Team Russia 2018-19 has been announced. There are many familiar names on the roster and a few new ones of those who have moved up from the junior ranks.
Russian pairs team Christina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov, 12th in PyeongChang, and eighth at the 2018 World Championships, split in July. Rogonov intends to continue, but Astakahova has called an end to her skating career. ″This is her decision. She wanted to get out of the sport,″ said their coach, Artur Dmitriev. Russia has a number of young teams coming up, including Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii, who show great potential. Renowned coach Tamara Moskvina came out of retirement to work with this young team in St. Petersburg.
Many coaching changes took place during the off-season, the most notable being that of Evgenia Medvedeva who is now training with Brian Orser and his team in Toronto, Canada. That move caused much consternation in Russia, as it is the first time a Russian skater has moved abroad to train with a non-Russian coach.
Once again, Russia will field strong ladies teams at both the junior and senior levels. Alexandra Trusova dominated the junior ranks last season, mining gold at every competition she contested. She will be looking to continue that winning streak in her final season in the junior ranks. Alena Kostornaia, her training mate and rival, will be the strongest challenger for Trusova this year.
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