‘Russian Rocket’ forced out of national showpiece
Olympic medalist Alexandra Trusova has been forced to withdraw from the Russian Figure Skating Championships due to illness. The 18-year-old was set to be among the main attractions at the event in Krasnoyarsk.
Trusova’s removal from the list of entrants was confirmed on Friday. She had taken part in practice on Thursday but felt unwell.
“Unfortunately, due to illness, I will miss the Russian championship. I look forward to seeing you on the ice next time. Thank you all for your support,” the figure skater wrote on social media.
RT Russian reported that Trusova had a temperature of 39.4C (102.9F) on Friday morning and was told not to compete by doctors.
Nicknamed ‘The Russian Rocket’ and ‘Quad Queen’ for her remarkable routines, Trusova was set to be one of the main draws for fans at the Russian Championships in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, where the women’s competition gets underway on Friday.
Trusova won Olympic silver at the Beijing Games in February and is a World Championship bronze medalist, among numerous other accolades. She earned silver at the Russian Championships last year in St. Petersburg.
Her absence in Krasnoyarsk follows the withdrawal of popular men’s star Mark Kondratiuk, who is Trusova’s boyfriend.
Kondratiuk had competed in the men’s short program earlier in the week, ending a lowly 12th, and was absent for the free routines. It was later reported that he was struggling with injury.
Despite Trusova’s withdrawal, fans in Krasnoyarsk will have the chance to see a talent-packed women’s field which includes Kamila Valieva – the defending champion and an Olympic gold medalist in the team event in Beijing – and former world champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva.
Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova is missing, however, as she continues to recover from a knee operation.
Meanwhile, Russian skaters continue to be banned from international events by the ISU because of the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian Figure Skating Federation has held its own series of Grand Prix events as an alternative, which will culminate in the finals in Sochi in March.
