Kamila Valieva’s return to the ice has been officially announced. She is already resuming training with Svetlana Sokolovskaya at the Navka school, but the professional community is skeptical about this.
Figure skating continues to live its intense life, where every news item is instantly overgrown with analysis and forecasts. The information about the resumption of Kamila Valieva’s training on October 25 and the end of her disqualification on December 25 has become one of the most discussed events. However, in a world where plans often change, and loud statements do not always find practical implementation, it is customary to treat such announcements with healthy skepticism.
History knows examples when promising returns remained only at the level of beautiful photo shoots and agreements on participation in the show. The situation with Valieva attracts attention not so much by the fact of a possible comeback, as by its potential contours – the choice of a new mentor and deep motives that can revive the athlete’s career after a long pause.
Many experts call the decision to cooperate with Svetlana Sokolovskaya, who joined Tatiana Navka’s school in the offseason, unconventional. There are already skeptical assessments in the professional environment based on the belief that leaving Eteri Tutberidze’s group means initially putting yourself in a losing position. However, the reality may turn out to be much more complicated than these superficial conclusions. The external surprise of a decision often hides a careful calculation and understanding of current circumstances, which are not always obvious to outside observers. For Valieva, this choice may be a strategic step in building a completely new sports trajectory.
Coaching choice: skating rink instead of methodology?
The figure of Svetlana Sokolovskaya as the head coach for a figure skater like Kamila Valieva really doesn’t look the most obvious. Her professional career shows impressive success in working with single men. The synergy with Mark Kondratyuk, Alexander Samarin and Grigory Fedorov has brought tangible results.
However, the statistics of working with single girls are less convincing. For many talented figure skaters, her group became either a temporary haven for a transitional period, or the last stop before the final end of her career. A striking example is the fate of Alexandra Trusova, whose retirement from sports coincided with Sokolovskaya’s training period.
This makes you think that the key factor in choosing might not be a specific coaching technique, but the infrastructure and opportunities provided by Tatiana Navka’s school. The Academy of the famous figure skater is clearly interested in strengthening its position in the coaching market. Attracting an athlete of Valieva’s level, even in her current status, is becoming a powerful promotional tool for the new school.
Navka herself actively comments on the upcoming cooperation, emphasizing the willingness of the institution to invest maximum resources in its new student. It is noteworthy that Valieva and Sokolovskaya themselves prefer to remain silent for now, which only reinforces the version about the strategic rather than purely sporting nature of this alliance.
The behind-the-scenes reasons for parting with Tutberidze
For many figure skating fans, Valiyeva’s decision to leave the Tutberidze group after so many years of working together came as a surprise. Especially against the background of the fact that even during the period of the doping scandal, their cooperation continued. Kamila spent another season and a half under Eteri’s leadership after the Olympic Games, until the moment when the Court of Arbitration for Sport concluded the case and imposed a ban on training. However, there are good reasons for this decision, although they are not publicly advertised.
On the one hand, Valieva herself could have realized during the forced downtime that the previous level of trust was irretrievably lost. Although it was the figure skater who acted as the official party to the CAS case, her coach also had to defend himself against indirect accusations. At some point, the athlete’s entourage might begin to promote the idea that the coach should take on some of the responsibility. The role of the grandfather’s story is also not fully clear, and even RUSADA has questioned its authenticity. Who initiated this controversial line of defense remains a mystery.
On the other hand, Tutberidze herself might not be interested in continuing cooperation. In the pre-Olympic season, her main resources are focused on Adelia Petrosyan, who is moving towards the Games in a difficult way, overcoming injuries and solving problems with the admission of coaches. In addition, Eteri is involved in the preparation of the Georgian national team, where her daughter and other wards perform. Valieva’s recovery after a long absence is a herculean task that requires full commitment. Given the tight Olympic schedule, Tutberidze’s team may simply not have the necessary amount of time and effort for such a large-scale project.
Why weren’t other coaches suitable for Valieva?
If we ignore the Tutberidze group, then the list of potential coaches for a figure skater of Valiyeva’s level is not so extensive. Some of the promising options, such as cooperation with Alexei Mishin or Evgeny Rukavitsyn, were associated with the need to move to St. Petersburg. The change of city could create additional organizational and psychological difficulties for the athlete. But even if Camila was ready for such a step, the coaches themselves might not show interest.
Mishin has quite a few projects of his own, including working with the recently acquired Sofia Muravyeva, as well as with Evgeny Semenenko and Gleb Lutfullin. Rukavitsyn also has enough wards, among them Anastasia Gubanova, who qualified for the Olympics. Theoretically, there was a possibility of transferring to less stellar specialists such as Sergey Davydov or Kirill Davydenko, where it would be possible to safely restore equipment. However, after five years in the most titled group in the country, it is psychologically very difficult to decide on such a downshifting. Such transitions are more typical for juniors looking for their own path, rather than for established stars.
Why come back?
The key problem Valiyeva will face on her way back is not so much physical fitness as intrinsic motivation. Even the most experienced coach will be powerless if the athlete herself does not have a sincere desire to fight and win. At first, the energy for work can be the usual longing for competitions, for the usual sports routine. Thanks to her active participation in ice shows, Camila maintains a good functional training. Although stable ultra-c elements and full-fledged rentals of the triple jump free program are out of the question yet, she has time ahead for a gradual recovery.
