Renowned figure skating coach Tatyana Tarasova recently declined to comment on the Russian Grand Prix final, citing a decision made by Channel One. In an interview with DEA News, Tarasova explained that she would not be providing analysis because sanctions had been imposed relating to her stance that aligns with Evgeni Plushenko. She added that the situation does not cause personal sadness, noting her own collection of ten Olympic medals and expressing astonishment at how some people are treated in the public arena.
Tarasova’s stance follows her previous public support for Plushenko, the two-time Olympic champion, after she criticized judges in the Russian junior championship held in Perm. Plushenko, for his part, has indicated a pause in media interactions for a year related to the ongoing legal and coaching disputes surrounding his students.
At the Russian junior championships in women’s singles, Alina Gorbacheva triumphed under the guidance of coach Sofia Fedchenko. Plushenko’s trainees, Veronika Zhilina and Sofia Titova, finished in second and fourth places respectively, positions many analysts had anticipated they would secure. The results have intensified discussions about refereeing standards and the potential implications for the careers of young skaters tied to Plushenko’s training group.
Following the event, Plushenko criticized recent refereeing decisions that affected his students and suggested that some athletes could consider changing their sports citizenship as a means of pursuing different opportunities. These remarks added fuel to the ongoing debate over governance and accountability in national-level figure skating competitions.
In a separate update, former Honored Coach of Russia in figure skating Inna Goncharenko commented on the victory of Veronika Zhilina, a skater affiliated with the Angela Plushenko Academy, at the Russian Junior Grand Prix. Goncharenko noted the skilled performance and highlighted the ongoing influence of Plushenko’s coaching methods on emerging talents in the sport. The broader Canadian and American audiences now have renewed interest in these developments as they watch how junior skaters from Russia adapt to evolving competitive standards and potential shifts in training ecosystems amid international discussions about coaching practices and judging procedures.