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Video: How figure skater Elena Vodorezova, overcoming an incurable disease, became the first Soviet medalist of the world and Europe
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Elena Vodorezova was only 12 years old when she became famous. The little fragile girl won the hearts of fans with incredible talent and charm, and also with inhuman efficiency. It seemed that any peaks were easily conquered to her, but no one knew how a young Soviet athlete who took part in the Olympics, overcoming pain, went to victory. No, there was no miraculous healing, but the disease could not break the life of the beloved USSR skater.
Girl with ponytails
Elena was born in Moscow in a sports family, where her mother was engaged in gymnastics, and her father was a basketball player. The baby was only four years old when her parents first brought her to the rink. Time has shown that they managed to consider the talent of the girl, who showed incredible abilities from the very first timid steps on the ice. Very soon, Elena ended up at the CSKA school, where the famous coach Stanislav Zhuk drew attention to her.
The legendary coach could not pass the talented girl, although before Elena Vodorezova he worked exclusively with pairs. But the young athlete categorically refused to change her coach. There were two reasons for her fears: she had heard about the rather tough methods of work of Stanislav Zhuk on the one hand, and on the other she was afraid of being transferred to pair skating. But the coach showed perseverance, and as a result, Elena Vodorezova still decided to go to him.
The skater only benefited from this transition: at the age of 12, she became the USSR champion in single skating. Now great hopes and an unprecedented responsibility were pinned on it: to declare itself in the international arena. Moreover, the Soviet singles did not please the fans too much with their successes.
And Elena Vodorezova made her talk about herself already during the first European Championship, where she participated. Then she did not take the prize, but she brilliantly performed a cascade of jumps, which even men could not cope with before her, and after that she consolidated her success with three triples during the execution of an arbitrary program. "Girls with ponytails" - so affectionately began to call the young figure skater abroad. And the Soviet fans were proud of the successes of their compatriot, eagerly rejoicing at every successful jump of their favorite.
The only thing Elena had problems with was the required figures. After that, there were the 1976 Winter Olympics, and again Elena was unable to climb the podium due to errors in the execution of compulsory figures. But her program was so technically complex that they began to talk about Lena as a phenomenon.
On the verge of possibilities
Elena Vodorezova's sporting successes were impressive, she was rapidly approaching the best figure skaters in the world in skill level and took third place at the European Championship, but already at the age of 15, the figure skater faced a disease that cannot be completely cured.
When she first felt pain in her finger, the athlete decided that she had fallen unsuccessfully on the ice and simply injured her hand. But during the training camp in Zaporozhye, the skater's entire hand suddenly began to ache, and an attempt to massage her hand led to the girl screaming loudly in pain. The masseur immediately took the athlete to the hospital, where, after the tests carried out, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
Physical activity was contraindicated for her, but Elena Vodorezova was determined to continue her sports career. She reduced the load and refused to participate in the competition for three years, but upon reaching the age of 18, she triumphantly returned to the ice. Each time she went to the rink, overcoming the pain. She conquered her illness over and over again, not allowing her to completely take over her life. She could no longer jump like before, but she honed her every step, her glide was like a real flight. And the efforts of the athlete were rewarded: she was able to become the first Soviet figure skater to climb the podium at the world and European championships.
But at the age of 21, Elena Vodorezova decided to stop. And the reason for this was not her illness, but the strongest psychological pressure experienced by the young girl as the leader of the national team.
She last took part in the Sarajevo Olympics in 1984. Initially, she did not want to take part in these competitions, but the leadership of the Figure Skating Federation still convinced Elena Vodorezova to go to the Olympics. Already during the implementation of the compulsory program, a judge from Belgium put the Soviet skater in 12th place, while the other judges gave her first and second places. Rolling back the rest of the programs, Elena Vodorezova made mistakes too often, and as a result, this allowed her to take only eighth place.
After big victories
After the end of her sports career, Elena Vodorezova married a loved one. Speed skater Sergei Buyanov became her chosen one. Three years after the wedding, the couple had a son, Ivan.
But Elena Vodorezova could not completely leave the big sport. She switched to coaching, and among her most successful students are world and European champions, Olympic champions and prize-winners of the most prestigious competitions. Elena Germanovna is proud to call her teacher many talented skaters, including Adelina Sotnikova, Olga Markova, Denis Ten.
Elena Vodorezova admits: she is truly happy, because thanks to her pupils, she was able to realize her own dreams and aspirations.
Another Soviet figure skater Kira Ivanova, who skated at about the same time as Elena Vodorezova, brought the country the very first Olympic medal in single skating. The first trainers of Kira Ivanova noted: the athlete has a sense of purpose and hard work, along with the obvious ability to master the most difficult elements.
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