“Arutyunyan teaches extremely well and knows how to guide athletes to championship titles.” Sofia Samodelkina now lists Rafael Arutyunyan as her sole coach, according to her ISU profile
Sofia Samodelkina now trains exclusively under Rafael Arutyunyan
original source: Vse pro Sport / Vse pro Sport
Sofia Samodelkina, an 18-year-old figure skater representing Kazakhstan, now lists American coach Rafael Arutyunyan as her sole coach, according to her profile on the International Skating Union (ISU) website. Her former coach, Elmira Turganova, is now categorized as one of her past coaches. Last season, Samodelkina finished in 14th place at the World Championships, and her partnership with Arutyunyan has sparked high expectations for her future.
Tatiana Tarasova shared her optimism about Samodelkina’s collaboration with Arutyunyan:
“First of all, Rafik is an excellent coach. He started at our stadium, ‘Pioners,’ and we worked together. Arutyunyan teaches extremely well and knows how to guide athletes to championship titles. He is deeply passionate about figure skating and possesses an incredible wealth of knowledge. I think Sofia is fortunate to work with him.”
When asked if Arutyunyan could make Samodelkina a champion, Tarasova offered a thoughtful response:
“She’s young, and I think they will make a great tandem. You can’t say for sure that she’ll become the best – things can go either way. But she is definitely going to grow and compete for the highest places.”
Three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina also weighed in on the news of Samodelkina working with Arutyunyan.
“It’s hard for me to comment on Samodelkina because I haven’t closely followed her recently. And over the past couple of seasons, there haven’t been many broadcasts for us to watch. I don’t want to speculate,” Rodnina admitted.
However, she expressed confidence in Arutyunyan’s abilities: “Arutyunyan has long proven his professionalism – he’s a coach of the highest level. Success comes when a great specialist meets a great athlete. If that synergy is achieved, the results can be phenomenal.”
Related topics: Irina Rodnina, Rafael Arutyunyan, Sofia Samodelkina, Tatiana Tarasova
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