Yevgeny Plushenko's ice show "Union of Champions" in St. Petersburg turned out to be overshadowed by a serious injury to Yevgeny Semenenko.
The hard fall of the skater during the performance scared all Russian fans.
The 18-year-old athlete took to the ice to demonstrate a beautiful number under Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor, but fell down less than a minute later.
He performed a quadruple jump, and on landing he lost his balance and hit his shoulder and head.
After that, Semenenko tried three times to get on his feet, but each time, to the horror of those gathered in the Ice Palace, he fell back.
As a result, he collapsed as if decimated not far from the stands, on which deathly silence hung.
The athlete failed to leave the ice on his own.
Doctors carried him away on a stretcher.
Fortunately, the most terrible fears were soon dispelled by Yana Rudkovskaya, one of the organizers and host of the show.
She noted that Eugene was conscious, and he was sent to the 17th city hospital for prompt assistance and diagnosis.
“The condition is normal, the arms and legs are intact, the doctors report that he is conscious, already communicating, his parents are going to the hospital.
Doctors have not yet ruled out a head injury and concussion, but this will become clear by the end of the show.
We persuade the guys not to do quads, but they still insist, ”Rudkovskaya “Championship” quotes the words.
A little later, she completely conveyed hello to all the fans from the skater and noted that he felt better.
Confirmed the words of the producer and coach of the young man Alexei Mishin.
“Zhenya regained consciousness.
He is fit and feels better.
We hope everything will work out, ”Sport24 quotes a specialist.
The exact diagnosis of Semenenko is still unknown, but, according to TASS, received from a source from the Russian team, we are definitely not talking about an open head injury.
A terrible fall of a rather skilled skater unpleasantly surprised the fans.
It can be assumed that the reason for this was the non-standard size of the site.
Especially for the show, it was cut down and various equipment was installed.
And the ice itself, judging by the photographs, was not of the best quality.
Large puddles were clearly visible on it.
And after the incident with Semenenko, Rudkovskaya even asked other members of the Union of Champions not to do quadruple jumps.
However, according to the organizers, the ice was in a “proper” condition, and what happened to the athlete was an accident.
Unfortunately, falls during the show do happen from time to time.
It would seem that skaters should not take risks at such events, but often they still try to perform the most difficult elements.
For example, in early April, Victoria Sinitsina almost got seriously injured on the set of Ice Age.
Nikita Katsalapov did not hold his partner during support, and she hit the ice hard.
Fortunately, the Olympic champion immediately got to her feet and escaped with bruises.
"Do not worry.
She only took off her elbow, back and head, but everything is fine.
I jumped up quickly and did not even understand what had happened.
I want to look from the side.
Sports can hurt, ”Sinitsina wrote in her Telegram channel.
In order to understand whether skaters should even take risks during ice shows, RT talked to experts.
According to ex-world champion Maria Butyrskaya, there is nothing surprising in their behavior, since athletes take all competitions seriously.
“Yes, this is a show, but some skaters try to work out the elements in such a way that they continue to perform them without thinking.
In general, it is more difficult to do it there.
Dim the lights, turn off the spotlights - the situation is unusual.
In such conditions, you seem to lose concentration.
It was always difficult for me during the show to do complex elements.
But the athletes do not just want to ride, but to show everything they are capable of, to break the applause of the public, ”Butyrskaya explained in an interview with RT.
She called the fall of Semenenko an accident, since this happens infrequently.
“Otherwise, quads would have been banned long ago.
Even the girls are now trying to do them.
God grant that Zhenya quickly recovers, and most importantly, in the future he is not afraid to perform such elements.
As they say, the seas are conquered by the brave,” Butyrskaya added.
Olympic champion Natalya Bestemyanova agreed with her.
According to her, people who want to do quadruple jumps will take every opportunity to do so, regardless of the level of the event.
“He who does not take risks does not drink champagne.
You need to understand that skaters use demonstration performances not only to please the audience, but also as a preparation for the next season.
Athletes cannot be prohibited from doing anything during the show.
A person either wants to do quads or they don't.
And if there is a desire, he will try to use every opportunity for practice.
It’s one thing to train, another thing is to appear in front of the public, ”Bestemyanova emphasized.
She also expressed the hope that the injury would not affect Semenenko's future career.
“I am sincerely sorry for Zhenya, but the fact that he went on such a jump characterizes him as a real athlete.
Let's just wish him a speedy recovery for now.
I don’t think that now Evgeny will have a fear of quads.
There are different ways to deal with it.
Now the main thing is that he is healthy, ”added the Olympic champion.
The well-known coach Tatyana Tarasova also addressed the athlete with warm wishes.
“I wish my wife good health!
I wish health to everyone who falls, ”Sport-Express quotes a specialist.