Julia Lipnitskaya in the Olympics

With the Olympics currently being televised and talked about almost constantly, there is always something new and fascinating to hear about. Recently in the Olympic world of figure skating, there is a new name catching everyone’s attention. That name is Julia Lipnitskaya. She is a Russian figure skater who is just fifteen years old. She is the youngest figure skater to ever win a gold medal at the Olympics and achieved this just a few weeks ago. Almost everyone who witnessed her skating at the Olympics can verify that she showed some truly impressive feats.

Julia Lipnitskaya is only fifteen and has already accomplished so much. She is a gold medal Olympian and has also won several other prestigious medals for figure skating including winning the World Junior Championship, getting gold at the Finlandia Trophy, and winning the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. She is also the youngest skater in ladies’ singles to win the European title. What she has accomplished in just fifteen years is more than a lot of people accomplish in their entire lives and it makes everyone a little jealous.

Julia Lipnitskaya started skating at four and fifteen years later became one of the best figure skaters in the world. This dedication has led to her to move from her home town to Moscow in order to pursue her dreams. She has been raised by her single mother, who has been there to support her in her pursuit of figure skating fame. Her father has been out of the picture since before Lipnitskaya was born, as he enlisted in the Russian army and then never returned back to his family. This led Daniela Lipnitskaya to give her daughter her own last name and raise Julia alone.

Not common for such a young figure skater, Julia Lipnitskaya chooses all of her own music for her programs. Most music she picks simply because she likes them, which has led to some disagreements with her coach. For her Olympic Free Skate, she chose the theme song from Schindler’s List because she had watched the movie numerous times and loved the song. Her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, was not originally a fan of this decision because of the sensitivity related to the subject, but Lipnitskaya insisted in spite of his opinions. They struggled to find a choreographer who would be willing to choreograph her skating to the piece but eventually they succeeded, and in the end Lipnitskaya did indeed skate to it at the Olympics.

While the majority of the population can not actually identify most figure skating moves, almost everyone who sees them is in awe of the skill required. While spinning in complex figure eights in swirling skirts, she makes incredible leaps and seems to fly through the air. Her moves are made only more beautiful by the smooth flow she demonstrates between each move. Many people who watch figure skating often remark on the seemingly ‘indecent’ outfits that the skaters wear but Lipnitskaya’s are suitably modest for her age and yet still beautiful and functional for figure skating.

She has some incredible raw talent that is most obvious when she is seen spinning through the air in impressive spins and jumps. Due to the fact that Lipnitskaya is just fifteen years old there is still time for her to continue to impress anyone who watches her, so she should definitely be a name to keep an eye out for in the figure skating world. Who knows what she will accomplish next.