“You could sense her love for what she does, as if it was written all over her. She wasn’t fighting with herself. She simply showed what she was capable of.” Anton Sikharulidze on Alysa Liu
Anton Sikharulidze, President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, praised American skater Alysa Liu’s programs at the 2026 Olympics.
original source: Sports
Anton Sikharulidze, President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR), shared what stood out to him about Alysa Liu’s performance at the 2026 Olympics. Here’s a translation.
“I was at the Olympics and watched, for example, Liu. I have nothing bad to say – only good things. The atmosphere was truly special. Everything soared. Then a Japanese skater would come out – she’d do something here, not quite there, go somewhere else, and it all felt a bit scattered…
But with Liu, there was such openness to the world. You could sense her love for what she does, as if it was written all over her. She wasn’t fighting with herself. She simply showed what she was capable of.
You could really feel it in the arena. Even people who normally couldn’t stand got up. There were a lot of Italians there who just came to watch, with no real knowledge of figure skating. I was sitting next to them – they didn’t stand up for the Japanese skaters, they just chatted among themselves: ‘She fell here, did this there…’ It all seemed like pointless fuss.
But then Liu came out… And if we’re talking about figure skating, she’s not quite like today’s typical skaters – she’s a bit sturdier, not a porcelain doll. Yet when she took the ice, her energy, her program, the whole package – costume, expression, music, the essence of the program – everything worked. And I think that’s what it’s all about,” Sikharulidze said on the show “Katok.”
Related topics: Alysa Liu, Anton Sikharulidze, Olympic Games
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