That sounds bad..Like if you do such and such she could last to the olympics (but maybe be crippled in ten yrs???? who knows. Prob. a doctor said the best procedure for her and future health would mean she would never skate at the same level..) It took days to decide & then it was not a doctors decision that was taken but the coaches/federation which totally scares me. Sui just waited for the envelope...& went through hell and back after. I am holding my breath until after the games and hope someone upstairs is watching over her.
Elena Mukhina's situation was very different to Sui (who appears to be the driving force in that pair).
ITA that Sui is the driving force in that pair and would expect that she was in agreement about getting the surgeries done. She sure did get back on the ice as soon as she could, defying expectations. IMO S/H were groomed for greatness at a young age, unlike S/Zm P/T, and Zhangs, who had to find it within themselves as first generation Chinese pairs. I think Sui loves to skate, and equally loves to win.
I've read various things about the Chinese federation that are disturbing. Like their forced repairing of pair teams in recent years. Like stealing the carb treats that Qing Pang stashes in her bag - read that on the board, but don't remember when or what the source was. And in the book The Second Mark, the author stated that pair girls were weighed regularly and if they gained more than two pounds, punished by having to eat in the coaches' lounge for a time (where their food consumption could be observed). It happened to Shen due to the water weight she gained from drinking two diet cokes on one of the rare occasions when her parents came to visit her.
I don't know if the fed is equally hard on male pair skaters in terms of pushing them to build their upper body and watch their weight. I would expect not.
And I would think some young Chinese female pair skaters might not be able to cope with the regime of diet and training they have to follow. SFAIK the Chinese girls are so good at throws because they are required to practice them endlessly.
Those Chinese girls who do endure are incredibly, incredibly tough IMO, and deserving of much respect. That toughness was evident when Shen skated Turandot with one leg out of commission, and when Dan Zhang took that horrible fall at the 2006 Olympics, then got right up and proceeded to complete the program.
The ends may not justify the means, but have certainly been impressive.
