Thousands of fans await Anna Shcherbakova at the skating event in mid-September. Fans have long missed the Beijing Olympic champion and would like to see her compete with new programs. But it seems that this is not destined to happen. FFKKR spokesman Alexander Kogan stated that it was “too early to talk about it”, which means “no” in most cases.
This is sad news for Shcherbakova’s fans, but not for the skater herself. The ugly truth is that Anya doesn’t need to get back on the competitive ice at all. She could hinder her business.
But the athlete hopes to build a media empire more abruptly than Alina Zagitova’s!
Returning to the ice Shcherbakova is not profitable
The start of the new figure skating season is approaching, and the main question fans are asking is whether they will see Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova on the competitive ice. After the tournament in Beijing, the student Eteri Tutberidze prudently took a short vacation to recover, and then it turned out that the athlete would miss the whole year.
This was not a surprise: in the post-Olympic season, the participants in the main start of the quadrennium are extremely rare, especially those who won gold medals. Shcherbakova needed time to rest, allow herself to enjoy the triumphant victory and chat with family and friends. And besides sports, Anya had a lot to do: endless interviews, advertising projects, shows … If you thought that the most difficult thing was to win the Olympics, then you were wrong: it is more difficult to deal with popularity. which has increased hundreds of times.
Anna Shcherbakova at the 2022 Beijing Olympics
Photo: Alexander Safonov, “Championship”
However, the crazy excitement gradually began to subside, and now the skater has the opportunity to carefully consider her future. Thousands of fans await Shcherbakova’s return, but even more: sports officials who understand that figure skating in Russia is more than ever without a headliner. The new generation of athletes, with all due respect to them, does not arouse in the fans the amazement that they experienced when they met the famous Trusov – Shcherbakov – Kostornaya trio at tournaments. Camila Valieva, who followed them, became a true star and won the love of millions, but it would be dishonest to entrust the mission of popularizing figure skating only to her fragile shoulders.
So, the conclusion is very simple: this sport needs Anna Shcherbakova, but the paradox is that Anna Shcherbakova does not need to return to figure skating at all. The idea seems absurd, given the passion and perseverance with which the athlete achieved high goals at the most important competitions (there are legends about Anya’s inflexible inner core), but if you look at the situation soberly, it becomes clear that now the skater almost He has no motivation to compete. At his age, it is more and more difficult to reach his peak form, and health problems do not leave Shcherbakov – he recently had mononucleosis.
The main argument “against” is that this return does not benefit Anya at all. Many talented figure skaters continued to perform after having passed the best stage of their careers: Alina Zagitova, Evgenia Medvedeva, and even Alexander Trusova; After the Olympic Games, her performances did not seem so impressive, the image of invincible champions collapsed, and their status became ambiguous. If this happens to Shcherbakova, she will interfere with her business.
More on why Anna is expected to be involved in sports:
Our sport needs Shcherbakova more than meets the eye. The new season needs a headliner
Shcherbakova conquered China and became a rock star.
Now Anya is actively building a career outside of sports. She has a lot of new hobbies: from TV to NFT. The figure skater attends various events, conducts master classes, acts in commercials, works with sponsors, participates in interesting projects, and also participates in shows, not only in Russia, but also abroad.
Shcherbakova recently traveled to China, where she was a special guest at The Belt and Road international ice conference and the Chen Lu Cup tournament. There she was received very warmly; according to the athlete, she felt like a rock star.
“To say that I was delighted is to say nothing. It’s hard to find words to describe my experience. I felt like a rock star on tour. He didn’t even realize the reality of what was happening. I was surprised by everything from the first seconds, from the meeting at the airport, where an incredible number of fans arrived. And so it was every day. And after the performance, an incredible number of toys were thrown on the ice, I experienced it for the first time. When I was in the center and thousands of toys were flying everywhere, even tears flowed from my eyes due to an overabundance of emotions, ”Anna shared her impressions.
She has the largest fan base in China among our skaters, which means Shcherbakova’s business potential is limitless. It is quite possible to become the highest paid Olympic champion in history, given that Anya is loved in her homeland and invited to the best projects. For example, Tatyana Navka involved the athlete in two major shows at once – Sleeping Beauty and The Love Story of Scheherazade.
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Shcherbakova has every minute scheduled: “Everyday life for those who perform in two shows at once is like this. Five minutes ago I finished my part in the show “Scheherazade”, quickly changed my clothes. Now we run to the Sochi park, where I will ride Princess Leia. Yesterday I managed to lace up my skates 30 seconds before the start. We make bets on what will happen today,” she joked on her Telegram channel.
But jokes are jokes, but you still have to come to terms with the fact that Anya is unlikely to return to competitive ice. In her busy schedule there is simply no room for training. The figure skater already hinted at the end of her amateur career when she left a direct answer to the question of whether she will act in the new season:
“I still don’t know if I will compete next season. This is the most difficult question. I have so many activities, I ride a lot in shows. It’s hard to put everything together, but I still don’t have a clear answer about my career: yes or no. I still like figure skating, I like training, let’s see how it goes, ”Shcherbakova said in an interview with former Chinese figure skater Chen Lu.
Will Scherbakova be more successful than Zagitova?
There was a time when fans didn’t want to believe that Shcherbakova would follow Zagitova’s path and trade sports for a media career, but it seems that Anya not only took Alina’s cue, but also started acting ahead of the crowd. curve. The figure skater immediately abandoned attempts to return to the competition and retained the title of the invincible Olympic champion.
After that, Shcherbakova caught up with Zagitova in the field of television. With practically no preparation, Anya managed to show a great job as the presenter of “The Ice Age”, which became an obstacle for Alina. Her high intelligence, natural wit and quick learner make Shcherbakova a formidable rival for Zagitova in the battle for popularity.
Anna Shcherbakova presents “Ice Age” with Alexei Yagudin
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
At the same time, Anya has a huge advantage – a not scandalous reputation. Unfortunately, Alina has not had any luck with this lately. The Pyeongchang Olympic champion was embroiled in an accident scandal, and even before that caused a backlash from fans, hampering her promotion. In this regard, Shcherbakova’s chances of getting ahead and increasing her capital are much higher.
However, it must be remembered that such an invisible confrontation will not make her an enemy of Zagitova. The girls themselves maintain friendly relations and very often work together. The other day, the Olympic champions took part in the performance of the SKA hockey club, where they held a master class for young children and performed demonstration numbers.
