‘You’ve killed the little girl inside me’ – Tuktamysheva on Russian team World Champs snub

Russian figure skating star Elizaveta Tuktamysheva has spoken out after national team selectors opted to hand Evgenia Medvedeva the remaining spot on the team for the upcoming World Championships in Japan.

Following days of speculation over who would get the final nod for the team – joining Sofia Samodurova, 16, and Alina Zagitova, also 16 – selectors voted for Olympic silver medalist Medvedeva ahead of Tuktamysheva by 19 votes to seven.

Tuktamysheva was handed the consolation of a spot on the reserve list, but clearly felt hard done by, taking to Twitter to voice her disappointment while vowing to fight back.

“Inside myself still was a little girl who naively believed. You’ve killed her. But I’m a fighter and will return,” the 22-year-old wrote.

Both Medvedeva, 19, and Tuktamysheva appeared at the Cup of Russia event last week in a bid to book the remaining spot in the team.

Medvedeva won the event, while Tuktamysheva ended not far behind in second.

However, two-time world champion Medvedeva has endured an inconsistent season by her own high standards, with a third-place finish at the season-opening Grand Prix, Skate Canada, being her best finish on the international stage.

Tuktamysheva won that event and also finished third at the end of year Grand Prix Final, in what was an impressive resurgence for the 2015 world champion.

However, she was cruelly put out of action in December by a bout of pneumonia which forced her out of the National Championships, before finishing narrowly behind Medvedeva at the Cup of Russia.

Tuktamysheva’s likely absence from the World Championships – which take place in Saitama, Japan, from March 18 to 24 – will also mean fans are deprived of her popular exhibition routine, during which she strips down to her bra to the tune of Britney Spears’ Toxic.