48 Facts About Zagitova

Alina Ilnazovna Zagitova is a Russian figure skater.

Zagitova won a silver medal in the team event at the 2018 Winter Olympics, representing the Olympic Athletes from Russia team.

Zagitova is currently ranked 36th ladies' singles skater in the world by the International Skating Union.

Zagitova is the only Russian female figure skater who has won gold at the Olympic Games, World Figure Skating Championships, European Figure Skating Championships and Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Zagitova is the first Muslim athlete to win an Olympic figure skating gold medal, a world title and the Super Slam.

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Zagitova is the youngest and second ladies' singles skater, after Yuna Kim, to win gold in all major ISU championship titles including the Junior Grand Prix Series and Final, World Junior Championships, Grand Prix Series and Final, European Championships, World Championships, and Winter Olympic Games.

Zagitova has broken the world record once under the old system and four times under the new system.

Zagitova had her first formal skating lessons as a four-year-old with Damira Pichugina in Almetyevsk, Tatarstan, where her father was a hockey coach for the Neftyanik club.

Zagitova finished 9th at the 2016 Russian Junior Championships after placing 12th in the short program and 8th in the free skate.

Zagitova took the bronze medal at her JGP event in Slovenia, behind Japanese skaters Rika Kihira and Marin Honda.

In France, Zagitova ranked first in both segments and scored new junior ladies' records in all categories.

Zagitova became the first junior lady skater in history to have a total score above the 200 mark.

In February 2017, Zagitova won the gold medal at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Turkey.

At the Internationaux de France, Zagitova placed fifth in the short program after a fall on her triple lutz and several under-rotation deductions.

Zagitova placed first in the free skate, despite two minor mistakes, and received a personal best overall competition score of 223.

At the 2018 Europeans in Moscow, Zagitova finished first, winning over Medvedeva who had remained unbeaten for more than two years.

At the Olympics team event, the 10 points Zagitova earned for the first place in the ladies' free skating helped Olympic Athletes from Russia to a silver medal in the competition.

Zagitova began the season at the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Zagitova finished in first place after both the short program and free skate events, winning the gold with a total of 238.

In early November, Zagitova competed at her first Grand Prix event of the season, the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki.

Zagitova was ranked first in both the short program and the free skate, winning the gold medal by a margin of about 18 points over the silver medalist, who was her teammate Stanislava Konstantinova.

Zagitova was again ranked first in both programs and won the gold medal by a margin of about 25 points over the silver medalist, her teammate Sofia Samodurova.

Zagitova won the silver medal, behind Kihira, with both skaters making errors in the free skate – Zagitova "popped" an attempted triple toe loop in her opening combination.

Zagitova placed twelfth in the free skate, and fifth overall; however, she was still granted an automatic place on the Russian team for the European Championships because the top three skaters were junior competitors and thus ineligible for the team; Zagitova was second out of the senior competitors despite finishing in fifth place.

At the 2019 European Championships, Zagitova placed first in the short program despite an under-rotation on her triple loop.

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Zagitova fared poorly in the free skate, falling once and under-rotating or downgrading the majority of her jumping passes, which led to her placing fourth in the free skate, and second overall, behind Samodurova and less than four points ahead of Finnish skater Viveca Lindfors.

Zagitova delivered a clean skate in the short program, obtaining high GOEs on the jumping elements including her signature triple Lutz–triple loop combination.

Zagitova was less successful in the free skate, falling on a double Axel and having several other jumps deemed underrotated or downgraded, and finished sixth in that segment and overall.

Zagitova suspended her season following the Grand Prix Final, stating that she no longer had motivation to compete.

Zagitova withdrew from the 2020 Russian Championships and thus, did not contend for berths on the 2020 European Championships.

Zagitova did not intend to compete in the 2020 World Championships either prior to its cancellation.

Zagitova is known for her signature triple lutz-triple loop combination, and has executed other triple loop combinations such as the triple flip-triple loop.

Zagitova regularly employs the "Rippon" variation, with both arms over the head when jumping.

Zagitova was awarded the Order of Friendship by Vladimir Putin for her Olympic win at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Zagitova is a two-time winner of the Silver Doe Prize, awarded by the Federation of Sports Journalists of Russia, as one of the ten best athletes of 2017 and 2018.

Zagitova was named female "Athlete of the Year" in the nomination "Pride of Russia" by the Ministry of Sport of Russia in 2018, leaving behind fencer Inna Deriglazova and gymnast Angelina Melnikova.

Zagitova is part of the list of Top 40 most successful Russians from sport and show business under the age of 40.

Zagitova was named "Sportswoman of the Year" at the 2019 Glamour Russia Awards and "People's Sportsman" at the Sovetsky Sport – Year-in-review ceremony of the same year.

Zagitova opted out of the 2020 Russian Test Skates, stating she was wanting to focus on her new role as the host of a Russian reality TV show, Ice Age.

Zagitova has advertised for Sberbank of Russia, smartphone game Madoka Magica, and PepsiCo's brand of flavored water "Aqua Minerale Active".

Zagitova appeared on the front cover of the May 2020 issue of Cosmopolitan Russia.

Zagitova was born on 18 May 2002 in Izhevsk, Udmurtia.

Zagitova is the daughter of Leysan Zagitova and Ilnaz Zagitov, an ice hockey coach from Tatarstan, both of them are Volga Tatars.

Zagitova has a sister, Sabina, who is five years younger than her.

Zagitova was nameless for a year until her parents decided to name her "Alina" after watching Russian rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabaeva.

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Zagitova moved to Moscow at age 13 alongside her grandmother, and continues to live with her.

Zagitova owns an Akita Inu dog named Masaru, given to her by a Japanese breeder as a gift after the Pyeongchang Olympics.

In June 2020, Zagitova passed the Unified State Exam and later in August it was announced that she'd entered the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration to pursue a degree in journalism.