Stefania Yakovleva spoke to Sport24.

Cypriot figure skater Stefania Yakovleva, born in St. Petersburg and turning 18 on October 29th, became the main sensation of the women's Olympic qualifiers. Only five out of twenty-five participants will earn a ticket to the Games. After the short program, Yakovleva holds fifth place, trailing only behind top favorites Adelia Petrosyan, Anastasia Gubanova, Luna Hendrix, and Chinese Zhang Ruiyan.

I decided to meet Stefania, but it turned out she already knew who I was.

"Oh, I'm subscribed to you," admitted the girl when she saw me in the mixed zone. Then we talked about figure skating, Cyprus, and idols.

"The preparation for this tournament has been very difficult, but still satisfying. It's sad that my age didn't allow me to qualify for last year's World Championships, so it's my final chance to make it to the Olympics. I'm doing everything possible. The competition is serious," says Stefania regarding the Olympic event.

"And then Adelia Petrosyan and Viktoria Safonova joined too..."

"It’s not the worst thing. If some other skaters had performed better at the Worlds and qualified through them, the competition would have been easier. But there’s always hope!"

"How did you end up in figure skating?"

"I’m originally from St. Petersburg, where I used to train under Valentina Chebotareva's group. Hello to her! Around 2016-2017, our family moved to Cyprus due to my parents' work. A relative suggested representing this country. Why not? For several years, we lived between two countries... Training wasn't easy — we only have one small rink here... It’s tiny, round, located inside a shopping mall. At first, it was fine, but as my level grew, I needed something else. We’re waiting for a new ice arena, but I had to do something."

"So I went to Dubai, where I now train with Sergei Komolov. There are proper facilities to practice. As a result, I've ended up living across three different countries."

"Are you alone in Dubai?"

"Not entirely. My parents visit sometimes, my brother studies there. Plus, there's support from coaches nearby."

"What does figure skating look like in Cyprus?"

"There are kids who skate, but athletes of higher levels usually train elsewhere. We don’t even have a national championship; instead, our scores are compared during international competitions."

"Is the country supporting you?"

"Natalya, a representative of the federation, is here with me. Her husband is Cypriot and serves as president of the federation. She helps him. Natalya accompanies me to many events, providing financial assistance. Our local Olympic Committee awarded me twice as Junior Athlete of the Year. That's all for now; currently, NOC payments go to another skater. Maybe things will change. Last week, we had a decisive start determining who gets to come here. I performed well enough, which is why I am now in Beijing."

"Had an opportunity to talk to Adelia Petrosyan at this tournament yet?"

"No luck so far, but I'm happy to see her here, along with everyone else. When there's a lot of competitors, it's fun."

"Do you have a favorite figure skater?"

"When I was little, Elena Radionova really impressed me. Nowadays, I admire Amber Glenn immensely. She's genuine, alive, incredibly interesting. And her triple axel is perfect."

"Have you tried any ultra-C jumps yourself?"

"I attempted triples before, but they weren't successful. Then came injuries, recovery—it wasn’t time for ultra-C. Things have settled down now, so maybe I'll return to trying those later."

Konstantin Lesik, Sport24