Meet Alexandra “Sasha” Trusova, a Russian figure skater who won a silver medal at the Olympics in 2022. A video of her performance at the Skate Canada figure skating competition has gone viral on YouTube and has been watched 12 million times a year over the last three years.
Alexandra is a very talented skater who has been credited for spearheading the technical revolution in women’s figure skating. In the past, quadruple jumps were strictly in the domain of male skaters. Female skaters have traditionally lagged behind the men where jumps are concerned.
This is not necessarily because women could not perform the jumps but instead due to it being “inappropriate”. American skater Theresa Weld was reprimanded for including a single salchow jump in her performance. Amusingly, this was not for technical or safety reasons. Instead, the issue was when she performed the jump, her skirt rose above her knees, which was considered overly risqué. Times have changed a great deal since then, with jumps being an integral part of any figure skating program.
Alexandra’s proficiency at these jumps must be partly responsible for her string of medals over the last few years. She has scoped four bronze medals, two silver medals and three gold medals, including at the World Junior Championships. Now that she is eighteen, it seems certain that adult titles will follow soon.
Alexandra Vyacheslavovna Trusova was born on June the 23rd, 2004, in Ryazan, Russia. She was the eldest of her parents’ three children, she has two brothers named Egor and Ivan. Alexandra began her training when she was four and naturally did so in her hometown. She progressed quickly and in 2015 moved to Moscow to continue her training.
Just two years later, she participated in the Russian Junior Championships, where she came fourth. A few months later, at the Junior Grand Prix final, she scored 73.25 points and broke the junior women’s world record for the short program. Since then, Alexandra has continued to excel, winning medals and pushing the boundaries of women’s figure skating.
If you want to see firsthand what this talented young woman can do, check out her performance at Skate Canada in 2019. When the video begins, Alexandra is waiting backstage. Her outfit has a Cruella DeVil vibe, all black and white, including her hair.
She skates gracefully onto the ice and crosses to the judges’ panel. Then, in a very sweet gesture, she lies her head on the ledge as if she’s tired. Once the music starts, she pushes herself onto the ice and starts to move. Her skating is graceful and seems absolutely flawless, with the jumps adding an extra level of excitement.
Even if you’re not a figure skating fan, it’s easy to see the quality of Alexandra’s performance. It’s so much fun that it would be difficult for anyone not to enjoy it. Take a minute and watch it now, and if it’s not enough for you, check out her Winter Olympics performance too. If you would like to see more from Alexandra, you can follow her on Instagram.