Favorite Russian lady?

Oh my goodness, hardest thread EVER!
I really do love them all except for two, who I won't name here for fear of starting fights...

But I love Zhenya, Alina, Polina, Anastasia T, Anna S, Alena K, Sasha, Sofia S, Maria, Elena, Liza, Liza N, Daria, and Natalya Ogoreltseva. All for different reasons and they themselves are all so different. But I love watching all of them skate.

Liza is my hands down favourite, when she came back in 2014-2015 with her triple axel and won everything it was so awesome! She has beautiful jumps and I like her artistry and I'm holding out hope she might make the Olympic Team yet!

I liked Irina as well, in fact she was the figure skater (aside from Plushy) who caught my attention at the Torino Olympics with her unitard and I really loved her skating!

And from yesterday Alena Leonova has been around for a long time, but I like her style.

I do like Evgenia Med too, although I noticed while watching her Gala today that I far preferred her Exhibition skating to her actual programs - they're so busy! She amazingly talented for sure though.

Oh and Evgenia Tarasova from Pairs, what a total boss, especially at last seasons Worlds where her leg got cut but she came out with Vladimir and they got silver! She has nerves of steel!

(And shout out to Pogo and Radio too...so many Russian ladies...)

This thread is wrong.
We need a "your top 10 favourite russian ladies"

moriel said:

This thread is wrong.
We need a "your top 10 favourite russian ladies"

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this

CaroLiza_fan said:

ALL OF THEM!!!

Seriously, though, this is a hard question. Because all of them stand out in their own way.

I think there has only really been one Russian ladies skater that I haven't liked... and ironically, she is the skater that has been mentioned most in this thread so far! But, that's just because her style of skating isn't to my taste. She seems a nice enough girl otherwise.

This year, it's between Sotskova and Zagitova. Maria was my favourite Junior skater a few years ago, and then when she left Alina took over that mantle. And now that they are in Seniors, I still like them a lot. I can see both of them going to Pyeongchang.

All time? That's tough.

Of course, Liza is in my username for a reason. I have absolutely loved her since the first time I saw her. But, back when I was starting to get into figure skating, it was Irina that caught my eye (probably because she was winning everything! ) And more recently, Anna Pogo has been my favourite (she may be inconsistent to the extreme, but when she's on fire, she's an absolute firecracker!)

On balance... yeah, Liza! :agree:

CaroLiza_fan

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and this.

I really can't choose...

Ladies:
Junior: Samodurova
Senior: Pogorilaya/Tutkamysheva/Leonova
Retired: Butyrskaya/Lipnitskaia/Slutskaya/Sokolova

Pairs
Current: Tarasova
Retired: Berezhnaya

Ice Dance
Current: N/A lol
Retired: Anjelika Krylova

Anna Pogorilaya

My favorite is Yulia Lipnitskaia and current favorite is Elena Radionova. They have a lot of charisma.

Hard question as they are all mega-talented.

Currently I like Elena R and Stasya K, with Anna P as my fave.

Recent past: Julia Lip and Adelina.

My one from the more distant past an probs over all fave: Irina Slutskaya. Her good-natured battle for supremacy with Michelle shaped my teen years!

Seniors
1. Evgenia Medvedeva
2. Polina Tsurskaya
3. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
4. Maria Sotskova
5. Alina Zagitova

Juniors
1. Anastasia Tarakanova
2. Elizaveta Nugumanova
3. Alena Kostornaya
4. Alexandra Trusova
5. Anastasiia Gubanova

Oh, and for sheer style and diva-like qualities, Maria B. She could teach the youngsters a thing or two about presentation, although IMHO Anna P channels some of it!

Oh, sorry, forgot about Elizaveta, particularly in her 'big' season. I flipping well loved her free prog that year, like many others!

Liza Tuktamysheva has been my favorite for the last couple of years, but I also like Evgenia. She's so light on the ice, accentuates her music so well, and I feel so at peace watching her, knowing her consistency. I wish she'd expand her range though; I hope to see something smiley and light-hearted from her, such as a romantic song or a waltz.

I started watching figure skating because of Sasha Cohen. She was russian too but I didnt know at that time and it didnt matter anyway. Irina S. was her rival. I didnt like Irina's skating at all, I became intersted in her as a person outside fugure skating after she retired and I liked her. I always rooted for the nervous and mistake prone skater, very emotional, impredictible, I was never really interested in the robotic ones, who could do everything, win every competition... Maybe it was because my love for Sasha. She was like this and after she retired, I supposed I looked for girls like her, silver girls but with golden dreams. Almost golden girls. And here comes Ashley Wagner in my mind. But back to the russain girls, in Irina's era, there was that happy crazy blonde blue eyed girl who's name I can't write. It's in my mind and I can't spell it. Elena.... who always finnished behind Irina, always settled for silver at Euros, because the gold was always Irina's and who was jumping for joy on the ice after finnishing an almost clean program. Leonova reminds me of her. I liked that girl and I dreamed that once she would best Irina.
Then, there were Alena and Ksenia Makarova. I liked Ksenia, not Alena. But Ksenia gave up skating and Alena is here skating the best she can but now it is not enough. But I respect her for that.
The I fell in love with Adelina as a junior of 12 yo, and then with Liza in her first year as a senior. Adelina as a senior wasn't the same, she was my type of skater but I never understood her choice of programs, including the olymic programs which I really disliked. I think she would have been an amazing skater, like Carolina, If she would have continued after the olympics.
Then there was Anna P. Julia L. came after her because I liked Yulia more after the OLys. I am still sad that she is not skating anymore. I feel like that early succes killed her carreer, just like Adeilna's. They didn't have the chance to grow and show us what they truely could do. And they both had so much talent. Now I pray for Anna to stay because she was the underdog who stayed alive, without making the olympic team and she might not make it again but I want her to stay. She is the only one who had the chance to grow and she became such a gorgeous skater. I hope she can see that there is more in figure skating than making the olympic team, and she will continue skating after the olympic year.

From the new ones, Polina T impressed me the most.

My three favourite Olympic Champions: 2014, 2018, 2022.

Favorite this year would be Ksenia Stolbova. She can sell anything to me, and I'm so glad they've gotten over the rough patch this year (not sure what exactly happened at Finlandia).

Among the girls this year, still Medvedeva. I'm hoping she recovers for the GPF.

Alena Leonova. The end...

IleK said:

I started watching figure skating because of Sasha Cohen. She was russian too but I didnt know at that time and it didnt matter anyway.

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Small correction: Sasha Cohen's background is Ukrainian, not Russian.

CaroLiza_fan

Evgenia Medvedeva.

Not even because of her skating, mostly, but because of her character which always inspires me and which I admire. Off the ice, when she speaks she sometimes seems to me to be stronger, older and wiser than anyone around her, including Eteri herself; while on the ice she simply reveals her true unearthly nature.

Evgenia Medvedeva for sure. Of the seniors, the other ones that I like are Polina T. and Maria S. (mostly just her SP this season).
For juniors, Alexandra Trusova is my favourite.

Sotskova and Tsurskaya --- love the lines of those tall ladies. They have big jumps and are our future Kostners.