Russia’s next star? 11yo figure skating prodigy Sofia Akatyeva lands quad

Russian figure skater Sofya Akatyeva, 11, has successfully landed a quad at a training session to become one of the youngest athletes ever to pull off one of the sport’s most difficult elements.

Training under renowned coach Eteri Tutberidze, Akatyeva nailed a quadruple toe loop while practicing at Khrustalny center in Moscow, following in the footsteps of her senior teammates who have already included quads in their free programs.

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“The show must go on,” Tutberidze captioned the video of Akatyeva’s impressive quad attempt, which she shared on her Instagram page.

The talented junior became the fourth Russian skater to jump a quad, making it a trademark element of Tutberidze’s female team.

Earlier, Tutberidze’s students Alexandra Trusova and Anna Sherbakova demonstrated impeccable quads at junior events, while Elizabet Tursynbayeva – who represents Kazakhstan – nailed a quad toe loop at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships, becoming the first female athlete to achieve the feat at senior level.

The 45-year-old coach has guided several skaters to the figure skating pinnacle, earning fame as one of the most successful women’s coaches.

In 2014, she trained Yulia Lipnitskaya to Olympic gold in team event and four years later two of her skaters, Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, triumphed at the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea, winning gold and silver respectively.

Zagitova added one more title to her name last week, splendidly winning the world championships in Japan.