Moving to the USA and the return of Irina Rodnina: Why the legendary figure skater was called a traitor to the Motherland

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

September 12 marks the 69th anniversary of the legend of Soviet figure skating, three-time Olympic champion, the most successful figure skater in the history of pair skating, Irina Rodnina. During the Soviet era, she was one of the most famous athletes in the country, and in the 1990s. she had to leave for the USA. What prompted her to this decision, and why, even after her return to Russia, she hears accusations against her, - further in the review.

Irina Rodnina was born in 1949 in Moscow. As a child, she was often sick, and after she suffered pneumonia several times, her parents decided to send her to a figure skating school in order to strengthen her immunity. Irina started practicing at the age of 5, and since then sport has become for her not only a hobby, but also the meaning of life. After graduating from the CSKA sports school, Rodnina became a graduate of the State Institute of Physical Education.

Her first victory was third place at the all-Union youth competitions in 1963. And after Stanislav Zhuk began to train her, and Alexey Ulanov became her partner, her sports career took off. For the first time, Rodnina and Ulanov won gold at the World and European Championships in 1969, and since then they have become champions of all competitions in which they participated.

The couple Rodnina and Ulanova broke up after the skater was injured and was forced to pause in training. But after 3 months she again went on the ice, but with a new partner - Alexander Zaitsev, who soon became her husband. In 1973, Rodnina and Zaitsev made a splash in Bratislava, continuing to ride in complete silence when their music suddenly stopped, and received a record number of "6.0" ratings. Irina Rodnina entered the Guinness Book of Records as a unique athlete who has never lost in tournaments: she won 11 European Championships, 10 World Championships and 3 Olympics.

The Rodnina-Zaitsev pair became famous all over the world and became a real legend of figure skating thanks to their high level of skill, tremendous speed and exceptional synchronization in the performance of elements, a large number of complex lifts and cascades. They said that their technique was several years ahead of the development of pair skating. Rodnina and Zaitsev won their last victory at the 1980 Olympics, after which the athletes decided to leave the big sport.

Since 1981, Irina Rodnina has been involved in coaching. And in 1990 she left for the United States at the invitation of the American International Figure Skating Center. At that time, she did not even suspect that she would return to her homeland only 12 years later - after all, Rodnina signed a contract for only 2 years. Since then, a period of constant difficulties and tests of strength began for her, which she, as an athlete, accustomed to winning, endured with honor with incredible stamina and courage for a woman.

Ever since the skater left for the United States, accusations have poured in her address - of ingratitude, betrayal of the homeland, and greed. But no one took into account the fact that in their homeland in the late 1980s. the athlete suddenly turned out to be of no use to anyone. She later admitted: "".

At 40, she literally had to start life from scratch. Adaptation in another country was very difficult. She did not know English, and in order to fully work in the United States, she had to master it at a record pace. In addition, Rodnina's horizon of expectations did not come true: although world-famous coaches worked at the international center, she had to train athletes whose level of capabilities was significantly lower than she had hoped - Rodnina said: ""

At the same time, all difficulties had to be overcome alone. After he and Zaitsev stopped going out on the ice together, their life paths parted, and they parted. And in 1985, the skater married businessman Leonid Minkovsky, but he left her and went to another woman immediately after moving to the United States. And then he wanted to take their daughter away from her, and the right to raise her had to be defended through the courts. According to her, this period was one of the most difficult in her life, because she was left without the support of friends and acquaintances, without financial assistance, in complete isolation in a foreign country. Then she quickly turned gray and lost a lot of weight, but her children helped her get out of depression.

When asked how she has changed over the years spent abroad, the athlete replied: "".

The skater had no goal of emigrating, she did not even imagine that she would live in the United States for so long. But every time Rodnina came to her homeland (at least 3-4 times a year), she listened to accusations against herself - they say, she does not live here or there, so she cannot be called a patriot. The athlete was tired of explaining that she left first of all because she wanted to get some other experience and realize those opportunities that were closed for her at that time in her homeland. But after 12 years abroad, she returned to her homeland.

After 10 years ago, the athlete took up social activities, politics and became a State Duma deputy, she hears more and more claims against her. Most often she is accused of the fact that, advocating tightening control in all areas of relations between Russia and the United States, she regularly rests in America, where her daughter lives, and does not see contradictions in her behavior. Unlike Rodnina, some famous Soviet athletes Once abroad, they made the decision never to return to their homeland: How were the fates of the athletes who fled from the USSR.