Adeliia Petrosian: “It was clear that without the quad toe loop, there would be no medal at all – I couldn’t even fight for one. So there was never an option to go without quads.”

Adeliia Petrosian spoke about why she decided to attempt a quadruple jump at the Olympic Games.

original source: Okko, text version Sports

Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian explained that she needed to attempt a quadruple jump at the Olympics to have any chance at a medal, reflecting on her experience and the challenges she faced. Here’s a translation of her comments.

At the 2026 Olympics, Petrosian fell on her quadruple toe loop in the free skate and finished in 6th place.

“Q: How do you view your quad in the program – was it necessary or not?

Adeliia Petrosian: With only triples, it probably would have been mentally easier for me to skate, and the program would have been more emotional and confident. But since I was going straight to the Olympics… It was clear that without the toe loop, there would be no medal at all – I couldn’t even fight for one. So you either take the risk, or you skate cleanly with triples and probably end up in about the same place, more or less. So there was never an option to go without quads.

Q: So you didn’t even consider a program with only triples?

Adeliia Petrosian: No. There was always hope that it would work out.

Q: Did landing it in practice give you confidence?

Adeliia Petrosian: Well, even in Moscow it was still unstable; I didn’t have time to really get it back. Sometimes I could do the program, but often – not. I was relying on luck. Of course, it was encouraging when I managed to land it in practice and even in run-throughs, but that uncertainty was always there.

Q: Did successful attempts in Milan add any confidence?

Adeliia Petrosian: By then, nothing really added confidence. I was calmer about everything because I didn’t have any strong emotions about what was happening – everything felt muted. Practices were calmer, too. The only moment was the practice before the free skate. There were a lot of spectators, and I felt a bit uncomfortable.

At that moment, my toe loop just wasn’t working. There were many spectators from Russia and Russian-speaking countries, and I could hear them cheering, “Adeliia, go!” I wanted to show I could land it, because I kept falling and falling. When I finally landed the last toe loop, the audience cheered and celebrated. I even felt a bit embarrassed – only one worked out.”

Related topics: Adeliia Petrosian, Olympic Games