Anastasiia Shabotova

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Anastasiia Shabotova
Shabotova in 2019
Full nameAnastasiia Sergeevna Shabotova
Native nameАнастасия Сергеевна Шаботова
Other namesAnastasia
Born (2006-01-17) 17 January 2006 (age 18)
Moscow, Russia
HometownKyiv, Ukraine
Height1.54 m (5 ft 12 in)[1]
Figure skating career
CoachSvetlana Panova
Tatiana Moiseeva
Marina Amirkhanova
Skating clubSport School "Leader"
Began skating2009

Anastasiia Sergeevna Shabotova (Russian: Анастасия Сергеевна Шаботова, Ukrainian: Анастасія Сергіївна Шаботова; born 17 January 2006) is a Russian-Ukrainian figure skater. Competing for Ukraine, she is the 2021 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge bronze medalist and a three-time Ukrainian national champion (2020–2022). She competed in the final segment at the 2020 World Junior Championships. Shabotova is the 12th woman to land a triple Axel internationally and the first Ukrainian woman.

Shabotova originally competed domestically for Russia before requesting to switch nationalities to Ukraine in May 2019 after she made comments during an Instagram livestream that alleged widespread doping among top Russian figure skaters.[2] Although she achieved more international success for Ukraine, including representing the country at the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine expelled Shabotova from the Ukrainian national team in March 2022 after she engaged in pro-Russia behavior on social media following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Shabotova was born in Moscow, Russia on 17 January 2006.[4] Her mother, Irina, is Ukrainian, and her maternal grandparents continue to live in Ukraine.[5]

Doping comments controversy[edit]

On 21 January 2019, in an Instagram live question-and-answer session with her followers, then 13-year-old Shabotova claimed: "How to perform consistently? Drink a lot of dope, and you perform stably. That's all. You just need to drink the right dope."[6] When asked if the skaters at Khrustalny (skaters coached by Eteri Tutberidze, Daniil Gleikhengauz, and Sergei Dudakov, including 2018 Olympic Champion Alina Zagitova) were doping, Shabotova responded: "Of course they do."[7] In response, Tutberidze told the media that she was disappointed that younger skaters viewed doping as the key to success rather than putting in hard work on the ice.[6]

Shabotova's comments led to her being cyberbullied by the Russian figure skating community.[5] Representatives of the Sambo-70 club, home of Khrustalny, demanded punishment for her, and many coaches and prominent figures around the sport regarded her as a persona non grata.[6] However, several fellow athletes and fans came to Shabotova's defense, including two-time World Champion Irina Slutskaya.[7]

Figure Skating Federation of Russia president Aleksandr Gorshkov and Shabotova's coach, Svetlana Panova, both dismissed Shabotova's comments as nonsense. They attributed her comments to her youth and naivety, as well as being asked leading questions.[8] Panova disciplined the skater over her comments but expressed that she did not wish to see Shabotova seriously punished for comments obviously meant in jest.[7] Shabotova's mother also insisted that her daughter did not understand the severity of her comments and was repeating words she may have incorrectly interpreted from gossip around her, and implied that her daughter did not know the difference between doping and taking vitamin supplements.[9] As punishment for her words, her mother confiscated her smartphone. She then asked that Shabotova's career not be ruined over her careless comments.[9]

Russian Anti-Doping Agency head Yuri Ganus promised to hold an explanatory conversation with Shabotova and announced that RUSADA was investigating whether there was any truth to her comments.[6][2] Representatives of the Moscow City Sports Department also spoke to Shabotova about the validity of her comments.[10]

Shabotova later posted a video on her Instagram account to apologize, stating: "I said something stupid, maybe because I lost in my latest competition. I didn't think they'd misunderstand me."[7]

In February 2022, in the wake of Kamila Valieva's doping controversy, Shabotova commented upon request by the Russian news outlet Championat that "I believe none of us really think anything about the scandal (with Valieva). I simply read about what's going on, and then I immediately forget about it. Nobody really discusses it." She commented as well that she felt only happiness to personally know the Olympic champions.[11][12]

Russian invasion of Ukraine[edit]

In March 2022, Shabotova liked Evgeni Plushenko's comments on Instagram describing the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as an "unavoidable special operation".[13] Her behavior was harshly criticized on social media by her then-Ukrainian national teammates Anastasiia Arkhipova and Taisiya Spesivtseva; Shabotova removed her "like" after it was noticed by Arkhipova and Spesivtseva.[14] She responded to media requests asking if she supported Plushenko with the following comment: "I like whatever I want, but mostly that which is in my newsfeed. And to think that I support someone with my like is very stupid." After removing her like, Shabotova posted on Instagram the caption: "My position has always been and will always remain this: the world should be without war, without death and fear of people."[15]

