Expendable Skaters

layman

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604
For every one medal winner, there are 100 broken dreams. Ilia Klimkin's is just one of those stories.

A fellow member shared this article with me:

I was moved to tears as I read it. Ilia Klimkin was one of my favorite skaters. I followed his career closely in the late 1990's/early 2000's. Then he suddenly disappeared from the sport. I never knew why. All I ever heard were vague reports of an injury.

The article has finally filled in the missing pieces of his story. The article was harrowing and difficult to read, but ultimately a tribute to Ilia Klimkin's indomitable spirit and a tribute to many other skaters like him who were broken by the Figure Skating Machine but who survived to tell their stories and keep contributing off the ice.
 

Japanfan

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25,532
Thanks for posting the article.

I loved Klimkin! He was at Toller Cranston's level in terms of creativity. I remember during one of his programs, a commentator said 'he seems to be playing his music backwards' :D

I wish the article had mentioned what Klimkin is doing now. I wonder if he is still involved in FS?
 

ldec

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140
The article has finally filled in the missing pieces of his story. The article was harrowing and difficult to read, but ultimately a tribute to Ilia Klimkin's indomitable spirit and a tribute to many other skaters like him who were broken by the Figure Skating Machine but who survived to tell their stories and keep contributing off the ice.

Thank you so much for the kind words, I find it really amazing that my article left such a strong impression on you.

For those interested, parts 2 and 3 are also linked inside:

Part II: http://frozenintime.tk/ilia-klimkin-the-greatest-russian-skater-that-never-was-part-ii/
Part III: http://frozenintime.tk/ilia-klimkin-the-greatest-russian-skater-that-never-was-part-iii/

Unfortunately, elite sports have a short focus nature, and skaters who do not win big are very rarely remembered. I think everyone prefers to focus on the glamorous side of skating (the excitement of competitions, the wins, the prospects next season), and not much consideration is given to how the skater is feeling, what they might be going through or the toll the sport takes on their mental and physical health.

Here is what Klimkin himself had to say about that:

The public and media are not interested in injuries or how the athlete is feeling. Nobody cares about soap operas like “He could have been a fantastic athlete, a world champion even, had it not been for the injury, had it not been for this or that.“ There is only one champion, and everybody else is there to chase that – if you have come to fight, you must fight, regardless of whether you are injured or not.
The average spectator wants to see the athlete in their physical prime skate a brilliant program. You can save the tales about injuries or the path of struggles you went through for your memoir, or for TV shows and interviews once you win. There is no need to talk about it while training or during your performance.”

He was also one of my favorite skaters, so it saddens me deeply that his physical health and artistic talent were wrecked and lost in the system of russian sports. However, I am sure cases like his are overwhelmingly common. I wish this story can serve as a cautionary tale on how not to manage a figure skater, or any professional or student for that matter

I wish the article had mentioned what Klimkin is doing now. I wonder if he is still involved in FS?

It's mentioned in part 3:
He consequently switched to coaching and TV commentary. Today, he works as a figure skating coach in Moscow.
 
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Bellanca

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3,301
That was quite the read. Ilia Klimkin will never be expendable in my book, but it does show how sports can chew up the athlete. My hope is they pass through relatively unscathed and emerge stronger for it.
 

Tinami Amori

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20,156
Klimkin is very happy now being a coach in Alexei Mishin's group.
Anastasyia Gulyakova is his student and he convinced her to try a 3A, and she did and got it! She is now officially on the team, as a 2nd alternative, which is a big leap forward for her.

 

Plusdinfo

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314
Klimkin was and still is wonderful to watch. He left a bigger mark on me than many "champions", so in a way his words are not always the truth, or at least I should note that the media doesn't always cover things properly or state the truth!
 

ldec

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140
Klimkin is very happy now being a coach in Alexei Mishin's group.
Anastasyia Gulyakova is his student and he convinced her to try a 3A, and she did and got it! She is now officially on the team, as a 2nd alternative, which is a big leap forward for her.


Mostly agree with this, just a small correction: he is not coaching in Alexei Mishin's group but works in Moscow. He sent Gulyakova to Mishin because he considered it would be a positive move for her development.

When I interviewed him in preparation for the article and in the feedback after, it did seem like he had accepted the past and wants to make the best out of the future. So I sincerely hope he is happy.

Re: Gulyakova - she is a lovely skater and I hope she can do even better in the future (even though the state of the Russian ladies field is insanely competitive).
 

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