Anissina announces intentions to compete again
French ice dancer last competed at 2002 Olympic Games
By icenetwork.com
(06/17/2013) - Marina Anissina, the Russian-born skater who won the 2002 Olympic ice dancing title for France, announced on the Russian TV show "Big Sport" that she's planning a competitive comeback.
Anissina, 37, said she will speak with her old partner, Gwendal Peizerat, about returning to competition, and that she intends to start a training regimen to improve her physical condition.
After winning the Olympic gold medal -- the first by a French ice dancing team -- Anissina and Peizerat retired from the sport and have appeared in a number of shows. Anissina went on to marry Russian actor Nikita Dzhigurda in 2008 and has since given birth to a son and a daughter. The family lives in Moscow, but Anissina has spent time in France working with ice dancing teams.
Anissina's announcement has been met with skepticism by several members of the skating community, including Russian coaches Alexander Zhulin and Nikoli Morozov, and Anissina's partner prior to Piezerat, Ilia Averbuch. Averbuch told the Russian news service R-Sport, "Any sane person would say that [this comeback] is simply impossible." |
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