The media reported that Diana Davis, daughter of honored coach of Russia Eteri Tutberidze, who skated in pairs in ice dance with Gleb Smolkin, will continue to perform under the flag of the USA team.
Tutberidze confirmed this, according to Skating Lesson.
Diana Davis was born in America in 2003 and therefore holds US citizenship. Recently, their tandem with Smolkin is trained exclusively in the United States, under the guidance of Igor Shpilband.
Last season, Davis and Smolkin made a breakthrough and unexpectedly climbed to the second step of the podium at the Russian Championships. Most likely, the duo would have finished third, but Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, who won the rhythm dance, withdrew after the first such competition due to a back injury to their partner.
However, Davis and Smolkin’s performance later caused an extremely mixed reaction among fans and skaters alike. Some of the competitors who remained behind pointed to the bias of the judges due to the high position of the athlete’s mother.
True, no one confirmed these rumors, and Davis and Smolkin went first to the European Championships, where they took seventh place, and then to the Olympic Games, where they took 14th place.
True, the tandem did not take part in the team tournament, which was won by the Russian team, but the detractors said that they would enter the free dance, bypassing the country’s second duet – Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin. As a result, both parts of the “commander” skated Sinitsin and Katsalapov.
However, Diana Davis did not confirm the news about her citizenship change. Moreover, he reacted to them, albeit very vaguely, with irony:
“What interesting news we will learn about ourselves,” Davis wrote on his social networks.
At the same time, Dave Leese, author of The Skating Lesson, wrote that Tutberidze himself wanted to work more in North America.
“He wants to study in the USA, but that is not possible. There are too many skaters and he can’t get them. But he wants to do it,” says the author.
“Another fraud,” Tutberidze reacted on his social networks.
Given the scale of Tutberidze’s personality and Davis’ status as a national team athlete, the Russian Figure Skating Federation had to react.
“To agree on a transfer, you need an official letter from the country from which the athlete wishes to transfer, in this case the American Federation, as well as the consent of the athlete for the transfer,” said the FFKR.
“There has been no such request or demand from the American Federation or the athlete himself to the federation.”
But Renat Laishev, head of the Sambo-70 school, which includes the Khrustalny department, where Tutberidze worked until recently, said that the specialist is now with his daughter across the ocean, but does not approve of a direct departure on a permanent flight. basis.
“I can’t say anything about it. We don’t have any information about it. One thing we do know: Eteri and Diana reunited in the USA. But we are still grateful to them for everything! For everything they have done and will do for us! said Laishev .
– His daughter Tutberidze graduated from our school “Sambo-70”. She is always patriotic for her country and homeland.”
Also, Match TV broadcast information that Davis had surgery in 2021 and is recovering from hearing problems (the athlete was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss as a child).
However, the figure skater denied this information, saying it was a lie.
“The possible performances of Diana Davis for the USA? If Eteri can help her daughter perform on the international stage, then it makes sense – although unpatriotic, I would say, ”Soviet skater and honored coach of Russia Lyudmila Velikova considered the possible transition in a comment for socialbites.ca.
“Why are they throwing this information away? Maybe for Eteri Georgievna to consider herself such an opportunity. Because instead of sitting without international competitions, since Diana has a passport, maybe it is better to play for the USA, ”Zhulin said at the Championship.
– I do not think that Diana and Gleb will skate for the USA. Although we will see how the situation will develop. For example, if Russia were deprived of international competitions for 20 years…
Hypothetically, I wouldn’t rule out such a possibility. After all, people have only one life. At least ten years left to ride. If they are well aware that they will never see the World Cup or the Olympic Games, why do they refuse this opportunity?
I wouldn’t see them as some kind of wrong person. I repeat that the life of an athlete is short. They need to look at all this more rationally. Nobody canceled international competitions. Still, the only thing to be appreciated is when you beat the whole world. When you’re a world champion – it sounds good.
Now for me the title of “world champion” in women’s skating doesn’t sound perfect. Because Russia, the most powerful country, is missing. It’s worthless to me.”