In a revealing interview on the YouTube channel “Comment.Show,” renowned Russian coach Eteri Tutberidze discussed the grade of victories her top pupil Anna Shcherbakova achieved, especially as rivals Alena Kostornaya and Alexandra Trusova shifted to Evgeni Plushenko’s group. The conversation touched on how these career moves impacted the competitive landscape in ladies’ figure skating and the way training choices shape outcomes across the sport.
For Tutberidze, the period of change among her skaters felt like a form of revenge, a perception she framed as the strongest possible teaching method. She described the situation as the kind of practical teaching that leaves a lasting imprint on technique, strategy, and competitive mindset.
Kostornaya trained under Tutberidze until mid-2020 before transferring to Plushenko. She returned to Khrustalny in the spring of 2021 on a probation period lasting two months. Approximately one year later, Kostornaya again left Tutberidze, this time to join Elena Buyanova’s group, seeking a fresh approach to development and performance.
From 2016 through 2020, Trusova trained in Tutberidze’s program before moving to Evgeni Plushenko in May 2020. She returned to Tutberidze’s tutelage about a year later, continuing a career characterized by rapid growth and high technical demands.
Shcherbakova has been part of Tutberidze’s team since 2013. She claimed the World Championship title at the 2021 event held in Stockholm, Sweden, and earned a silver medal at the 2022 European Championships. In February 2022, she won team gold at the Beijing Olympics, finishing ahead of compatriot Alexandra Trusova and Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, underscoring a pivotal moment for Russian ladies’ skating on the world stage.
Previously, Tutberidze addressed the sudden changes in skater affiliations and the way such moves ripple through the training environment, emphasizing the resilience and adaptability required to maintain peak performance amid shifting team dynamics.