Russian figure skating stars Anna Pogorilaya and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva have engaged in a vicious back-and-forth after Pogorilaya lashed out at her teammate over her risqué ‘striptease’ exhibition routine.
World championship bronze medalist Pogorilaya said she would be ashamed to strip off in public, adding that she wouldn’t want her future children to witness such supposedly disgraceful performances.
“I’m not among those people who share the enthusiasm over Tutktamyshaeva’s routine,” Pogorilaya said.
“Do you think it’s decent to strip off on the ice or in some other public place? I would never do that, I respect myself.
“I would feel very uncomfortable if in the future my kids watch such kind of performances and ask me ‘Mom, what is this?’” the skater added.
Tutktamysheva was quick to hit back, advising her fellow skater to concentrate more on her own career rather than focusing on her colleagues.
“Anya, you have recently started to pay too much attention to me. However, I’m not suffering from a lack of attention.
“Are you worrying about my future kids? First of all, I will teach them to respect their elders, their coach and other athletes’ work, instead of blaming others for your failures,” Tuktamysheva tweeted, apparently referring to a slump in Pogorilaya’s career.
Tuktamysheva has become one of the most-discussed skaters this season, re-emerging on the world stage after restoring her signature triple axel.
She also set pulses racing with her raunchy exhibition routine to Britney Spear’s tune “Toxic”, during which she took off her jacket, exposing a black bra to the crowd.
The 2015 world champion launched the so-called “stripping tendency” in figure skating, with many athletes attempting to copy Tuktamysheva’s sexy moves in their routines.