Elena Vodorezova once became the brightest debutante at major international figure skating tournaments. At the age of thirteen, she amazed the world with unusually difficult jumps, which even men did not dare to perform. Her career could have been much more successful if a serious illness had not interfered, forcing the girl to leave the sport in the prime of her life. Today, the legendary athlete is a famous coach, the Buyanova-Vodorezova figure skating school is considered one of the most respected in the world.
Girl with ponytails
Elena Germanovna was born in Moscow in 1963. Being the daughter of a gymnast and a basketball player, she could only become an athlete, and at the age of four she began to attend the figure skating section. The first coach of Elena Vodorezova was Galina Vasilkevich. Soon she was transferred to a special school of CSKA, where they began to purposefully prepare a promising girl for future victories.
Having won her first competition, Elena came to the attention of the legendary coach Stanislav Zhuk, who took her to his group. For a whole year she did not compete, training ultra-c elements to shock everyone in 1976. A twelve-year-old girl won the national championship, and then won a major international tournament, where the fourth figure skater of the planet took part.
After such a triumph, the coaches of the national team had no choice but to include Elena Vodorezova in the 1976 European Championship. Here, a thirteen-year-old girl shocked all experts by being the first in the world to perform a combination of double and triple jump, and also becoming the first girl who dared to perform a triple jump in the short program.
She continued to amaze in the free program, easily completing three triple jumps. Delighted spectators for a long time remembered the fluttering ponytails of the girl during the jumps and so they called Elena.
Triumphs and falls
Elena Vodorezova's weaknesses were obligatory figures and choreography, which was natural, given the girl's adolescence. All this had to come with experience, and she promised to grow into the best figure skater on the planet. Nevertheless, for the first successes, Elena's excellent acrobatics on ice were enough.
At the 1978 European Championships, the girl took only fifth place after the short program, and with a light heart, no longer pretending to be anything, she skated the free program for her own pleasureprogram.
Here she once again struck everyone with her most difficult jumps, performed without a single mistake. She bypassed all competitors, eventually becoming the third. No longer counting on a medal, Elena Vodorezova gathered her things and went to the bus, where she was intercepted by her teammates and informed that she had become the bronze medalist of the continent.
In 1979, doctors diagnosed Elena with rheumatoid arthritis. This disease is incurable and fatally affects the mobility of the joints, which means a doom for any skater.
However, in an incomprehensible way, in two years, Elena Vodorezova managed to adapt to her illness and returned to the ice. Having significantly reduced the complexity of the jump elements, she focused on figures, plasticity, artistry, which helped her to stay at a high level for several more years.
The girl with ponytails won the bronze of the world championship, became the silver medalist of the continental championship. She was about to leave, but allowed herself to be persuaded to finally represent the country at the 1984 Olympics. This tournament has become a swan song for a great athlete.
Honored Coach of Russia
E. Vodorezova did not leave figure skating after leaving the big sport. She took up coaching, raising more than one excellent student.
The most famous pupil of Buyanova-Vodorezova is Adelina Sotnikova, who became the first Russian woman to win the women's championship at the Olympic Games. Besides,the public is familiar with the names of Maxim Kovtun, Elena Gedevanishvili, Denis Ten.
Today, the best student of the figure skating school of the famous coach is Maria Sotskova, who competes on equal terms with the best athletes on the planet. Now they are waiting for results from her at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.
Personal life of Elena Vodorezova
As a student at the Institute of Physical Education, Elena Germanovna met Sergei Buyanov, a well-known skater in his time.
Today he works in the film industry. A few years later, their son Ivan was born.
