Irina Slutskaya: “To this day, I still believe I was the best at 2002 Olympics. My daughter, when she first watched that performance, asked in amazement, ‘Mom, how could that American girl have won? She made such serious mistakes.”
Irina Slutskaya about start of her career, health problems and 2002 Olympics.
original source: tv-gubernia.ru dd. 24th September 2024 by SErgei Dorokhov
In an interview Iruna Slutskaya shared how she achieved success and what difficulties she had to overcome. Here’s a translation of her comments.
“In my childhood, I was a rather frail girl. I was sick a lot. And the doctors advised my mother to put me into some kind of sports section to make me stronger. That’s how I ended up on skates. It was the early ’80s. And back then, only a selected few could skate on indoor rinks. So, I initially trained on an outdoor rink. In the summer, I removed the blades, attached wheels, and skated on asphalt. I grew up in an ordinary Soviet family. I didn’t have any privileges. That’s why my father always told me, ‘Skate as much as you can. Sport will open the door to a world of great opportunities.’ And that’s exactly what happened. I traveled to different countries and won a bunch of medals. You wouldn’t believe it, but what I was most delighted about at the start of my career was owning stylish imported sneakers and a sports suit with the inscription ‘USSR team.’ Back then, such clothing was simply not available. And I was very proud of that,” the athlete recalled.
Irina Slutskaya also noted that any athlete aspiring for high titles and awards must know how to work in a team. According to the champion, behind all her medals stands a whole team of professionals: from coaches, doctors, choreographers to technical staff who fix skates and sharpen blades.
Irina Slutskaya slao shared details of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, USA, in 2002. “For me, this was a huge blow. I was so angry, I threw my skates and medals around. I was beside myself. Even before my performance, deep down, I understood that a Russian girl wouldn’t be allowed to win at the American home Olympic Games. Unfortunately, politics and sports are inseparable,” Irina Slutskaya said. “But to this day, I still believe I was the best at that Olympics. And my daughter, when she first watched that performance, asked in amazement, ‘Mom, how could that American girl have won? She made such serious mistakes. You should have won!”
The athlete also shared that it was after these events that she began to experience serious health problems.
“I started treatment. I missed an entire season because of it. I kept asking the doctors, ‘When can I finally get back on the ice?’ To which they replied, ‘Are you out of your mind? What ice? With your diagnosis, some patients don’t survive.’ Many specialists from the sports world assured me that my career was over, and it would be impossible to return to the podium. Because of this, I got very angry. Why should some strangers decide my fate? Eventually, I managed to improve my health. And just a year later, I won everything I could, including the World Championships. This is a clear example that one should never despair under any circumstances. And as long as there is such an opportunity, one must fight and win.”
She also shared her recipe for dealing with stress, “I’m a normal living person. I can get very angry or upset over some trifle, just like everyone else,” the skater shared. “In such a state, I try to occupy myself with something. I read or go for a walk in the forest. I might also clean the floors at home. It’s very relaxing. And more than anything, I love spending time with my family. Just recently, I went swimming in the river with my daughter. And we also grilled sausages on the barbeque. Such moments are simply priceless!”
Related topics: Irina Slutskaya
I rewatched the long programs..she was not the best…Sarah Hughes was flawless…anddeserved to win…and i so wanted Michelle to win…get over it….Nancy Kerrigan should have won over Oksana..that’s life
The fact is, let’s face it, America, and most of its allies, are biased against Russia, for whatever reason. I think because they feel threatened by Russia and what it’s capable of. It’s fear, I think, black listing/boycotting, and now with the war, they have a perfect excuse (to ban them, and throw hate upon them).
Just like a Rudski to think they are the best. You have never been the best, you are not the best & you will never be the best. God is watching what your “BEST” is doing to Ukraine. I would just lay low with your disingenuous comments.
Irina was definitely the best!!
Different skaters were robbed of skating medals for years, not just Irina. I’m not saying she was robbed buy lots and lots over the years have because of the judges
Then why didn’t she submit an a review or whatever at the time?
Yes, it is questionable why the US is allowed at the Olympics just like Russia or China or Israel.we know the answer, $$$$ Dopers and war mongers should not be allowed.
The only person robbed in the Salt Lake Cith Okympics women’s competition was Sasha Cohen. Sasha should have been 1st after the short program and Sarah Hughes out of the top 3. Michelle Kwan should have been third, not first. The US and judging panel was definitely biased towards Michelle but the only person truly deserved the gold was Sasha not Sarah and definitely not Irina.
The Taliban said that they will give bin Laden if Bush can prove that he planned 911. Yet, US still invade Afghanistan in 7 October 2001. In 2003 it invaded Iraq for no reason. WMD was bogus. They still occupy Iraq and Syria to this day, without any UN mandate. So, all the shit won by American athletes since October 2001 should be stripped!!
Rules are for thee, but not for me!
Slutskaya is correct – she was simply robbed in this Olympics. Sara Hughes became a champion of under rotations. Yagudin and Pluschenko were in different league in the men competition – no other guy but one of these two could have won. In the pair competition an assault on Russians also happened (shared gold after the initial result..). Salt Lake Olympics in figure skating were dirty!
I can’t stand when personal beliefs are stated to contraindicate the results of games such as Olympics n high level sport .yes she is awesome but Olympics and people judges can be biased but to state bc she competed in USA ,this is reason she didn’t win !?!?
yagudin won at those olympics, so it seems it was possible for a russian person to win in the US