It happens to Russian female singles skaters more often than it does to anyone from any other nation. It has become an obsession for so many women/parents/coaches in that country to be at the top no matter the health cost. The rest of the civilized world has moved on from their nonsense.
Every single elite athlete in this sport is injured at some point in their career. You can probably count the number of athletes who were not seriously injured at some point in their careers on one hand. Statistically, Russia probably has more skaters than any other nation at this point. Also, statistically, Russia probably broadcasts more figure skating events than any other nation. That is why you see more injuries, also in live action. If you look at figure skating vlogs like TSL, they are all heavily focused on Russian figure skating. I'm thinking sometimes they know better what's going on in Russia than what's going on in their home country or, more broadly, in North America or elsewhere. It probably brings more clicks, idk?
As for health costs, there are plenty of sports-related issues in Russia similar to those in North America. Weight control is one of them. I keep hearing how Kamila V., Anna S. and Sasha T. look healthier now, but they are still got dissed. They are 16- to 18-year-old young women who are supposed to grow every year, so there is nothing unnatural here. This year they look different from last year; and last year they looked different from the year before.
To put it in a broader context, look at Kaetlyn Osmond after the Olympics. She became fuller-figured. Or look at Mariah Bell, she's fuller too. Or look even at Gabriella Papadakis, who has a different body now as well. How many injuries did they have in a supposedly healthier and less competitive environment? They are grown women who are not supposed to change that much, but they have changed noticeably after the Olympics. No one points fingers at them, instead pointing them at growing teenagers. Russia is going through its own discussion of weight control, and more athletes are opening up about their struggles. Anastasia Skoptsova, for instance, gave a heartbreaking interview about her fight with weight, as a result of which she decided to end her career. Stanislava Konstantinova spoke about it too. Even Liza Hudaiberdieva, who is an active athlete, has acknowledged that she has had problems with weight control. How is it different, for instance, from Gabby Daleman, who has been dealing with body image issues for years, or from K-M Towers who revealed about her eating disorder? Russia has much more brutal competition, probably incomparable to any other nation, which certainly doesn't make it a healthier environment. But lots of issues are sports-related and could benefit from being put in a broader context, in my opinion.
If her amateur career is over, then why not.
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