Eteri Tutberidze

Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze (Georgian: ეთერი გიორგის ასული თუთბერიძე; ; born 24 February 1974) is a Georgian-Russian figure skating coach who works mainly with female single skaters. She is head coach at the Sambo 70 (Khrustalni; Russian: Хрустальный) club in Moscow. She has coached several Russian skaters to success in international competitions, including 2022 Olympic and 2021 World champion Anna Shcherbakova, 2022 Olympic silver medalist and two-time Junior World champion Alexandra Trusova, 2020 Junior World champion Kamila Valieva, 2020 European Champion Alena Kostornaia, 2018 Olympic and 2019 World champion Alina Zagitova, two-time World champion and 2018 Olympic silver medalist Evgenia Medvedeva, and 2014 Olympic Team champion Yulia Lipnitskaya, as well as the Georgian skater and 2026 European champion Nika Egadze.

Early life Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze was born 24 February 1974 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. Tutberidze studied at the Academy of Physical Education in Malakhovka and has received a degree in choreography from the Institute of Contemporary Art. There, she skated in ice shows for six years in the 1990s, including in Oklahoma at the time of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, for which she received compensation as a survivor. During her six years in the United States, she lived in Oklahoma City, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and San Antonio. Alena Kostornaia (2017–2020, March 2021–March 2022), 2020 European champion, 2019 Grand Prix Final champion, 2018 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, 2018 Junior World silver medalist Daria Usacheva (2016–2023), 2021 Skate America silver medalist, 2020 World Junior silver medalist, 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, 2020 Russian Junior silver medalist, 2021 Russian Senior Championships 4th place Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov (in collaboration with Maxim Trankov) (April 2021– November 2023) 2022 European silver medalists, 2021 Skate America champions, 2021 NHK Trophy silver medalists, 2022 Russian & 2023 Russian bronze medalists, 2022 Winter Olympics silver medalists Egor Rukhin (until February 2020, rejoined in 2021 after JGP series) → 4th at 2019 JGP France. Adeliia Petrosian (2019–July 2026) , two-time Junior Russian Cup Final bronze medalist (2020, 2021), 2021-22 Junior Grand Prix champion, 2021 Russian Junior silver medalist, 2022 Junior Russian Cup Final silver medalist, 2022 Russian Senior bronze medalist, three-time Russian Senior champion (2024, 2025, 2026), two-time Russian Cup Final champion (2024, 2025), 2025 ISU Skate to Milano champion

Controversies Tutberidze's coaching methods have been criticized by fans, journalists, and skaters, especially in the wake of Kamila Valieva's doping scandal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The knowledge of the Sambo-70 club encouraging dehydration, starvation and unchanged practice regime despite injuries had been public even before Beijing, and critics had also noticed Tutberidze's students regularly retiring with serious injuries before the age of 18. Several of her male students, such as Daniil Samsonov and Adian Pitkeev, also suffered serious injuries under her training.

Valieva's doping controversy during the Olympics in 2022 saw a new wave of critical articles and figure skaters speaking out, with Romain Haguenauer, who coaches in Montreal, claiming that Tutberidze's training is "abusive, military even" and that "she wouldn't be allowed near children" if she used those practices in Montreal as a coach. Choreographer Benoît Richaud also spoke about the unsustainability of those methods and shortened careers. Figure skaters Adam Rippon and Katarina Witt publicly expressed support for Valieva, claiming that "adults around her have completely failed her" (Rippon) and that "the responsible adults should be banned from the sport forever" (Witt).

IOC president Thomas Bach expressed concern for Valieva's wellbeing, commenting "[Valieva] was received by her closest entourage with what appeared to be a tremendous coldness, it was chilling to see this, rather than giving her comfort, rather than to try to help her." President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Bach's comments "deeply inappropriate", stating that "the harshness of a coach in high-level sport is key for their athletes to achieve victories."

Additionally, it has been noted by several critics and observers that it is common for Tutberidze to lash out at students who have left her academy for other coaches.

Personal life Tutberidze has one daughter, ice dancer Diana Davis, born 16 January 2003 Tutberidze's daughter is a citizen of both the United States and Georgia.