For her behavior, Shabotova was consequently expelled from the Ukrainian national team by order of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and thereby could not compete at the 2022 World Championships to which she was originally assigned.[3] Plushenko later posted on his Telegram account that he was "ready to accept [Shabotova] into our academy [Angels of Plushenko] and provide all the conditions for training."[14] He confirmed that he had made appeals to the ISU, the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, and the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation to allow Shabotova to train in and compete for Russia; Shabotova had originally transferred to represent Ukraine after the Russian federation blacklisted her for her comments on doping.[16]

Shabotova's behavior supporting Russia also drew attention to her actions during the 2022 Winter Olympics a month prior, where she expressed support for Kamila Valieva amidst Valieva's doping scandal and expressed happiness at personally knowing the new Olympic champion, Anna Shcherbakova, despite the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine asking its athletes to refrain from interacting with the ROC delegation.[14] She also claimed to the media that her "native language" was Ukrainian and that she was born in Kyiv, despite her official International Skating Union profile showing that she was born in Moscow.[17]

Career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Shabotova began skating in 2009 under Irina Strahova in Moscow at the Moskvich School.[6] She moved to train Svetlana Panova and Tatiana Moiseeva at the Snow Leopards Sports School in the 2017–18 season. Shabotova had limited domestic success in Russia, with her highest result being 14th at the 2019 Russian Junior Championships.[18][10]

On 23 May 2019, Shabotova's request to switch nationalities from Russia to represent her mother's native Ukraine was unanimously approved by the executive committee of the Moscow Federation of Figure Skating.[2]

2019–2020 season[edit]

Shabotova spent the summer training with Rafael Arutyunyan in the United States while keeping Panova as her head coach.[5] In August, Ukrainian national team head coach Marina Amirkhanova invited her to Ukrainian test skates, where she performed several triple Axel jumps.[5] Despite being age-eligible for international competition, Shabotova was unable to compete on the Junior Grand Prix due to delays from the International Skating Union in processing her nationality transfer.[5][10]

In October 2019, Shabotova made her international debut at Ice Star, winning the junior gold medal over Niina Petrõkina of Estonia and former Russian teammate Kamila Sultanmagomedova.[10] Shabotova then won the silver medal at the Volvo Open Cup in November, behind Russian Ksenia Sinitsyna and ahead of Maria Bolsheva of Latvia.[19]

At the 2020 Ukrainian Championships in December, Shabotova won the senior gold medal by over 46 points ahead of Taisiya Spesivtseva and Anastasia Gozhva.[20] In her free skate, she unsuccessfully attempted a triple axel. In February, Shabotova again won gold at the 2020 Ukrainian Junior Championships, this time ahead of Dariya Kotenko and Mariia Andriichuk.[21] She finished her season at the 2020 World Junior Championships, finishing 20th overall after placing seventeenth in the short program and twentieth in the free skate. She again unsuccessfully attempted a triple Axel jump in the free skate.

2020–2021 season[edit]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Junior Grand Prix, where Shabotova would have competed, was cancelled. She instead opened her season by winning gold at the 2020 Budapest Trophy in October. In the free skate, Shabotova became the twelfth lady to land a triple Axel internationally.[22]

Shabotova did not compete at the 2021 Ukrainian Junior Championships but defended her senior national title at the 2021 Ukrainian Championships in February. She likely would have competed at the 2021 World Junior Championships before it was cancelled, as she was too young to be named to the 2021 World Championships team. Shabotova later revealed in an interview that she had contracted COVID-19 in early December and did not return to the ice until mid-January. She said that after returning to practice, she struggled with the lasting effects of the virus.[23]

2021–2022 season: Olympics and expulsion from Ukrainian national team[edit]

Shabotova made her international senior debut at the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, tasked with qualifying a berth for a Ukrainian woman at the 2022 Winter Olympics. She placed fifth in the short program and fourth in the free skate, for fifth place overall and the fifth of six available Olympic spots. In the process, she also qualified a place for Ukraine in the team competition.[24]

Following Nebelhorn, Shabotova competed at three other fall internationals, winning bronze medals at the 2021 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge and the Ice Star and finishing sixth at the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup. She won her third consecutive Ukrainian national title.[25] She was assigned to the 2022 European Championships, but withdrew due to unspecified health problems.[26] Shabotova was subsequently named to the Ukrainian Olympic team.[27]

Shabotova placed seventh in the women's short program segment of the Olympic team event, the highest placement for a Ukrainian team member. The Ukrainian team finished tenth and did not advance to the free skate segments.[28] In the short program of the women's event, Shabotova attempted a triple Axel but fell and placed 29th in the segment. She did not advance to the free skate.[29]

She was assigned to compete at the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships but later withdrew. It was subsequently announced that she had been expelled from the Ukrainian national team by order of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine after previously liking a pro-invasion post by Evgeni Plushenko.[3]

Programs[edit]

Season Short program Free skating
2021–2022
[4]
2019–2021
[30]

Competitive highlights[edit]

CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

For Ukraine[edit]

International[25]
Event 19–20 20–21 21–22
Olympics 29th
Worlds WD
Europeans WD
CS Denis Ten MC 3rd
CS Nebelhorn 5th
CS Warsaw Cup 6th
Ice Star 3rd
International: Junior[25]
Junior Worlds 20th
JGP Slovakia 10th
Budapest Trophy 1st
Ice Star 1st
Volvo Open Cup 2nd
National[25]
Ukrainian Champ. 1st 1st 1st
Ukrainian Junior 1st
Team events
Olympics 10th T
7th P
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew
Levels: J = Junior

For Russia[edit]

National[18]
Event 2018–19
Russian Junior Champ. 14th

Detailed results[edit]

Senior results[edit]

2021–2022 season
Date Event SP FS Total
February 15–17, 2022 2022 Winter Olympics 29
48.68
29
48.68
February 4–7, 2022 2022 Winter Olympics – Team event 7
62.49
10T
December 7–8, 2021 2022 Ukrainian Championships 1
66.04
1
122.55
1
188.59
November 17–20, 2021 2021 CS Warsaw Cup 9
59.95
6
117.45
6
177.40
October 28–31, 2021 2021 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge 2
63.92
3
111.29
3
175.21
October 14–17, 2021 2021 Ice Star 3
58.37
3
109.32
3
167.69
September 22–25, 2021 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 5
61.49
4
116.21
5
177.70
2020–2021 season
Date Event SP FS Total
February 23–24, 2021 2021 Ukrainian Championships 1
53.36
1
105.79
1
159.15
2019–2020 season
Date Event SP FS Total
December 17–19, 2019 2020 Ukrainian Championships 1
66.80
1
122.43
1
189.23

Junior results[edit]

2021–2022 season
Date Event SP FS Total
September 1–4, 2021 2021 JGP Slovakia 9
51.21
10
94.48
10
145.69
2020–2021 season
Date Event SP FS Total
October 15–17, 2020 2020 Budapest Trophy 1
51.42
1
102.45
1
153.87
2019–2020 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 2–8, 2020 2020 World Junior Championships 17
52.68
20
92.17
20
144.85
February 4–6, 2020 2020 Ukrainian Junior Championships 1
60.47
1
118.52
1
178.99
November 5–10, 2019 2019 Volvo Open Cup 1
62.40
2
105.41
2
167.81
October 14–17, 2019 2019 Ice Star 1
58.73
1
116.03
1
174.76
2018–2019 season
Date Event SP FS Total
Jan. 31 – Feb. 4, 2019 2019 Russian Junior Championships 15
57.13
14
111.32
14
168.45

