Hurtado and Khaliavin retire

[gsk8]

Now there are two open spots for Worlds next year and no Smart/Diaz or Hurtado/Khaliavin

Translation:

We can add little more to say goodbye to high competition and close a life cycle that has made us go really far.

Thanks to all of you who have been there making it possible and also thanks to those who haven't. Because this is life, whether you are an athlete or not, this is about learning and growing with each experience, the good and the bad.

We leave proud of how we have faced each challenge, of how we have emptied ourselves in each training session and also very satisfied with everything we have achieved along the way. This here is success for us.

And even if we don't compete anymore, our team remains stronger than ever. Our goals change, but we will continue to actively build towards other projects on ice.

We can't deny that it's a tough decision, but just as it's important to know when to push a little harder, it's also important to recognize when to stop and our time is now.

We have made history together and the idea is to continue doing it in a different way.

It is not the end, but the beginning of something new, so we invite you to take the sadness that can be generated from the sports retirement of an athlete and turn it into a celebration for everything that has been. This is how we feel, grateful for what has been and excited about what is to come.

So, once again, thanks to all of you who in one way or another have made this journey with us.

See you soon on ice.

 

[LadyB]

Also very worth reading what Sara says about her experiences in Moscow and her warm welcome in Russia:

«Фигуристы в России – предмет восхищения» – испанка Сара Уртадо о жизни и тренировках в Москве!

Фигуристка Сара Уртадо, выступающая за Испанию в спортивных танцах на льду с Кириллом Халявиным, переехала в российскую столицу три года назад. 26-летняя уроженка Мадрида рассказала о том, как ей живется и тренируется в Москве.

www.sports.ru

Translation:

“Skaters in Russia are an object of admiration” - Spaniard Sara Hurtado about life and training in Moscow!​

Spanish figure skater Sara Hurtado, who competes in ice dancing with Kirill Khalyavin, moved to the Russian capital three years ago. The 26-year-old native of Madrid told journalist and blogger Ricardo Marquina about her life in Moscow and appreciated the importance given to figure skating in Russia.

About how she ended up in Russia

- I moved to Moscow because I decided to skate with Kirill Khalyavin. At first there was something like trials that lasted four days. In Russia, I was received very warmly, and not only by Kirill himself, but also by the coaches and the rest of the team. After that, we came to the conclusion that Moscow would be the best place to continue our work. By that time, Kirill already had experience working in this team, he knew the requirements, so if anyone needed to get used to the new world for himself, it was me.

On the meaning and role of figure skating in Russia

– There are a lot of ice rinks in Moscow. Our team, for example, is now training at the site, which was opened in January this year. In terms of the importance given to figure skating in Russia, there is a huge difference compared to their native Spain. Everyone knows about our sport, here interest in figure skating is an absolutely normal story. Families watch figure skating in all Russian homes. Figure skaters in Russia are an object of admiration, their names and surnames are well known to people.
From this interest grows the appropriate attitude towards athletes on the part of the state. A figure skater in Russia is a kind of civil service: everyone receives a salary and has a wide variety of financial assistance so that you can only think about training, and not about extraneous things.

About Moscow and the changes that the Russian capital has undergone in recent years

- When they first told me that I would go to Russia, I began to doubt. By that time, I had the experience of visiting Moscow in 2010, when I competed at the World Championships. Everything around looked somehow gloomy: I remember only a skating rink, a hotel and a huge 8-lane highway next door. Then Moscow seemed to me a gray city, and I thought that I would have to live in a place that would be completely different from everything that I was used to in Madrid.

But then I arrived in the Russian capital, and everything turned out differently. I met a completely different Moscow compared to Moscow in 2010: it turned out to be a colourful city with a rich culture, which has a lot of interesting things, and there is always something to do. When that stereotype collided with reality, I began to be surprised after surprise, not only from the city, but also from people. You absolutely do not expect that Moscow can be such an open and lively place, so I recommend visiting the Russian capital to absolutely everyone. If I had been told three years ago that I would stay in Russia for such a long time, I would not have believed it.

I love this last part and I'm overjoyed that someone has something to say about Moscow and the Russians that matches my own experience and sentiment.

It is a wonderful place that I cannot wait to get back to. Wishing Sara and Kyrill and their loved ones a great life in Madrid. Hope Spain finds new exciting dance teams in due course.

 

[Skater Boy]

I wish them well; sad in some ways s they were part of the dualing Spaiaards. This will open things up for so mny teams though. Add Russias demise. I am guessing the Italians will tke this chnce to win world medl or title. They hve the most to gain along with maybe Fear nd Gibson. This leaves Spin now vulerblein dance.

 

[lariko]

So, basically, instead of 2 Spanish ID teams I was looking forward to seeing next season, it’s none? They got the spots… and everyone left?

 

[skatingfan4ever]

So, if Span cannot use their spots, would they pass to the next eligible country?

 

[gordana]

So, if Span cannot use their spots, would they pass to the next eligible country?

No, such a rule is valid only for olympic spots, not for ISU championship ones.

They got the spots… and everyone left?

Yes, it is confirmed by Spanish fed in an article announcing Sara and Kirill's retirement, that Spain has 3 spots for Europeans, 2 spots for Worlds and no duos to fill in at least one of them.