"I was stupored." How Valieva spent the season after leaving Tutberidze

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva left the team of Tatiana Navka, in which she trained under the leadership of Svetlana Sokolovskaya since the autumn of 2025. The skater resumed cooperation with the group of Eteri Tutberidze.

“RBC Sport” told about why Valiyeva left Tutberidze, how she spoke about cooperation with Sokolovskaya and what results she achieved under the new coach.

Why Valieva left Tutberidze

Valieva throughout her adult career trained in the Tutberidze group. After a doping scandal and a four-year suspension, the athlete decided to change the coaching staff.

In January 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) disqualified Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules (from December 25, 2021). During the suspension, the skater could not participate in competitions, but continued to maintain athletic form and perform in ice shows.

In the autumn of 2025, shortly before the end of the period of disqualification, Valieva announced the resumption of her career. At the same time, she completed her cooperation with Tutberidze and began preparing for her return to the sport under the leadership of Sokolovskaya at the Navka Academy.

After the transition, Navka spoke about the dialogue with Valieva, who admitted that she “does not feel necessary” in the team of Tutberidze. The athlete did not explain the reasons for the transition.

“To have Camila on our team is cool. Camila made that decision herself. I confess honestly, I talked with her for a long time, because she was in a different system since childhood, to which she said: “I made a decision, I don’t want to go there anymore, I don’t feel necessary there anymore, I want to try myself at another coach,” Navka said in the Okko series “Hard ice”.

In turn, the coach and choreographer of the group Tutberidze Daniil Gleikhenhaus said that the departure of Valieva “everything went”. “But at that moment they understood that there were prerequisites for this due to the amount of time and volumes that she spent in the show at Tanya Navka, and the way their communication was built – the way she surrounded her with care,” the coach said in an interview with Okko.

He admitted that after the doping scandal Valieva was psychologically difficult to come to training and all the time to be with the coaching staff of Tutberidze. “Maybe she felt that it was psychologically easier for her to change her environment and that would give her some new emotional boost. It's just a shame, but you understand it and you accept it, Gleichenhaus said.

What Valieva said about Sokolovskaya

Valieva positively assessed the work with Sokolovskaya, noting the trusting atmosphere in the new group and the support from the coach. According to the figure skater, the nature of communication with the mentor became one of the main differences for her after the change of the coaching staff.

“I am high from the process, high from interaction with the new coaching staff,” said Valieva before the first tournament after the suspension.

On the YouTube channel “DobroFON” skater admitted that at first “was in a stupor when the coach began some conversations of a more personal nature.”.

“I understood that there was a real relationship like a mother, roughly speaking, with a child. Family relationships. I could not imagine what this could be at all, the skater added.

She noted that Sokolovskaya seeks to get to know the athlete better and build a trusting relationship with him. “Svetlana Vladimirovna trusts me. And for me the most terrible thing is to shake this trust in me, said Valieva.

The skater also expressed gratitude to Sokolovskaya for the opportunity to train in her group. At the same time, she stressed that the result will depend, among other things, on her own attitude to the training process and readiness to work.

How Valieva performed at Sokolovskaya

After returning to the competition, Valieva took part in three tournaments of the 2025/26 season. On January 31, 2026, she performed at the Russian jumping championship, which was held in Moscow. In the quarterfinals of the personal tournament, she scored 29.28 points and took fourth place among ten participants. The skater cleanly performed a quadruple toelope, and also showed a cascade of triple lutz and salkhov.

In the semifinals, the athlete received 53.33 points and took sixth place. Valieva made mistakes while performing two quadruple toe loops, including falling from one of the jumps. Three skaters went to the final, so she finished the fight for medals at this stage.

In duet competitions, Valieva performed together with Mark Kondratyuk. The pair took the last, sixth place with a total of 77.22 points.

On March 21, Valieva performed at the First Channel Cup in St. Petersburg as part of the Moscow national team. In the short program, the skater received 70.09 points and took fourth place. The athlete tried to perform a quadruple toe loop, but fell. The remaining key elements included a double axel and a cascade of triple lutz and toelup. The Moscow team won the team tournament, gaining 2635.26 points against 2585.72 for the team of St. Petersburg.

On April 4, Valieva presented the White Raven program at the Russian Challenge show tournament in St. Petersburg. The production tells the story of a bird with a damaged wing, which seeks to rise again into the air. In the overall standings, Valieva took ninth place, gaining 27.91 points. At the same time, she received a special award for the best result among single women.

In October 2026, Valieva was to perform at the first stage of the Russian Grand Prix in Kazan. However, on October 15, the skater announced that she would miss the competition due to illness.