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Anastasiia SHABOTOVA". www.isuresults.com. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  2. ^ a b c "Рассказавшая о "правильном допинге" фигуристка сможет выступать за Украину" [The skater who has told about "right doping" will be able to play for Ukraine]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 8 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Анастасію Шаботову виключено зі складу збірної України – наказ ММС – Українська федерація фігурного катання на ковзанах" [Anastasia Shabotova was expelled from the national team of Ukraine by order of the IMC] (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Anastasiia SHABOTOVA: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e Dymov, Vyacheslav (16 October 2019). "Она говорила о допинге в Хрустальном, после чего стала выступать за Украину. Как дела у той самой Анастасии Шаботовой?" [She talked about doping in Khrustalny, after which she began to play for Ukraine. How's that Anastasia Shabotova doing?]. Sports Day by Day (in Russian).
  6. ^ a b c d e Tokarev, Georgy (22 August 2019). "В копилку Украины: фигуристка из России исполнила тройной аксель" [In the piggy bank of Ukraine: a figure skater from Russia performed a triple axel]. Gazeta.Ru (in Russian).
  7. ^ a b c d Luxmoore, Matthew (22 January 2019). "'Of Course They Take It': Russian Teen Figure Skater Regrets Claims Of Widespread Doping". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  8. ^ Bespalova, Ekaterina (8 July 2019). "Шаботова в сборной Украины: наказание за "правильный допинг" или стратегия?" [Shabotova in the Ukrainian national team: a punishment for "correct doping" or a strategy?]. Sport Express (in Russian).
  9. ^ a b "Мама фигуристки, сказавшей о пользе допинга: она не понимает, в чём её обвиняют" [The mother of the skater who spoke about the benefits of doping: she does not understand what she is accused of]. Championat (in Russian). 21 January 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d "Русская фигуристка Шаботова будет выступать за Украину. Она говорила о допинге в группе Тутберидзе" [Russian figure skater Shabotova will compete for Ukraine. She talked about doping in the Tutberidze group]. Sport24 (in Russian). 8 July 2019.
  11. ^ Yushkov, Mikhail. "Намекавшая на допинг у Тутберидзе фигуристка высказалась по делу Валиевой" [The figure skater who hinted at doping at Tutberidze's spoke out on the Valieva case]. RBC Sport (in Russian). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  12. ^ Kuznetsova, Yelena. "Украинская экс-ученица Тутберидзе высказалась о скандале с Камилой Валиевой" ["The former Ukrainian student of Tutberidze comments on Kamila Valieva's scandal"]. Championat (in Russian). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  13. ^ Semeniuk, Yuri (18 March 2022). "Украинская фигуристка Шаботова поддержала "неизбежную спецоперацию в Украине"" [Ukrainian figure skater Shabotova supported the "unavoidable special operation in Ukraine"]. 24tv.ua (in Russian).
  14. ^ a b c Kuznetsov, Dmitry (24 March 2022). "Фигуристку сборной Украины родом из Москвы выгнали с чемпионата мира за лайк поста Плющенко. Что произошло?" [The figure skater of the Ukrainian national team, originally from Moscow, was expelled from the World Championships for liking Plushenko's post. What happened?]. Sport Express (in Russian).
  15. ^ "Фигуристку Шаботову исключили из состава сборной Украины. Она лайкнула пост Плющенко с поддержкой войны в Украине" [Figure skater Shabotova was expelled from the Ukrainian national team. She liked Plushenko's post supporting the war in Ukraine]. Gordon UA (in Russian). 26 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Плющенко подготовил обращения в ISU, федерации России и Украины по ситуации с Шаботовой" [Plushenko prepared appeals to the ISU, the federations of Russia and Ukraine on the situation with Shabotova]. TASS (in Russian). 24 March 2022.
  17. ^ Yaremenko, Sergey (6 February 2022). "Украинская фигуристка расплакалась на ОИ и удивила ответом о русском языке" [Ukrainian figure skater burst into tears at the Olympics and surprised with the answer about the Russian language]. RIA Novosti (in Russian).
  18. ^ a b "Шаботова Анастасия Сергеевна" [Shabotova Anastasiia Sergeevna]. fskate.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 9 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Анастасия Шаботова выиграла короткую программу на Volvo Open Cup в Риге" [Anastasia Shabotova won the short program at the Volvo Open Cup in Riga]. SportOnline.ua (in Russian). 8 November 2019.
  20. ^ "Фигуристка, рассказавшая о правильном допинге в группе Тутберидзе, стала чемпионкой Украины" [The figure skater who spoke about the correct doping in the Tutberidze group became the champion of Ukraine]. Eurosport (in Russian). 20 December 2019.
  21. ^ "Скандальная российская фигуристка отобралась на юниорский ЧМ от Украины" [The scandalous Russian figure skater was selected for the Junior World Championships from Ukraine]. iSport.ua (in Russian). 5 February 2020.
  22. ^ "Шаботова прыгнула тройной аксель на Budapest Trophy" [Shabotova jumped a triple axel at the Budapest Trophy]. sportbox.ru (in Russian). 17 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Анастасия Шаботова: «после Коронавируса Даже Вращаться Было Больно»" [Anastasia Shabotova: "After the Coronavirus, It Even Hurt to Rotate"]. XSPORT (in Russian). 27 February 2021.
  24. ^ Flade, Tatjana (September 25, 2021). "Liu pockets Nebelhorn gold; seals third spot for U.S. women". Golden Skate.
  25. ^ a b c d "Anastasiia SHABOTOVA: Competition Results". International Skating Union.
  26. ^ "Анастасія Шаботова не виступить на чемпіонаті Європи" [Anastasia Shabotova will not perform at the European Championship] (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation. 8 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Затверджено склад збірної України на Ігри-2022, в числі олімпійців – шестеро фігуристів" [The composition of the national team of Ukraine for the 2022 Games has been approved, among the Olympians - six skaters] (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation. 22 January 2022.
  28. ^ Slater, Paula (February 6, 2022). "ROC overtakes USA on Day 2 of Olympic Figure Skating Team Event". Golden Skate.
  29. ^ Penny, Brandon (February 15, 2022). "As it happened: ROC, U.S. skaters star in women's short program". NBC Sports.
  30. ^ "Anastasiia SHABOTOVA: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020.

External links[edit]