Getty Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva reacts after performing in the ladies' short program at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Moscow on January 18, 2018.
Evgenia Medvedeva’s family history predicted her Olympic path; her mother was also a figure skater. However, her family background has not been all golden, as the family was shattered by divorce.
Evgenia, who is from Russia, is competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. She’s widely expected to medal, with her strongest competition coming from a fellow Russian, Alina Zagitova. Medvedeva is 18.
“…the country’s medal hopes are mainly tied to Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova, who are expected to achieve podium places in figure skating,” RT noted, especially since many Russian athletes were not allowed to compete due to a doping scandal. Evgenia performed an exemplary first routine on February 10 in PyeongChang, scoring 81.06, the first woman to score over 81 points in the short program.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Her Mother Was a Figure Skater
Skating is in Evgenia Medvedeva’s genes. Her mother was also a Russian figure skater. However, she said that her mom did not act as a “second coach” to her.
“I believe that mom should be a mom, and a coach is a coach,” Evgenia said in a Russian-language interview, in which she labeled her mother a champion. “There are people who have a mother as a coach.” She said that she thinks it’s harder when people mix the roles together because it can be distracting.
She said, though, that her mother was “absolutely not against” her starting a figure skating career.
2. Evgenia’s Family Heritage Is Armenian
According to The National Olympic Committee of Armenia, “one of the young stars of Russian figure skating, Evgenia Medvedeva is an Armenian, her real name is Babasyan.”
She is from Moscow, Russia. According to NewsArmenia, “Medvedev is a Muscovite, but her father is Armenian by nationality, Arman Babasyan. She inherited her surname from her grandmother on the maternal side.”
3. Evgenia Started Skating at the Age of 3
In an interview with the Russian Federation, Evgenia described her first skating moment at the age of 3, although the memory is sketchy. “I do not remember the details of what my mother told me then, because I was three years old when I was led to the skating rink,” she said.
By the age of 9, she said, “I already clearly understood that figure skating is my job, my career and my life. You just need to learn to overcome yourself and the difficulties.”
Zagitova and Medvedeva, the two great Russian figure skating rivals both known for their artistry and elegance on the ice, share the same coach. “Both athletes have been coached by Eteri Turberidze, who previously trained Yulia Lipnitskaya, guiding her to Olympic gold in 2014,” reports RT.
According to RT, “World and European champion Medvedeva had long been considered the uncontested favorite to clinch the Olympic title, until the first-year senior Zagitova broke her two-year winning record at the 2018 European Championship in Moscow.” Now the gold is up for grabs in many experts’ estimation. Medvedeva also struggled with a recent injury, allowing Zagitova to gain more traction. The Medvedeva vs. Zagitova rivalry is expected to dominate the figure skating competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
4. Evgenia Praised the Peaceful Nature of Her Mother & Grandmother
In the Russian Federation interview, Evgenia said she has a “very good mom, grandmother. Serious. They will never go into conflict, they will try to solve the problems peacefully. And they always teach me this.”
As for herself, though, she said of her blood, “sometimes it starts to boil in me. When necessary, I can also show rigidity, although I do not support it.”
Evgenia’s parents are divorced.
5. Evgenia Has Said Her Parents Wanted Her to Skate to Improve Her Figure
Evgenia said in one interview that her skating career started out of a desire to improve her body.
“My parents wanted me to figure skate not because my mother had been a skater, even though this also played a role, but because my figure was not so nice,” Medvedeva told the Russian Figure Skating Federation press office. “Actually, my shoulder blades still stick out, but I think that appearance-wise figure skating has made me more attractive.”
She said in another interview that her family is full of creative people.
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Evgenia Medvedeva’s Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know