Daniil Gleikhengauz: “Of course, as a coach, I personally wanted to be present at international events because I miss them deeply.”

Daniil Gleikhengauz Reflects on Missing the Olympic Qualification Tournament

original source: TASS

Daniil Gleikhengauz, choreographer and coach from Eteri Tutberidze’s group, shared his thoughts on the emotional journey of being unable to attend the Olympic qualification tournament. Here’s a translation of her comments.

The 2026 Olympic qualification event took place in Beijing, with Russian figure skater Adelia Petrosian competing under neutral status and securing first place. However, Daniil Gleikhengauz, her coach, was unable to attend due to restrictions.

“I’ve already moved on from the situation,” Gleikhengauz said. “At first, it was, of course, unpleasant and very upsetting – four years have passed since the last Olympics, and we understood that we had earned, together with Adelia, the opportunity to first compete at the qualification tournament and then at the Olympics. We’ve worked hard for this moment and continue to push forward.”

He emphasized how much he misses participating in international competitions: “Of course, as a coach, I personally wanted to be present at international events because I miss them deeply. But the decision [regarding our exclusion] has been made. No reasons are given, not even to our athletes, who were also denied participation.”

Despite the challenges, Gleikhengauz remains optimistic: “There’s no point in dwelling on this for too long. What I want most is to believe that someday we will all return to the international stage and be able to showcase our mastery not just within our country but on the global scene.”

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