08.10 Skater Sotnikova Hopes Olympic Torch Can Spark Training Gains
MOSCOW, October 8 (R-Sport) Russian figure skating prodigy Adelina Sotnikova said she thinks her training could improve after running with the Olympic torch in Moscow on Tuesday.
The 17-year-old European silver medalist is one of the main contenders for Russia's two places in the women's singles event, but the final lineup is unlikely to be known until after the European championships in Budapest in January.
Its a part of the Olympics here and I can feel that Sochi Games are very close, Sotnikova said after running with the torch. Im eager to go there and represent Russia. The preparation is going well and I hope it will even get better.
Sotnikova ran on the second day of the record 65,000-kilometer relay. Her leg of the relay took place in Moscow's Victory Park, which is dedicated to World War II.
Its a miraculous feeling, I cant really describe my feeling as I hold this torch and run the relay, she said.
The torch relay started Monday, a day after President Vladimir Putin welcomed the flame to Russia in a lavish patriotism-infused ceremony.
Day 2 sees the flame tour some Moscow landmarks, including the Luzhniki stadium that hosted athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics, before finishing at Red Square. The day's torchbearers include two-time world champion figure skater Irina Slutskaya, Vancouver 2010 silver medal-winning speedskater Ivan Skobrev and students of some of Russias top universities.
"Its a very thrilling moment for me and this relay will surely leave its mark in my heart, Slutskaya said. Im happy because it is a new page in my life. I will support our guys at the Olympics because I know how difficult is to participate at the Olympics and at home. Lets believe that home advantage will help.
After leaving the capital on Wednesday, the flame will then head north to St. Petersburg before being flown to Russias Far East and eventually looping around the Kamchatka Peninsula, down to Vladivostok and back across southern Siberia via Lake Baikal, the worlds largest freshwater lake.
On its way through more than 2,900 towns in Russias 83 regions, the flame will make its way back into European Russia, winding down through the Caucasus to the Black Sea resort of Sochi for the opening ceremony.
Other high points on the relay's route include a trip up Russias highest mountain, Elbrus, in sub-zero temperatures and the sending of an unlit torch into space. That torch will later be used to light the cauldron at the Fisht Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony February 7.
The flame was lit in Ancient Olympia on September 29 and toured 33 Greek towns and cities before being flown to Moscow on Sunday.
