Irina Slutskaya

Irina Slutskaya (ru: ????? ???????), born February 9, 1979 in Moscow, Russia is a Russian figure skater. Slutskaya is a two-time World Champion and six-time European Champion, most ever for a Russian woman.

Related Topics:
Ru - February 9 - 1979 - Moscow - Russia - Figure skater - World Champion

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics she won the silver medal for her country and became the second Russian ever to win a medal in the women's event. The competition had been billed in advance as a head-to-head battle between Slutskaya and American Michelle Kwan. Unexpectedly, Kwan made mistakes in her free skate, but still led American Sarah Hughes in the overall standings. Slutskaya had to win the free skate in order to win gold. After a nervous performance, Slutskaya finished second in the free skate. Hughes won the free skate, and because Kwan finished third behind Slutskaya, Hughes won the gold. Russia, still somewhat aggrieved about the outcome of an earlier dispute over the pairs competition, filed a complaint against the result but it was rejected.

Related Topics:
Figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics - Silver medal - American - Michelle Kwan - Sarah Hughes - Russia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005, Irina made a powerful comeback after being the 9th at the World Figure Skating Championships in 2004 and a long stay at a hospital due to an illness. As the crowd chanted "Ira, Ira" (a diminutive from Irina), she was overcome with emotion. In an interview, she said:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"People frequently ask me, how did I manage to come up after the last year's tumble. It is a wrong thing to say, because when someone is sick, it is not a tumble, it's a distress. No one, unfortunately, is guaranteed from that. I only want to say: keep believing and fighting. I got up, and you can, too... The most important for me now is that this story can serve as an example for those who doubt that they are able to overcome their illness and return to a normal life."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~