He has been struggling with a chronic injury for a year. Despite this, she does not give up and for the second time in her career she advanced to the finals of a major championship.
Slovak figure skater Vanesa Šelmeková rode a clean short program at the European Championships in Sheffield. She received 52.50 points for it.
She entered the ice as 14th among the 38 competitors and after the ride she was in second place, but already after the departure of the other two skaters, she secured a place in the elite twenty-four.
It is the third European championship for the Slovak, who also advanced to the free rides last year.
He cannot train at one hundred percent
In Sheffield, she started her short program to the song Is It Love by singer Loreen with a combination of a triple flip with a double tulup, continued with a triple lutz and also managed a double axel. She had a slight hesitation during the first pirouette.
“I’m satisfied, even though the first pirouette could have been better. I stretched my leg so much that I thought I wouldn’t even finish it. I’m glad that I jumped that ride and that the spectators enjoyed it,” Šelmeková told Sportnet at the championship venue.
The crowd in Sheffield came to life during her step passage and clapped along to the beat. “When I heard it, I got even more energy,” added the Slovak.
She was injured a year ago before the European Championships and has been suffering from pain in her hip ever since. Only in September, in front of the Ondrej Nepela Memorial, did it become clear that he would need an operation, but he is postponing it for now.
The injury limits her, but she has partly gotten used to it. “The adrenaline helps keep me from thinking about it. But I can’t train at one hundred percent,” she revealed.
VIDEO: Vanesa Šelmeková after a short program
She worked with AI
This year’s championship offers spectators several novelties. When introducing the individual competitors, a short message for the spectators will also appear on the big screen.
Šelmeková’s message read: “Skating, smiles and Sheffield vibes” (Skating, smiles and Sheffield vibes).
“This was invented by artificial intelligence. I worked with it a little,” laughed the young figure skater, who occasionally uses AI services at school. “But only sometimes,” she added.
Another new feature is a short interview with each competitor right in the Kiss & Cry area while they are waiting for their marks.
Most of the competitors are very out of breath, some did not even understand the question. “On the one hand, it’s a great thing, but it’s difficult after that ride. They asked me if I enjoyed it, that the audience was catching up,” said Šelmeková.
She didn’t come to Sheffield with any particular goal in terms of location. “The main thing was for me to be satisfied with myself. It could have been better, but I am partially satisfied. I am strict with myself, that will probably never change,” concluded Šelmeková.
He wants to finish the season
The Slovak athlete is accompanied at the European Championships by her coach from Žilina, Rastislav Vrlák.
“The ride was successful, she jumped the jumps as she knows how. She got a little lower second mark, but we take it as it is,” he concluded.
The injury of his charge also affected the training process. “We had to adjust the volume of it all a bit. She still skates enough, but we don’t let her jump as much to avoid complications,” the coach explained.
“She learned to fight with it. She knows how to work with it better, in terms of rehabilitation, massages, physiotherapy. This helps her to finish the season,” added Vrlák.
Šelmeková does not yet have the points to participate in the World Championships in Prague. For this, he needs at least 88 points for the technical value combined in the short program and in the free ride. The combined score can also consist of marks from two different international competitions.
“We have some more races planned, but everything will depend on how her injury will look,” said the coach.
ME in figure skating
Women – short program:
