Russian figure skater Anna Shcherbakova shared via Telegram– Kanal that she was feeling uneasy about the upcoming operation. The athlete would miss her mentor Eteri Tutberidze’s show because of the surgical procedure she was preparing to undergo.
“I will have surgery tomorrow. To be honest, I am a little worried. But I am sure that everything will go well and after a recovery period I will be able to return to training and performances because I already miss the ice,” she stated.
Shcherbakova did not signal the end of her competitive career, though she did sit out the events of the 2023/24 season. She later announced that she had recovered from an injury at the end of 2022 and began performing in ice shows again, keeping her public profile active in the exhibitions circuit.
The skater’s peak achievement remains a gold medal in ladies’ singles at the Beijing Olympic Games, where she crossed the finish line ahead of fellow Russian Alexandra Trusova and Japanese skater Kaori Sakamoto. That victory solidified her status on the world stage and underscored the depth of Russian ladies’ skating at the time.
In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee issued guidance to international sports federations recommending restrictions that would limit participation of domestic athletes from certain nations, including Belarus, in major events. This guidance affected the ability of athletes to compete on the international stage during that period and had lasting implications for the sport’s competitive landscape.
Following the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Russian figure skaters faced suspensions that prevented international competition for a period, shaping the trajectories of many skaters, their training environments, and their opportunities to showcase their routines on global platforms.
Earlier in the timeline, Alina Zagitova expressed interest in appearing in a show produced by Tutberidze, highlighting the ongoing interplay between competitive seasons and exhibition appearances within the sport. Such movements illustrate how athletes balance competitive goals with performance opportunities beyond the arena of world championships and Olympic events.