Yana Rudkovskaya, a producer and the spouse of two-time Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko, stated that she did not view the interview with Russia’s celebrated coach Eteri Tutberidze. Her remark was shared with metaratings.ru as part of ongoing conversations around the sport and its coaching network.
Rudkovskaya explained that she had no plans to watch the conversation, emphasizing that she and her team had just finished a successful show that left little time for additional media engagements. She added that the behavior and personality of Tutberidze did not hold interest for her at the moment, highlighting the distinction between public performances and private reflections in the figure skating community.
On November 1, Tutberidze appeared on the YouTube program Comment.Show, engaging with a panel of experts in the field who offered critiques based on recent performances and training approaches. The discussion touched on evolving techniques, training loads, and the preferences of skaters who have risen through Tutberidze’s system and those who have moved beyond it.
Within the broader landscape, Tutberidze has trained a notable roster including Evgenia Medvedeva, two-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist; Yulia Lipnitskaya, Olympic champion; Alina Zagitova and Anna Shcherbakova, both top competitors; Elisabeth Tursynbaeva, a vice world champion; European champion Alena Kostornaya; and European championship medalist Sergei Voronov. The coach’s group has also mentored Alexandra Trusova, a prominent figure in the next generation of skaters. The network of athletes and coaches connected to Tutberidze continues to spark discussions about technique, development timelines, and the pressures faced by elite competitors as they transition across youth and senior levels.
In related exchanges, former champions such as Irina Rodnina have offered rebuttals to Tutberidze’s critiques, contributing to a broader dialogue about coaching philosophies, athlete welfare, and the balance between artistic expression and technical execution in modern figure skating. These conversations reflect a sport that remains deeply interwoven with personal narratives, national pride, and the high-stakes performance culture that defines competitive ice dancing and skating in the region.