Bestemyanova: “I absolutely agree with the judges. Chock-Bates’ dance wasn’t enough for Olympic gold. They chose the wrong theme and didn’t skate as passionately as their chosen Spanish music suggested.”

Natalia Bestemyanova reflects on the 2026 Olympic tournament in Italy, discussing the challenges faced by Russian skaters, the influence of Russian coaching worldwide, and the evolution of women’s skating.

original source: TASS

Bestemyanova reflects on the 2026 Olympic results. Here’s a translation of their comments.

“Q: Did you watch the figure skating tournament at the Olympics in Italy? Can you say anything positive about it? It must have been frustrating to see our strong singles skaters – Petr Gumennik and Adeliia Petrosian – placed in the early warm-up groups, where medal contenders usually aren’t.

Natalia Bestemyanova: Yes, I tried not to miss anything, even though I was traveling most of the time. Well, according to international rules, anyone without an international ranking skates in the early warm-ups. And since our athletes hadn’t competed internationally for many years through no fault of their own, they ended up in the first groups. Of course, this basically prevented them from getting a decent placement in the short program. Adeliia’s fifth place in it is simply a success! Petya made a mistake in the short program, so he was twelfth at first, but given the circumstances, that’s still a great result. And then things escalated – regarding your question about actions against our athletes: just days before the start, Petya was banned from using a piece of music he had chosen long ago because he’s Russian – while the American pair skating to the same music was not banned.

Q: What do you think about the unexpected first place of Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov, who also comes from the Soviet figure skating school?

Natalia Bestemyanova: I think he was simply a head above the rest. Not only did he skate a clean program, but Mikhail also performed a unique combination that only he does: triple axel, euler, and quadruple salchow. Others might do it in practice, but not at the Olympics. And he truly made no mistakes – that’s his Olympic luck: Mikhail delivered when it mattered most. I’m very happy for him.

Q: Returning to your discipline, ice dance: what did you think of the French gold medalists, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron?

Natalia Bestemyanova: This is one case where I absolutely agree with the judges and believe they deserved to win. The pair made an extraordinary leap in their skills. They won with their exceptional expressiveness, which the American silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates lacked. I saw the U.S. team’s performance back in September, and it seemed to me their dance wasn’t enough for Olympic gold. They chose the wrong theme and didn’t skate as passionately as their chosen Spanish music suggested.

Q: Our pairs weren’t in Italy. The winners and medalists in dance, for example, aren’t from Russia. Do you feel the influence of the Russian or Soviet school in their performances? Did our coaches contribute to their success?

Natalia Bestemyanova: I think that wherever you look in figure skating, you’ll find a Russian influence. I’ll go further: there’s hardly an athlete in our sport without a Russian connection. In the case of Chock and Bates, it’s definitely Igor Shpilband, who helped form the pair. One of the coaches for Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron is Romain Haguenauer; Andrei and I remember him as a skater at the Lyon school, where we attended master classes. And of course, Marina Anissina, who trained there, had a big impact on that school – there’s your Russian connection.

Q: What did you think of Alysa Liu, who beat two Japanese skaters to win the women’s event? In terms of aesthetics, are we finally seeing the return of femininity compared to the long era when more mobile, teenage girls dominated?

Natalia Bestemyanova: First, the International Skating Union raised the age limit in all singles and pairs categories to 17. Before that, the youngest Olympic singles champion was Tara Lipinski, who was not yet 16 at the time. Alysa Liu herself once competed as a very young girl and landed difficult triple axels, which she’s now regained – I saw it online – but she didn’t risk it at the Olympics. I think Alysa absolutely deserved to win the Olympic gold medal.

Q: Is the Olympic event different from other major competitions, like the European or World Championships? Did you feel a special responsibility and atmosphere at the Olympics?

Natalia Bestemyanova: From my years as an athlete, I remember that the Olympics are much more nerve-wracking, with a lot more stress. It’s very hard to hold up and not make mistakes. So all respect to Adeliia and Petya, who, despite the difficult situation around them—including the political climate – found the strength to persevere. They did a great job!”

Related topics: Adeliia Petrosian, Alysa Liu, Guillaume Cizeron, Laurence Fournier Beaudry, Madison Chock Evan Bates, Mikhail Shaidorov, Natalia Bestemianova, Olympic Games, Petr Gumennik