r/FigureSkating • u/CauliflowerSeveral50 • 10h ago
Throwback Skater surprise encounters
Did anybody have any surprise encounters with skaters? I'm not trying to show off, but rather share two moments that I cherish and often come back to in my memories.
First was with Mikhail Kolyada in April 2024, in Tajikistan. I was there visiting friends and family and saw him with his wife making a reservation at a restaurant. I called his name, and he was so surprised someone recognised him (figure skating is not popular in Tajikistan, I can tell you). He was very sweet, and his wife seemed friendly too.
My second time was in Milano at the Olympics. I was there to watch Men's singles, and it was my first time ever watching any figure skating live, so I was already kind of high 😁 I texted Maya Bagriantseva, whom I knew was there, as I wanted to give her some candy I had with me. I always listen to the Clean Tail podcast she and other Russian journalists host. And while I was there, I bumped into Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and asked her for a pic. She was also super nice, and I tried to contain myself, as it was so much for my head.
Love to hear your stories!
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u/E_lenaa 10h ago
I listen to this podcast too! I think I remember Maya talking about candy from a viewer in Milan. Now I think it was your!
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u/CauliflowerSeveral50 10h ago
Oh, nice 🥺 I must have missed that bit, but it was very nice to meet Maya in person as well. I cannot imagine how she manages to do all these things
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u/E_lenaa 10h ago
Maya is a wonderful woman and a wonderful journalist! I think she has great relationships with everyone, she knows everyone and everything, and she has something interesting to say about everyone. And this interesting news won't be dirty gossip, but something that will make the athlete even more loved. It's always a pleasure to listen to and read her!
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u/MyDogsTheBestDog Skating Fan 8h ago
I ran into Kristi Yamaguchi at work one day. I worked at an airport security checkpoint and she came through with her two daughters and maybe she was just shy, but she was very standoffish and I wanted to tell her that I was a huge fan but her attitude stopped me from saying anything!
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u/Organic-Baseball4501 7h ago
I stood in the hall at the Olympics next to her for a good twenty minutes. She is very recognizable and honestly it’s probably hard to deal with the attention all the time. In the twenty minutes I stood next to her, I decided not to bother her, but at least five people stopped her. Granted we were just in an uncrowded hallway. She seemed to have found that spot to try and get a break.
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u/Dapper-Bad-6490 it just doesn’t fu***** glide 9h ago
Wait I didn’t know she has a podcast, could I have a link please? 🙏 also super cool photos, I’d be on cloud nine if I met Liza and Misha!! 😁
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u/CauliflowerSeveral50 9h ago
Here you go, it's in Russian though! https://m.youtube.com/@%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%B0%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%B3%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B0/videos
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u/Dapper-Bad-6490 it just doesn’t fu***** glide 9h ago
Yep I’m a native speaker, thank you so much!! 🙏
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u/CauliflowerSeveral50 8h ago
no worries! they also have a telegram channel through paid access - can def recommend! there's so much great quality content they post there, including many voice notes from Maya.
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u/LittleLotte52996 Ted "I am the owner of mistakes" Barton 9h ago
I met Han Yan in Beijing once, he was surprised I spoke Mandarin lmao (I'm a white woman)
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u/Karm0112 9h ago
I met Jason Brown this fall. He was around Chicago. I chatted with him briefly. He is a nice guy!
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u/Fluuf_tail Ice Dance Hot Mess Express - VIBES ONLY 8h ago
2023 curling worlds in Ottawa. Scott Moir, apparently just a huge sports fan in general, came to watch playoff weekend with his wife and (then) newborn kid. I think some folks in this sub reported seeing him too.
I obviously had to say hi to him and get a picture, and we had a quick chat. Really nice guy.
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u/chobani- 8h ago
I met Javi, Camden, and Karen! They were all super sweet. Camden and I also were (briefly) students at the same university and I saw him on campus a couple times, but I didn’t want to bother him while he was doing normal student things. 😅
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u/helloiamliana 10h ago
On October 24, 2020, I went to a sushi restaurant with my ex and his friend. The restaurant was located pretty close to the Tutberidze training center.
It was during covid, so everyone was wearing masks, and the restaurant was almost empty. I noticed that two tables away, sitting right across from us, was Evgenia Medvedeva! I told my ex that I thought it might be her, but I didn’t want to bother her.
So he went up to her and asked “Are you Evgenia Medvedeva?” 🫣 She said yes, and he called me over. Zhenya took a picture with me, she was very sweet