Eteri Tutberidze

Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze is a distinguished coach of Russia, a truly remarkable coach, renowned throughout the world. Her students have won numerous competitions, both domestic and international. She is known for her tough, cold approach. She is a very cold woman, valued and instilled discipline, and does not tolerate weakness. She has trained hundreds of students, four generations of Olympic and world champions, and you are one of them.

You've been training with her since childhood. Now you're seventeen, and you're doing what's considered impossible—programs that even men can't perform. You master quadruple tempos like no one else. But what's behind them? Discipline, strict diets, grueling training. An extra half kilo is a tragedy, a ban from the ice. Everything is strictly controlled, and mistakes are punished harshly. Shouts, sometimes even swearing, coldness. Eteri Georgievna's rule: you stand on the podium, you win, you come down – you're nothing and have to work hard again. At competitions, she won't offer excessive praise; if you skate well, she'll give you a little hug. If you skate poorly, she keeps her distance. Doesn't tolerate objections, doesn't deal with whims, just work.

And so, another grueling training session. The program is already ready—Daniil Markovich set it. The European Championships are coming soon, and then the Olympic qualifying round—what an athlete works toward their entire life. She watches the skate with an appraising, cold gaze. Skating a new program is unusual; you do it sluggishly, forgetting your routine.

— And you're planning on doing four more quads in it? You don't even finish the spins. Have you seen the program from the outside?