Niina Petrokina: “The Olympic pressure really got to me in the end. I cried a bit while sitting on the floor because I needed to let out my emotions. The competition was extremely nerve-racking for me – I wasn’t able to enjoy it.”
Two-time European women’s single skating champion Niina Petrokina scored 69.63 points in her short program at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, falling just 0.98 points short of her Estonian record.
original source: sport.err.ee dd. 17th February 2026 by Andres Nomm
Two-time European champion Niina Petrokina delivered a solid short program in her Olympic debut at the Milan-Cortina Games, scoring 69.63 points – just shy of her personal best. Despite nerves, she aims to enjoy her free skate while striving for excellence. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on ERR.
“I’m very satisfied right now because I managed to complete all my elements,” Petrokina told ERR after her short program. “This time, I just couldn’t control my nerves – I was really anxious and didn’t even understand what was happening: my legs were shaking, my whole body was trembling.”
Before her warm-up, the stress became overwhelming. “I cried a bit while sitting on the floor because I needed to let out my emotions,” she admitted with a laugh. “It’s a bit easier for girls to do this, which is why I think we live slightly longer!” joked the two-time European champion. “I called my choreographer Alina [Boiko], and we talked for a while. We did some warm-up exercises together, and that made things a bit easier. But the competition itself was extremely nerve-racking for me – I wasn’t able to enjoy it. I hope I’ll be able to enjoy myself after the free skate!”
Petrokina acknowledged the unique pressures of performing on the Olympic stage. “The Olympic pressure really got to me in the end. I tried to distract myself from those thoughts, but while it’s easy to say that out loud, it’s much harder to deal with what’s happening inside. I don’t actually like skating last in the short program. The emotions are different – I’d prefer to go right after the warm-up. Still, I pulled through, and I hope to rest well and fight again in the free skate,” she promised.
“There were some minor mistakes, I need to review what the judges deducted points for,” she commented on her performance in the short program. “I had hoped for a better score – at the European Championships, I got 70 points with a clean program. I saw that many of the skaters here are hitting their season’s best scores, and I just want to achieve that too. Today, it was what it was – just one point short! I’ll keep working hard and focus on the free skate,” Petrokina said determinedly, looking ahead to her next performance.
Related topics: Niina Petrokina, Olympic Games
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