Adeliia Petrosyan Leaves Eteri Tutberidze Group

The 19-year-old figure skater announced the end of her work with Eteri Tutberidze on the evening of July 20. In a statement, she thanked the head coach, as well as Daniil Gleikhengauz and Sergey Dudakov. The reasons for the separation were not disclosed, and a new coach was not named. According to TASS, Petrosyan informed the staff of her decision the day before, on July 19, but at that time had not decided on her future training location.

Adeliia Petrosyan joined Tutberidze«s group in the spring of 2019 from the Moskvich sports school. Over seven years of work, she won the Russian Championship three times and the Russian Grand Prix Final, qualified for the Olympics, where she finished sixth.

The decision came as a surprise to most on the team. Preparation for the new season was noticeably different from the usual schedule: Petrosyan trained once or twice a week. Those close to her spoke of a possible season skip. RIA Novosti journalist Vladislav Zhukov reported that the athlete was recovering from a hip injury, no new programs were created for her, and a reduction in competition load was considered.

At the same time, Petrosyan enrolled in the choreography faculty of GITIS (Russian Institute of Theatre Arts), in the studio of Vyacheslav Gordeyev. However, according to Zhukov, she does not intend to end her career and is considering several options for continuing it.

Unsuccessful Olympics and Its Consequences

Many link the departure to an unsuccessful performance at the 2026 Olympics in Milan. Petrosyan approached the Games as the three-time Russian champion and the only participant in women«s singles. She received a personal Olympic quota, but preparation was interrupted several times due to illness. In the short program she placed fifth, in the free skate she fell on a quadruple toe loop, omitted a second one, and finished sixth with a score of 214.53 points. After the competition, the skater admitted that she was ashamed of herself, her coaches, the federation, and the audience. Eteri Tutberidze called the performance a missed opportunity and noted that emotions after the announcement of the Olympic team had prevented the athlete from focusing. At the same time, the coach did not place all responsibility on Petrosyan, suggesting that the staff had not sufficiently explained the value of the Olympic chance.

Experts« Opinions

World Championship silver medalist Alena Leonova, in a conversation with Fontanka, called the decision unexpected. She did not directly link the departure to the Olympic result, pointing to noticeable difficulties in preparation during the season. Leonova also suggested that the return of Alexandra Trusova to Tutberidze«s group could have influenced the atmosphere.

Honorary Vice President of the ISU Alexander Lakernik urged not to consider a transition from one coach to another as an exception. In his opinion, the difficulties of the Olympic season could have played a role. To continue her career, Petrosyan will have to adhere to a strict regimen again. Lakernik also commented on Tutberidze«s words about the lack of strong students: he believes it is too early to assess the situation, as Trusova and Kamila Valieva are training, but their level will become clear after competitions.

Petrosyan«s Future Options

Experts discuss three scenarios for the continuation of the skater«s career.

The first is a pause. Due to rare training, lack of programs, and injuries, it is difficult for Petrosyan to start the season together with the leaders of the national team. The possibility of skipping the season was discussed before the departure. A pause does not necessarily mean the end of her career: the athlete just turned 19, the ISU raised the minimum age, and starting from the 2026/27 season, Russian skaters are allowed to compete internationally in neutral status. Petrosyan has already received such status.

The second scenario is a move to another coach and continuation of her career after a shortened off-season. The new staff will have to address health, jump, and program issues. At the Olympics, Petrosyan could not consistently perform a triple Axel and quads.

The third option is combining studies, participation in ice shows, and a limited number of competitions. Distance learning allows for training, but a readiness to return to full preparation will be required. The experience of other Tutberidze students shows that few managed to return to their previous level after leaving; some returned.

Histories of Departures from Tutberidze«s Group

There have been precedents of departures from Tutberidze«s group more than once. The fates of the skaters turned out differently.

Evgenia Medvedeva parted ways with Tutberidze in 2018 after the Olympics in Pyeongchang, where she won silver twice, losing in the individual event to Alina Zagitova. She moved to Canada to Brian Orser. The first season was uneven but ended with a bronze at the 2019 World Championships — the only time an established Tutberidze student won a world championship medal after moving to a foreign specialist. In the fall of 2020, due to the pandemic, Medvedeva returned to Moscow and resumed working with Tutberidze, after which she did not participate in official competitions.

Alexandra Trusova left for Evgeny Plushenko in the spring of 2020. Alena Kostornaya later joined her. During the season with Plushenko, Trusova won bronze at the Russian and World Championships. At the 2021 World Championships, after a poor short program (12th place), she won the free skate with five quads, but did not land all cleanly, and rose to third place. Before the Olympic season, the skater returned to Tutberidze; in Beijing 2022, she again performed five quads and won silver. She then moved to Svetlana Sokolovskaya, paused her career, got married, had a child, and in 2026 began training with Tutberidze again, restoring quads.

Alena Kostornaya left Tutberidze in the summer of 2020, a few months after her best season. With Plushenko, due to illness and loss of the triple Axel, she did not qualify for the World Championships. She returned to Tutberidze in the spring of 2021, but the second period of cooperation was short-lived. In 2022, she moved to Elena Buianova and then left singles skating. Since 2023, she has been competing in pairs with Georgiy Kunitsa, without returning to her previous level of results.

Yulia Lipnitskaya left Tutberidze in November 2015 after winning the team event at the Sochi Olympics and the European Championship gold, due to problems with results and health. She moved to Sochi to Alexei Urmanov. At the 2016 Russian Championships, she placed seventh and did not make the European Championships. The next season was hampered by injuries, and in 2017, after treatment for anorexia, she announced her retirement.

Polina Tsurskaya, winner of the Junior Grand Prix Final, moved from Tutberidze to Elena Buianova in 2018, spent one season, and ended her career. A year later, she returned to Tutberidze«s system as a coach, starting to work with young skaters.