Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin approached the American dream

Russian ice dancers Gleb Smolkin and Diana Davis, daughter of the famous coach Eteri Tutberidze, will become the first Russian figure skaters who will perform at an international tournament since the start of the special military operation. A number of sources said that the vice-champions of Russia and the participants of the Beijing Olympics were announced for the Challenge Cup in the American Ardmore. This news caused the widest public outcry due to a rather sharp background: in the summer, information appeared that Davis, along with Smolkin, allegedly passed through the US Figure Skating Federation and were close to joining the American national team, but the athletes and other interested persons then refuted it.

Several sources at once, including The Skating Lesson, reported that famous Russian figure skaters Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin were included in the application for the international Challenge Cup tournament. The event, formally a US Championship qualifier, will take place in Ardmore, USA this weekend.

This news has attracted particular attention, since Russian skaters, like the vast majority of other types, are still under sanctions and suspended from international starts. The last tournament in which the Russians played was the February Olympics in Beijing. Before the World Championships in Montpellier, as well as before all the competitions of this season, they were not allowed by the decision of the executive committee of the International Skating Union (ISU).

The appearance of Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin in the list of participants in the American Challenge Cup is due to the fact that this tournament is not held under the auspices of the ISU. In other words, its organizers are free to allow everyone they consider necessary to participate.

The daughter of the coach Eteri Tutberidze and her partner have also been living in the USA for several years and training in local clubs. In the summer of 2019, the Russians moved to Michigan, where they began cooperation with Igor Shpilband. It was under his leadership that they made a big breakthrough, and then were able to take the silver of the national championship and qualify for the Olympic Games (where they finished in 14th position). This summer, Davis and Smolkin joined a group of other Russian specialists, also living in the United States, Alexei Kislyakov and Elena Novak. Their Wheaton Ice Skating Academy Skater belongs to northern Virginia-based Ion, which The Skating Lesson reports will be represented at the Challenge Cup by Diane Davis and Gleb Smolkin. Ion did not respond to a request sent to Kommersant.

In the summer, Davis and Smolkin became the main newsmakers in figure skating due to rumors that they passed viewing in the US Figure Skating Federation with the aim of then joining the American team.

Then it became known that back in the spring, the 19-year-old figure skater, who was born in the United States and who has an American passport, and 22-year-old Smolkin got married in Nevada. This means that in three years, Smolkin, according to US law, will be considered a full-fledged American citizen, and the couple, if she nevertheless suddenly decides to change the federation, will be able to compete at the 2026 Olympics.

All interested parties, however, denied the possibility of the transition. This information was refuted by the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKR), the athletes themselves published an open letter with the following words: “We are athletes of the Russian national team and look forward to starting the new season at test skates.”

There Davis and Smolkin, however, will not appear. The Challenge Cup tournament will be held exactly on the same dates as the open skating of domestic figure skaters – September 24-25. A source familiar with the situation said in an interview with Kommersant that the dancers decided not to make a long flight to Moscow and, like a year ago, open the season with a performance in the USA (then they performed at another September competition – U. S. International Figure Skating Classic) . The same source noted that “participation in the American tournament is not the same as changing citizenship” and that Davis and Smolkin intend to continue playing for the Russian team.

Ekaterina Remizova