“Lena is not a robot – she’s a person! You could ruin a girl in the pursuit of medals and prize money, since nothing else seems to interest you!” Plushenko told that Elena Kostyleva’s mother is registered with child protective services
Evgeni Plushenko responded to the accusations from Elena Kostyleva’s mother.
source: Evgeni Plushenko’s Telegram
A public conflict erupted between the mother of figure skater Elena Kostyleva and coach Evgeni Plushenko, with both sides exchanging accusations about training, athlete welfare, and family dynamics at Plushenko’s academy. Here’s a translation.
On his Telegram channel, Evgeni Plushenko has recently posted:
“Dear fans and figure skating enthusiasts, don’t believe the latest “Tales from the Vienna Woods” (the phrase means fabrications or nonsense – this is how Elena Kostyleva’s mother referred to the words of Plushenko and Rudkovskaya)!
Lena Kostyleva is a fighter. She is the only girl who, on sheer willpower, landed a 3A–3T combination in the short program. And this was after a grueling 18-hour flight. Lena still hasn’t recovered (her knee and hip are still not fully healed), and she goes for treatment every day – as evidenced by the bills paid by the Academy. In Omsk and Moscow, Lena skated with an injury, just as she did at three other rinks! At three! And, as you understand, we are not the ones forcing her to skate while injured! Lena is not eight years old, running around the ice and doing 30 ultra-c jumps per practice. We manage her workload so she can preserve her arsenal of ultra-c jumps and showcase them at senior events.
And Lena is not a robot – she’s a person! You (here Plushenko addresses Elena’s mother) could ruin a girl in the pursuit of medals and prize money, since nothing else seems to interest you! Later, everything can be blamed on the staff or her coach. Not once during last season’s victories did you thank our Academy! Not once! Even though much was accomplished in every respect. Athletes are not always in top form, but what happened in Omsk was simply a lack of focus and fatigue – I went through the same thing in my youth, even when I was in top shape.
A young athlete needs praise at least sometimes! Not to be told she’s “crap” or “fat-assed” and that she’ll never succeed. I have repeatedly forbidden the “Tales from the Vienna Woods” [Elena’s mother] from doing this, but to no avail, and I’ve also forbidden them from telling coaches how to coach or inserting their amateur “two cents” everywhere! That’s why I’ve blocked the “Tales from the Vienna Woods.”
No one ever allowed themselves such behavior, and I won’t allow it either!
The Federation is fully aware of all this pressure on the athlete, as are all child welfare authorities in our country.
When we return, I’ll give Lena a phone so she has her own property, since her phone is regularly taken away to prevent her from contacting me and our staff. This is not the first, but the last warning! Lena has a trusting relationship with me and our staff. We will not let her be mistreated. She’s 14, not a toy, not a robot!
I hope reason will prevail! I’ve been silent for a long time, but it’s time to start speaking out and showing proof of my words.
P.S. My own mother tried to coach me as a child and thought she believed she knew more than Mishin, and only when she fully trusted my coach did I win my first World Championships.
Panic over second place at the Grand Prix, knowing the child is injured, is at the very least a strange reaction – especially knowing what’s behind first place in Moscow and second in Omsk, and especially when giving interviews to the media about Lena’s injury,” Plushenko posted.
He then posted two more posts on his Telegram.
Two-time Olympic champion and coach Evgeni Plushenko reacted to negative statements from Irina Kostyleva, mother of figure skater Elena Kostyleva, regarding training at his academy.
“I will continue to dispel the ‘Tales from the Vienna Woods’ [Elena’s mother] myths and fables on my Telegram channel! The time has come!
Why does no coach from our staff communicate with the parent-blogger, and why is she blocked by everyone? —see the video below (Plushenko posted a video, apparently of Irina Kostyleva walking and loudly talking on the phone, using foul language).
And this is despite last season’s victories (Lena didn’t lose a single event!), and the increase in ultra-c jump content from two (which Lena had when she joined us) to six in a season across both programs.
Despite the fact that for two seasons in a row, our private academy has provided Lena Kostyleva with:
- A house on our private property by the pond for the whole family, with all utilities paid.
- Completely free training (the Olympic Reserve School pays only part of the main training fee and one spot in a double room).
- All additional sessions with any requested specialist. Last year alone, Lena had over 300 hours of extra sessions – daily extra training!
- Medical care – examinations, treatment, procedures, rehabilitation. Sports medicine is far from free.
- Costumes and their endless creation. The cost of Lena’s costumes far exceeds what the Federation allocates for her.
- Accommodation and flights for the athlete and her second coach to all competitions.
- Prize money from our Academy for every podium finish.
- Equipment (also above what the Federation provides).
- Vacation for Lena and her mother in a five-star hotel in Turkey.
- A personal manager – “psychotherapist” for the endless demands of the parent-blogger, who always wants “more, more, more.”
Two days ago, she resigned! She couldn’t take it! In addition, the parent-blogger also slandered our methodologist. This video was made after the short program at the Moscow event, which Lena won with our team! To be continued,” Plushenko wrote on Telegram.
Evgeni Plushenko: Kostyleva’s mother is registered with child protective services.
“The parent-blogger was repeatedly warned that she must follow the rules established at the Academy. She must behave at least respectfully toward those whose property she and her child live and train on.
A little over a month ago, she even wrote a personal statement. But, as they say, the parent-blogger is the master of her word – she gives it, she takes it back.
As a result, she was removed from the Academy’s training arena for several reasons:
- Systematic violation of order (swearing and insults – toward coaches, athletes, and their parents).
- Cruelty toward her own child (Lena) in the locker room and on Academy grounds, including physical force against a fragile girl! There is video evidence from cameras and witness statements, including from coaches, staff, and parents. The parent-blogger is already registered with child protective services for this issue.
All evidence has been collected and submitted to the relevant authorities, including the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, and the Russian Figure Skating Federation. Yana Rudkovskaya personally vouched for the parent-blogger many times, getting her out of the police repeatedly and giving her chances to get herself together. She even vouched for her to child protective services! There were probably too many chances. And they weren’t appreciated. - Running onto the ice with “amateur” instructions.
- Filming our underage athletes from the café and posting stories about their training online to promote her blog. The parent-blogger knows well that filming children on Academy grounds is forbidden. But do any rules stop her? Because of her, blinds were installed on the café window facing the ice to protect our athletes from unauthorized filming. Now they are open.
- Insults, swearing, and threats toward our son and other Academy children, all in front of witnesses!
- Systematic lies about our staff and me personally on her channels.
And so we’ve lived for two seasons with Olympic calm, giving the parent-blogger chance after chance!” Plushenko wrote on Telegram, publishing Irina Kostyleva’s statement.
“Now for some good news. Yes, we have some, and it also concerns Lena’s family. Lena has a wonderful father (he deserves a monument in his lifetime!), who loves Lena very much and understands her well.
He communicates calmly with the entire coaching staff, and no one has ever thought to block him. He attends all of Lena’s practices; the whole process happens before his eyes. He sees everything and can objectively assess the volume and quality of training, as he himself was a serious athlete in the past.
To always be with Lena and never leave her, he works at our Academy. More than once, he and Lena have come to us asking to keep the parent-blogger away from them for the reasons listed above.
All these facts are documented. But after long and difficult negotiations, we tried to maintain at least some balance in this family.
I promised Lena and her father my support! We don’t abandon our own! I keep my word and continue to maintain Olympic calm!” Plushenko wrote on Telegram.
Related topics: Elena Kostyleva, Evgeni Plushenko
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