Tatiana Tarasova: “I have worked at seven Olympics, and at each one, I had medalists and champions. For Tutberidze to reach my level, she needs more Olympic medals.”
Posted on 2026-03-14 • 6 comments
Tatiana Tarasova believes Eteri Tutberidze needs more Olympic medals to reach her level as a coach.
original source: Sovetskii Sport
Tatiana Tarasova, stated that Eteri Tutberidze has not yet surpassed her achievements. Here’s a translation.
“The greatness of a coach is measured by the medals their students win on the world stage. Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze has had gold medals: in 2018 with Alina Zagitova, and in 2022 with Anna Shcherbakova. If you judge by this criterion, you could call her a great coach.
I have worked at seven Olympics, and at each one, I had medalists and champions. For Tutberidze to reach my level, she needs more Olympic medals,” said Tarasova.
Related topics: Eteri Tutberidze, Tatiana Tarasova
Well, it depends upon how you classified winning over progress; as much as I don’t like taking up for T, I have noticed that with the help of Russian hit and miss experiment in judging panel caused Russian elite skaters to either land on top of the podium regardless if Tiannia T ( I know that I misspelled their names) have her Russian elite skaters to medal but at what cost?? Russia was labeled as the best but what I witnessed is Doping and misconduct and lack of transparency and sportsmanship, so if she was okay with that: that attitude doesn’t make her a winner of Olympics champions!!!
During the Michelle Kwan’s era, there was outstanding Russian elite skaters and they have integrity of the sport: the best pair teams were Russia and Canada: and the men, Russian elite skaters were 1-2, if I remembered correctly: but the sportsmanship was going down the tube so to speak and also transparency of the judging panel, so why the BRAGGING because the infallible proof is that being banned from the Olympics is based upon attitude and manipulation that was created by RUSSIA but had been perfected, so to criticize T who is not my favorite coach because she allowed Kamilia V to be the scapegoat I have to give her credit: she handled herself with grace and respect the rules and regulations of the Olympics Committee and that is more than outdoing Tantannia T in my book !!!
WRONG, Tarasova. The greatness of a coach is NOT measured by the useless medals, trinkets, and trash they accumulate, but in teaching their students the skills necessary to create their vision of success. Tarasova taught her people to be dependent on her, while the greatest coaches teach their charges to be independent, and choose to remain with them.
Notice the old film of Tarasova, always positioning herself right in the center of the camera with her skaters. What other coach have you ever seen that does that? No one but the big mouth, whose days are long past!
To me Eteri will always be the best in the world love you Eteri hehehe.
I still prefer Eteri but I like you both, you both are legends and should never be disregarded in this sport.
At the same time medals don’t define greatness it’s also the determination, Eteri has the energy for more longevity than many people in this sport.
She will get there Tarasova but I agree she’s already great and a legend and has surpassed many of the men in her country.
We cannot deny her impact in figure skating and she has survived many more situations than people in your country.