Ilia Averbukh: “The U.S. is indeed the leader in world figure skating right now. Of course, this is a very questionable situation, because their dominance comes with the caveat ‘in the absence of Russians.’”

Ilia Averbukh commented that the current U.S. dominance in figure skating is questionable due to the absence of Russian athletes, and expressed confidence that Russia will regain its leading position upon returning to international competition.

original source: Sport24

Choreographer Ilia Averbukh spoke about the success of the U.S. team amid the suspension of Russian figure skaters. Here’s a translation of his comments.

“The U.S. is indeed the leader in world figure skating right now. They have been strong for many years, and at the moment, they are the strongest. Of course, this is a very questionable situation, because their dominance comes with the caveat ‘in the absence of Russians.’ If we accept the situation as normal, then American figure skating is the best in the world. In all disciplines except pairs, their athletes are in leading roles. The main reason for American leadership is the lack of competition from Russians.

Is there no Malinin in Russia? That’s true. We don’t have such an absolute hegemon right now. Perhaps only in pairs, with full motivation and maximum eligibility, Mishina/Galliamov and Boikova/Kozlovskii could dominate like that. In singles, none of our skaters can compare to Ilia. He is at least several steps ahead of everyone.

I think when we return in full force, Russia will once again become the best in the world. Certainly, not immediately, but within an Olympic cycle, we can catch up to everyone. It will be tough to return in ice dance, but if we get the chance to compete from next season, we’ll catch up to all our competitors. There is nothing unattainable in the world right now,” Averbukh said.

Related topics: Ilia Averbukh