‘Sexual artistry’: Former ice dancer Anna Semenovich hails Elizaveta Tuktamysheva for ‘feminine skating’ style

Russian pop singer and former figure skater Anna Semenovich has expressed her admiration for world and European champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, who she said possesses the “sexual artistry” which is important for women’s skating.

One of the brightest stars in Russian ice-dancing, Semenovich skated with Olympic gold medalist Roman Kostomarov before retiring from the sport due to a serious injury.

The former athlete, who continues to follow figure skating events, said she was impressed by Tuktamysheva’s performance at the recent World Championships, where she claimed silver following a six-year absence from major international competitions.

“I’m proud of Anna Shcherbakova [who won the world title] and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva," Semenovich said.

"I love Tuktamysheva [very] much because she demonstrates feminine skating. I like her flirty artistry which gives additional charm to her performance.

“Liza is very artistic, I love skaters… who can show more than just jumping. She is a woman with curves; this is important for women’s skating. She has sexual artistry,” she added.

24-year-old Tuktamysheva is the oldest female skater on the Russian team, which is dominated by 16-year-old quad-jumpers.

She is also the only athlete in the world to acquire a quadruple jump after puberty.

Tuktamysheva has remained internationally competitive for almost eight years, proving that the career of a female skater need not be restricted to a few years at the senior level.

She took silver at the 2021 world tournament, finishing behind Shcherbakova, who demonstrated near perfect skating in Sweden.