Alexandra Trusova explained the choice between the Olympics and a child

The silver medalist of the 2022 Olympic Games, Alexandra Trusova (Ignatova after her marriage), said that the results of the Olympic Games in Milan, held in February 2026, were not a determining factor in deciding whether to return to sports. In an interview with the Championship edition, the figure skater admitted that she deliberately chose her family, doubting her chances of receiving the only Olympic quota.

"At that time, I really wanted a child and understood that only one person would be allowed to participate in the Olympics, and it was as if I had to skate for four years and win competitions in order to go there on one quota. I didn't see a strong percentage that I would go there, and I decided that I would have a child first," the athlete explained.

The difficulty of selection, which Ignatova mentioned, was due to strict qualification rules. According to RIA Novosti, citing its sources, the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR) was supposed to submit lists of applicants for neutral status to the International Skating Union (ISU) in February 2025. At the same time, the regulations allowed for the participation of no more than one main athlete and one reserve athlete in each discipline.

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The general ISU qualification system for the 2026 Games also imposed additional restrictions. According to the International Skating Union, if only one skater represents a country at the World Championships, he must enter the top 10 strongest. Only in this case, the national federation has a chance to earn a second quota for the country at a special additional tournament. As a result, figure skater Adelia Petrosyan competed for Russia at the Milan Olympics in women's single skating. She scored 214 points and took the sixth place.

Ignatova also noted that she had serious concerns about the cancellation of a special rule for returning skaters. Previously, this regulation guaranteed the distribution of the two stages of the Grand Prix. Despite the changes in the rules, the athlete managed to qualify for the series, where she intends to demonstrate high-quality performances.

Alexander Ignatov (Trusov) began the process of returning to big-time sports last summer. On August 14, 2025, she announced the resumption of ice training. The skater spent her first lesson after the birth of her child in a gentle mode, limiting it to 20-30 minutes to assess her physical condition.

In early November 2026, Ignatova won a silver medal at the Grand Prix of the International Skating Union (ISU) in Shenzhen, China. Following the results of the two programs, the athlete scored 221.27 points at the end of the competition on November 7.

For Ignatova, this international stage of the Grand Prix was the first since 2021, when she won the competition in the USA. Since the 2026/27 season, the ISU has allowed Russian figure skaters and coaches to participate in international tournaments in a neutral status. The last time an athlete took to the ice in a competition of the same level was at the Olympic Games in 2022.