MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. Winning the gold medal in ladies singles competition at the 2019 ISU World Championship in Japan’s Saitama last month was the most difficult task for Russia’s famous figure skater Alina Zagitova, her coach Eteri Tutberidze said on Monday.
Zagitova scored 237.50 points on the aggregate after the short program and free skating at the world championship in Japan. Kazakhstan’s Elizabet Tursynbaeva took the silver with the result of 224.76 points and the bronze went to Russia’s Yevgeniya Medvedeva (223.80 points).
World’s famous figure skating coach Tutberidze also worked previously with Tursynbaeva and Medvedeva as well.
"I had to prove myself again that I can lead Alina to the world championship’s [gold] medal. I think it was probably the most difficult medal to win," Tutberidze said in an interview with veteran journalist and TV host Vladimir Pozner on air of Russia’s Channel One on Monday.
The 2019 ISU (International Skating Union) World Skating Championships was hosted by Japan’s Saitama between March 20 and 24.
In addition to the gold of the 2019 ISU World Championship, Zagitova, 16, is the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics gold medalist in singles and the silver medalist in team event.
Zagitova is now the first Russian female figure skater to win all awards in ladies singles competitions as she is also the winner of the 2018 European Championships in Moscow and the gold medalist of the 2017-2018 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya.
Before taking the bronze of the 2019 World Championship, Medvedeva was the two-time Olympic silver medalist, two-time world champion, two-time European champion and two-time Grand Prix Final champion.
World’s famous figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze trained Medvedeva between 2007 and 2018. In May 2018, Medvedeva announced her decision to part with Tutberidze and move to Canada to start trainings with Canadian specialist Brian Orser.