medley of Michael Jackson songs in the short program Tuesday, finishing with a promising score of 72.89.
“She definitely just set a standard in this women’s short program,” Olympic gold medalist and commentator Tara Lipinski said. “Technically that was solid. Artisitically she put on a show.”
“No doubt will play a role moving forward,” commentator Terry Gannon said.
Especially if she lands a quadruple jump in her free skate, the experts noted.
If Petrosian can get past skaters like the U.S. “Blade Angels” trio of Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito, and Japanese stars Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, she’ll shoot to sudden fame as the fourth consecutive Olympic champion from Russia.
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