The first half of the 2000s in Russian women's figure skating was a time of competition between two talented athletes. Great success was achieved by Irina Slutskaya. Behind her were victories at world championships, awards at the Olympics. The career of Elena Sokolova was a series of ups and downs. Nevertheless, in her best years, she admired fans and specialists with her truly feminine beautiful figure skating.
Start, first successes and failures
Irina Slutskaya and Sokolova Elena Sergeevna belong to one generation. The skater began her career in sport at 4 years old. She was born in Moscow in 1980. Dad brought Lena to the rink. The girl was ill with bronchitis, and the doctors recommended that her parents give her to practice either skiing or figure skating.
The first coach of Sokolova was V. Tumanov. Subsequently, he was replaced by the family tandem of Marina and Viktor Kudryavtsev. It was the last mentor who became the main in her life, all of Elena's achievements are connected with him.
Each figure skating championship reveals new names, reveals talented athletes. For Elena, the junior championship of Russia in 1997, where she was second, was such a start. Athlete's career began to go uphill. The very next year she gets into the Russian team.
As part of the national team, the skater goes to the Olympics in Nagano, where he is in the top ten.
However, Sokolova Elena Sergeevna then begins to experience difficulties associated with the restructuring of the body and the transition from junior to adult level. Skating results are falling.
In 2000, trying to give a new impetus to his career, Sokolova moved to St. Petersburg and went on to train with Eugene Mishin. This decision was not successful, two years later she returned to Viktor Kudryavtsev.
Golden period
Having found her own unique style, Elena Sokolova returns to the ranks of the strongest figure skaters in Russia and becomes famous at the world level. The most successful of her career is 2003. She bypasses her eternal rival friend Irina Slutskaya at the Russian Championship and becomes the champion of the country. She is inferior to her at the European Championships of the same year, but beats the other rivals and takes silver medals.
Finally, at the World Championships she shows amazingly beautiful free program. Only the legendary American Michelle Hwan was able to get ahead of a talented Russian woman. So in one year, everyone forgotten Sokolova Elena Sergeevna breaks into the number of the strongest.
Unfortunately, the medals at the 2003 championship were the last for the athlete at the world championships.
Still, she then several times wins national championships, takes medals in continental tournaments. Sokolov does not remain without rewards in numerous tournaments of the Grand Prix series.
The second Olympics in her life was not very successful. By this time, a new generation of talented young skaters has grown up, capable of performing technical programs of incredible complexity. Advantages in artistry, choreography is no longer enough. The result of Sokolova is only 14th.
Skated on a tour of Ilya Averbukh in 2006, the skater soon leaves the big sport. After failures at the 2007 tournaments, she ends her career.
Discipline issues
Like all talented athletes, Elena Sokolova was distinguished by a difficult character. Having worked for two years with coach Evgeni Plushenko Alexei Mishin, she leaves him with a scandal. A famous mentor said that conflicts with the athlete arose due to numerous violations of the regime on her part. Sokolova Elena Sergeyevna herself explains her departure as a lack of attention to her.
Toward the end of her career, many experts noted that the skater had problems with being overweight, that she did not observe the sports regimen to the proper degree. Hence the failures in major tournaments.
Coaching
Having completed an active career, Elena Sokolova did not part with figure skating. Now she is engaged in coaching at the school of Irina Slutskaya. More than twenty talented children learn to skate under her strict guidance.
Pupils already begin to please Elena with the first awards from various competitions.
The path of Sokolova in sports was difficult. After the first successes, a series of failures followed. However, she soon found herself and for several years pleased the fans with her unique feminine style. It is hoped that Elena will be able to achieve great results in coaching.