In May, the International Skating Union approved Petrosian and Alina Gorbacheva as individual athletes, freeing them to compete in the ISU’s Skate to Milan qualifier in Beijing last September. Her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, is the same coach of Kamila Valieva — the standout Russian figure skater who was banned in 2022 for failing a drug test. The Russian Olympic Committee was stripped of its gold medals, including its team gold, and Valieva received a four-year ban that ended late in 2025. The Russian figure skating coach is officially at the Milan Olympics representing Georgia as the coach of men’s skater Nika Egadze. At the last Olympics, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova won gold and silver.

Source: International New York Times February 18, 2026 06:51 UTC