Figure skating boasts a proud roster of elegant and majestic athletes. All of them are primed to take the icy stage with their graceful performances built on sheer athletic prowess.
At a time when most of us can’t even ride the bicycle properly, Russian figure skater Elena Radionova was already gliding the icy shimmer.
She was barely four years old when her father introduced her to skating and was coached ever since.
Her performance in All That Skate 2016 held in Mokdong Ice Rink in South Korea started with a montage of her pictures from various performances.
Then, a girl skates into the ice, sporting a private school uniform. Checkered pleated skirt, trench coat, a school bag, baseball cap, and a headset big enough to cancel the noise of the whole skating rink. She looked like a schoolgirl who somehow got lost and ended up in front of a large audience.
Tthe intro music from Fifth Harmony’s hit single Worth It began playing as she skated towards the edge of the ring.
She was dancing around and swaying her head, seemingly just enjoying the music.
As the class bell rang and Radionova was yanked back into reality, she stopped for a moment, quite bummed out that her fun time was at an end. Or was it?
She began to dance along with the music much more confidently as she surrendered to the beat. Then, she slams her bag to the ground defiantly before stripping off her headset, her cap, and her coat.
The crowd applauded and roared when a sassier version of Radionova showed up with the song still pumping in the background.
The first parts of the routine looked simple. But keeping your balance as you strike a pose over the ice required a lot of athletic stability. After a couple of sassy marching and sashaying, Radionova glided over the ice to get into her routine.
She skated around the rink backwards while moving her arms to the music.
As she reached the edge, she launched herself into the air for a triple spin that landed perfectly.
Pumping her knees up might look easy, but when you realize that she’s standing on one foot and on one blade of the skate, it suddenly seems like a bad idea to most of us.
She continued to wow the audience with her snarky performance glowing with confidence and defiant fun. She gracefully spun and twirled over the ice, just enjoying the whole routine.
This performance is just one of many that garnered her the reputation as one of the best ice skaters in Russia.
She made an international junior debut in France and Austria, then clinching the gold in the Grand Prix in Sochi.
At the 2014 World Junior Championships, Radionova became the first ladies’ single skater to make a repeat win as a World Junior Champion. She won podium finishes in various competitions in 2016 to 2018, but withdrew in the later part of the year because of injuries. Elena Radionova is now retired as of September 2020.
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While she’s not actively skating anymore, this performance reminds us of her style and her skills as a figure skater.
Watch this fun and sassy performance in the video below.
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