'I doubted decision to allow her compete for Australia': Russia's former figure skating boss on tragic death of Alexandrovskaya
The ex-head of the Russian Figure Skating Federation has described the sudden death of Russian-born skater Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya as a "huge tragedy," saying she could have competed for her native country instead of Australia.
Valentin Piseev said the athlete, who died tragically last week, could have excelled for Russia. He revealed that he was against her acquisition of Australian citizenship.
"No wonder she quickly achieved success with her partner," Piseev said.
"We supported her when she was competing for Australia. I don't know what really happened, it's a huge tragedy for all of us."
"I saw this girl during Grand Prix stages and world junior championships. She was very talented, a true pairs skater. I was really doubting whether it was the right decision to allow her to compete for Australia. She could have been useful for the Russian team," he added.
Alexandrovskaya died in Moscow in the early hours of Saturday morning, with preliminary investigations treating her death as a suicide after she fell from a sixth-floor window.
The skater reportedly suffered from psychological problems after being forced to retire due to physical health issues.
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