Adeliia Petrosyan leaves Tutberidze after Olympics
On the evening of 20 July, 19-year-old figure skater Adeliia Petrosyan announced the end of her collaboration with Eteri Tutberidze«s coaching staff. In her statement, she thanked not only the head coach but also Daniil Gleikhengauz and Sergei Dudakov, who had worked with her for the past seven years. The departure became known a day before the official announcement: on 19 July the athlete informed the staff of her decision, but had not yet chosen a new coach at that time.
Petrosyan moved to Tutberidze in spring 2019 from the Moskvich sports school. During her time with the group, she won the Russian Championship three times, won the Russian Grand Prix Final three times, and earned an Olympic quota, but in the Games she placed only sixth.
The departure came as a surprise even to most team members. Preparation for the new season was noticeably different from the usual schedule: Petrosyan trained on average one to two times a week. According to those close to her, she was recovering from a hip injury, and new programs were never created for her. It was assumed that the skater might miss the season or significantly reduce her competitive load.
In addition, Petrosyan decided to devote more time to her studies: she enrolled in the choreography faculty of GITIS (Russian Institute of Theatre Arts), in the workshop of People«s Artist of the USSR Vyacheslav Gordeyev. According to insiders, however, the athlete does not intend to end her career and is considering several options for its continuation, although possible new coaching teams have not yet been named.
The main question worrying fans is the reason for the departure. Many associate it with her unsuccessful performance at the Olympics, which apparently left a deep impression.
Petrosyan approached the Games as the main hope of Russian women«s figure skating. She won the qualifying competition and received a personal Olympic quota, but her preparation was interrupted several times by health problems. In the short program in Milan, the skater placed fifth, and in the free skate she fell on a quadruple toe loop, abandoned a second attempt, and finished sixth with a score of 214.53 points. After the competition, Petrosyan said she felt shame before herself, her coaches, the federation, and the audience, and admitted that she was to blame.
Tutberidze did not hide her disappointment after the Olympics, calling the performance a missed opportunity. According to the coach, emotions after the announcement of the Olympic team distracted the athlete from focusing. However, she did not place all the responsibility on Petrosyan, acknowledging that the staff may not have clearly explained to her the significance of the Olympic opportunity.
World silver medalist Alena Leonova called the departure unexpected but did not directly link it to the sixth place at the Olympics. She noted that difficulties in Petrosyan«s preparation had been evident during the season. Leonova also suggested that the atmosphere in the group might have been affected by the return of Alexandra Trusova, who is preparing to resume her career.
Honorary Vice President of the International Skating Union (ISU) Alexander Lakernik urged not to view the athlete«s transfer as an exceptional situation, but noted that the difficulties of the Olympic season may have played a role. According to him, continuing her career will require Petrosyan to be ready to again adhere to a strict sports regime.
Three main scenarios are being considered for the skater:
Pause. Due to rare training, the lack of new programs, and injuries, starting the season with the national team leaders will be difficult. The possibility of skipping the season was discussed even before the departure. However, a pause does not necessarily mean the end of her career: Petrosyan turned 19, and the ISU raised the minimum age for senior competitions, so the gap with rivals has narrowed. Moreover, in the summer the ISU allowed Russian skaters to compete in international competitions of the 2026/27 season under neutral status, and Petrosyan has already received such status.
Transition to another coach. According to insiders, the athlete is considering several options. The new staff will have to address the tasks of restoring her health, assessing difficult jumps (triple axel and quads), and creating programs.
Combining studies, shows, and limited competitions. Distance learning allows her to continue training, but it remains to be seen whether Petrosyan is ready to return to full preparation for major tournaments.
The experience of other skaters who left Tutberidze«s group shows that few have managed to return to their previous level. Evgenia Medvedeva left after the PyeongChang Olympics, where she won silver, and moved to Brian Orser. Her first season ended with a bronze at the 2019 World Championships — the only case where a former Tutberidze student won a world medal immediately after the move. However, later due to the pandemic, Medvedeva returned to Moscow and resumed working with Tutberidze, after which she no longer competed in official events.
Alexandra Trusova left for Evgeni Plushenko in 2020, and Alena Kostornaia transferred along with her. Under Plushenko, Trusova became a bronze medalist at the Russian and World Championships, and before the Olympics she returned to Tutberidze, winning silver in Beijing. After that, she moved to Svetlana Sokolovskaya, took a pause, got married, gave birth, and in 2026 is again training with Tutberidze.
Alena Kostornaia left Tutberidze in the summer of 2020 after her best season, but due to illness and the loss of her triple axel, she could not qualify for the World Championships. A year later she returned, but the second period of collaboration was brief, and she switched to pairs skating.
Yulia Lipnitskaya left in 2015 after injuries and health problems, worked with Alexei Urmanov, but did not make the European Championships and ended her career in 2017. Polina Tsurskaya moved to Elena Buyanova in 2018, skated one season, ended her career, and then returned to the Tutberidze system as a coach.
