Maya Khromykh: “After I cut my hand with a blade, I only remember lying on Eteri Georgievna’s knees. I was afraid to look at the wound, and she was afraid also. There was a lot of blood.”
Translation of Maya Khromykh’s comments about injury and motivation to continue her career.
original source: TASS 11th December 2023
Maya Khromykh, returning to the ice after a series of injuries, participated in the Moscow Championships to gain competitive experience, as she told TASS.
The figure skater had not competed for nearly two seasons due to health issues. In the early part of the previous season, she suffered a serious hand injury (she cut her hand with a blade) and later experienced a back injury. Her first competitions after the pause were at the Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk, followed by an event in Samara, where she secured fifth places.
“Maya Khromykh: I decided to participate in the Moscow Championships to regain this experience. I checked the calendar, discussed it with the coaches, and they said, ‘If you want to, go ahead.’ I can’t even remember when I last took part in this competition, so it was unusual. I remembered how I used to compete on the same rink at the Russian Nationals with other girls. Excitement and unexplainable nervousness were present. They are even present during training, but I fight against them and understand that I can do it all.
The main joy in my life is clean skating; nothing else gives me such emotions. But I’ve grown up, and I have to deal with it. I didn’t even go on vacation to prepare for the preseason training in Novogorsk. Yes, I wanted to go, switch, but training is more important for me. I go to sleep with thoughts about skating and wake up with the same thoughts.”
Khromykh is reluctant to recall the details of her injuries. “After I cut my hand with a blade, I only remember lying on Eteri Georgievna’s [Tutberidze] knees. I’m afraid to look at the wound, and she is also afraid,” the figure skater shared. “It happened out of nowhere. I just remember there was a lot of blood. But a week later, I still ran onto the ice. I was so bored in the hospital that I couldn’t stand it anymore.”
“Maya Khromykh: I skated with a cast up to my elbow, leaving only my fingers outside; the guys tied my skates for me before training. But with each time, it got better and better. There was discomfort due to the stitches – they pulled, and then, for some reason, didn’t dissolve. I removed them myself with manicure scissors. But two weeks later, I tied my own skates – I remember going to the ice and telling Sergei Viktorovich [Dudakov]: ‘I tied my skates myself.’ And that was already a victory for me.”
However, problems with her back resurfaced after the hand injury. “An old spine injury flared up – it had been with me since junior age,” Maya stated. “After the situation with my hand seemed to be improving, I landed a quadruple jump and felt that something was wrong. The doctor said if you want to skate, rest for at least a month. Skating in a corset was very uncomfortable. But I was too hasty to get back on the ice.”
“I am preparing for the Russian Nationals now,” Khromykh added. “But there are no plans to complicate the programs in my situation – I need to skate what I am doing now. What’s next? I will have a role in the show ‘Cinderella’ – I’ve never had my own role before. And now there will be a dress, shoes, a carriage, and even a prince.”
Related topics: Maiia Khromykh
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