Skating and soccer mix during the Eurocup

Football is sneaking into every corner of St. Petersburg these days with the arrival of the Eurocup, something that is not usual. During the rest of the year, ice sports (hockey and skating) generate the most excitement.

To understand the customs of the Russian people, the perfect guide is Sara Hurtado (Madrid, 1992), one of the best Spanish athletes today, who has lived in Russia since 2016. The skater was an Olympian in Sochi 2014 (together with Adriá Díaz) and at Pyeongchang 2018 (with Kirill Khalyavin). In March of this year, she and Khalyavin qualified eleventh in the dance category at the Stockholm World Figure Skating Championships, the best position in the history of Spain in this discipline. “I decided to come to Russia for my partner, for Kirill. The way to work with him was in Moscow, with his group of coaches. It was the best decision of my life, “Sara explains to AS.

“The best thing about Russia is the importance they give to culture and sports on a social level. I love competing here. They recognize what they see, they are not going for pure entertainment. They appreciate the elements, the difficulty … Worst? That in winter it is always night! “

His case is one of the Spanish athletes seeking resources abroad. “In Spain we are light years away. In my discipline they have been giving Olympic champions to Russia for decades. In Spain Adri and I started it in 2008, it is a baby. Another world. I would like it to be recognized, of course … It is that if the body holds in February I will go to my third Games! “. “I have assumed it … I feel sorry for who our story can reach, the children … They need inspiration to find their own passion, not just something that gives stability,” he explains about the lack of visibility in Spain.

Football

In Russia, Spain is synonymous with soccer. “Every time I get into a taxi and they see me Spanish, the question comes: Madrid or Barça? And I, always the same: Atleti! “, Says Sara. About the sport most often, he explains that “ice hockey, ice skating and then there would be football.”

Hurtado loves the National Team. “I follow her a lot, I connect. When you live abroad, I don't know how, all the Spaniards in the city get together somewhere. Football does that function of union, of sharing the feeling of home even though we are all far away.” A passionate of La Roja and also of Saint Petersburg: “I love his energy. It's a city fantasy!”