At the Olympic Games, not only does figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva hit the headlines, but also coach Eteri Tutberidze, who reprimanded her student in front of the world public after collapsing on the ice. Valieva doesn’t take it amiss anymore.
Actually, Kamila Valieva would have had every reason to leave Eteri Tutberidze’s training group after the 2022 Olympics. Despite the skating prodigy having what must have been the worst four minutes of her life on the ice in Beijing, the teenage girl had to listen to her coach lecture her after her utterly botched routine in front of millions of viewers.
The dramatic scenes in the Beijing ice stadium went around the world and sometimes triggered violent reactions. Even IOC boss Thomas Bach intervened, saying he was “disturbed” by the images Tutberidze provided. Valieva remained loyal to Tutberidze, who was later dubbed the “scandal trainer” – despite the sometimes overly harsh and merciless methods of the 48-year-old.
“She’s very demanding and can also scold, but she also gives praise when it’s necessary,” Valieva said of her trainer in an interview with 7 Days magazine. Tutberidze can say “a few words” when the athletes are a bit off track, the teenager admitted. Nevertheless, she tries to look up to the trainer: “I also want to challenge myself, dress nicely and look good.”
Valieva confirms that the rumors about the “hard hand” are no coincidence. When asked if it’s true that Tutberidze rarely praises her students, she said: “Yes, rarely. She only praises when there’s really a reason to. Of course I’d like to be praised more often, but I know what to do with it necessary: ??I have to train very hard. And that’s what I’m trying to do.” Without Tutberidze, Valieva confessed, she probably wouldn’t be on the ice today. “If she hadn’t included me in her group, I would have left figure skating.” After a difficult phase, she switched to Tutberidze’s training group, Valieva said. What she saw there convinced her immediately.
“We knew that she could teach me something new. There were also girls in this group who did quadruple jumps. That was also a decisive factor,” said the Olympic champion, looking back on her first impressions. She can still remember her first session under Tutberidze very well, said Valieva: “Everyone jumped endlessly without getting tired. My strength left me halfway through the training session. I had to clench my teeth to get to the endure to the end.”