Yulia Lipnitskaya, Russia's youngest ever Winter Olympics gold medalist, retires at 19

by Khaya South Africa
Aug 30, 2017
3 min read

Since the Winter Olympics are coming into focus and we have recently returned from the Russia hosted Confederations Cup, this news has overlapping elements. For one, it may embolden the competitors vying for gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. Figure skating will be contested from Feb. 9-23, with medals awarded in five different events.

Yulia Lipnitskaya became Russia’s youngest ever Winter Olympics gold medalist in 2014 CREDIT: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/ AFP

Yulia Lipnitskaya, who became Russia’s youngest Winter Olympic gold medalist ever at the Sochi Games in 2014, has retired at the age of 19 after being treated for anorexia.

Her mother Daniela told news agency TASS that Ms Lipnitskaya informed the Russian Figure Skating Federation she was ending her career in April “after returning from Europe, where she underwent three-month treatment for anorexia”. This was the first official mention of her suffering from an eating disorder.

In an Instagram post, two-time Olympic gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko called her a “little legend who took Russian women's figure skating to the highest level after a long stagnation”.

'Little legend' Lipnitskaya was just 15 when she won a gold medal at her home Olympics CREDIT: DAVID RAMOS/ GETTY

Dubbed the “girl in red” for her bright costume, Ms Lipnitskaya won the free skate and short programme to give Russia the team figure skating gold in Sochi at the at the age of 15. Russia went on to win the medal count at the games that were seen as a cornerstone of Vladimir Putin's legacy, and Ms Lipnitskaya, the youngest figure skating gold medalist in 78 years, became the star of the show.

President Putin presents Lipnitskaya with an award after the Sochi Olympics CREDIT: SASHA MORDOVETS,/GETTY

A beaming Mr Putin patted Ms Lipnitskaya on the head and embraced her after the competition, and she was later declared a master of sport, the country's highest sporting honour. Like the rest of Russia's medalists, Ms Lipnitskaya received a Mercedes-Benz from PM Dmitry Medvedev, but was promised a driver as well since she did not yet have her licence yet.

Russian commentators dubbed her a “tiny genius” and the “future of figure skating”. But it was not to be. After a string of disappointing finishes, she battled through a hip injury to win the Cup of Tyrol in Innsbruck, Austria, last year, but then missed the Russian championships with a hip and back injury.

Lipnitskaya was held up as the future of figure skating CREDIT: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP

Ms Lipnitskaya had begun struggling with her weight and told Sport Express last year that it was as if she had been “getting fat off the air” before she managed to start losing weight again.

Photos of her being given a new flat in 2017 showed she had again gained weight, leading some social media users to wonder if she was pregnant. “Do I have to weigh 37 kilograms (82 pounds) for the rest of my life for you to be happy?” Ms Lipnitskaya responded.

Who will fill the gap in lieu of the upcoming Olympic Games? According to nbcolympics.com, the below are athletes who are vying to take the reigns from the little ice princess:

Athletes to watch in the women’s singles are: Mao Asada, Japan Satoko Miyahara, Japan Evgenia Medvedeva, Russia Anna Pogorilaya, Russia Adelina Sotnikova, Russia Polina Edmunds, United States Gracie Gold, United States Mirai Nagasu, United States Ashley Wagner, United States Karen Chen, United States