Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian is an Olympic mystery with big jumps and fitness concerns

MILAN (AP) — Few figure skaters at the Winter Olympics have seen Adeliia Petrosian compete in real life.

She might leave with the gold medal.

Russia's exclusion from international sports events during its war with Ukraine means that the 18-year-old Petrosian has only skated one senior competition outside of her homeland, the qualifier that earned her place as a neutral athlete in Milan.

As she readies to skate to Michael Jackson's music in the short program Tuesday, no one besides Petrosian and her controversial coach, Eteri Tutberidze, can be sure of her form, or whether she's injury-free.

But if Petrosian can get past skaters like the U.S. “Blade Angels” trio of Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito, and Japanese stars Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, she'll shoot to sudden fame as the fourth consecutive Olympic champion from Russia.

Petrosian is the latest star produced by Tutberidze, who revolutionized women's skating a decade ago by getting young girls barely in their teens to perform bigger and bigger jumps, only to have many of them struggle with repeated injuries.

She coached 2018 gold medalist Alina Zagitova, and a trio of standouts in 2022, when Anna Shcherbakova won the gold medal.

But the Beijing Games have been remembered less for Shcherbakova's triumph and more for the positive doping test turned in by another Tutberidze talent, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva. The case ended ultimately in a doping ban for Valieva that only recently ended, and an investigation into Tutberidze, though it found no evidence of wrongdoing by the Russian coach.

Tutberidze also was criticized for her harsh words toward her students in Beijing, while World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Bańka said last week that he didn't “feel comfortable with her presence” at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

As part of the fallout from the Valieva case, the International Skating Union increased the minimum age from 15 to 17 for senior-level athletes. That means Petrosian is one of the oldest women's skaters that Tutberidze has coached at a major championship.

Petrosian has landed quadruple jumps in Russian national events, much like her compatriots were able to do in previous Olympics, and none of the other skaters at the Milan Cortina Games are able to match those high-scoring elements.

The big question is whether she's fit enough to do it in Milan.

“I can't turn properly,” Petrosian complained in a Russian documentary following Tutberidze released last week. Tutberidze said Petrosian had been making progress in a difficult program around the new year, but suddenly “everything hurt.”

There's been no indication of how Petrosian's condition may have changed in the last month as she readied for the Olympics.

Fitness has been a factor for months. Tutberidze previously told Russian media that Petrosian wanted to give up her place in September's Olympic qualifier for lower-ranked skaters after an injury but ended up competing because the Russian alternate's fitness was worse.

“Let's imagine it's just Chelyabinsk.” That was the advice Russian skater Petr Gumennik got from his coach ahead of skating in the men’s event, to pretend that the Olympics were happening in that provincial Russian city.

For a few seconds, it felt as if the competition might indeed be happening in Russia.

“When I went out there I got so much applause, there was such noise, you can't compare it to anything,” Gumennik said after skating in the short program, where he was 12th. “That's Olympic support. It was unexpected and it gave me strength and confidence.”

Gumennik was greeted by fans waving personalized banners with his face, calling out “well done” in Russian.

There also was a Russian flag in the stands, even though Olympic organizers have barred it from the Games, where athletes such as Gumennik and Petrosian were vetted for any support of the war before they were allowed to compete as neutral athletes.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

FILE - Adeliia Petrosian of Russia, competing as a neutral athlete, performs during the women's free skating program at the ISU Skate to Milano figure skating qualifier, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., File)

FILE - Adeliia Petrosian of Russia, competing as a neutral athlete, performs during the women's free skating program at the ISU Skate to Milano figure skating qualifier, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., File)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s healthy and wants to play even as the Milwaukee Bucks continue to say the two-time MVP is too injured to take the floor.

Antetokounmpo missed a 10th straight game on Friday night against the Boston Celtics due to what the team has described as a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since landing awkwardly during a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

“I’m healthy,” Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Athletic before Friday’s game. “I hate it when people force me to do things against my nature. I’m a player. I get paid to play.”

For the last couple of weeks, Antetokounmpo has participated in pregame warmups without showing any apparent signs of injury.

Antetokounmpo also noted that the Bucks should have known this about him since the 31-year-old has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee.

Throughout that time, Antetokounmpo has had a reputation for rapid returns from injury, most notably when he hyperextended his knee during Milwaukee’s 2021 playoff run but missed two games before returning to lead the Bucks to their first title in half a century.

“You know who you’re dealing with,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “So, for somebody to come and tell me to not play or to not compete, it’s like a slap in my face.”

The Bucks still had a remote chance of earning a 10th straight playoff berth at the time of that Indiana game, but they were officially eliminated from contention last week. There’s also the possibility of Antetokounmpo getting hurt again if he returns to action — he has missed a career-high 41 games this season and had two extended absences due to calf strains.

“I understand the circumstances — yes, we’re not going to be in the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo said. “For some people’s eyes, it’s not worth it for me to be out there. But for me, it’s something that goes against my nature.”

Antetokounmpo also wanted the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother, Alex, who made his NBA debut Sunday. There was a possibility of three Antetokounmpo brothers playing alongside each other in the same game, since Giannis’ older brother, Thanasis, also is on the Bucks.

“When my dad passed away, I pretty much raised (Alex),” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s able to be on the team and suit up and chase an opportunity to be great. You really think I don’t want to suit up and play with my brother? Anybody who thinks that is an idiot.”

Antetokounmpo’s desire to play — and the Bucks’ wishes to rest him — drew the attention of the National Basketball Players Association last month.

“The Player Participation Policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he is on the court,” the union said in a statement. “Unfortunately, anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement; fans, broadcast partners, and the integrity of the game itself will continue to suffer as long as ownership goes unchecked. We look forward to collaborating with the NBA on meaningful new proposals that will directly address and discourage tanking.”

This dispute between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks comes at a time when his future in Milwaukee is uncertain. Antetokounmpo’s name dominated league-wide discussions leading up to the trade deadline, though the Bucks ultimately kept him.

Antetokounmpo becomes eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $275 million in October. If he doesn’t sign the extension, Antetokounmpo could become a free agent after the 2026-27 season, or the Bucks could decide to trade him beforehand.

Now they find themselves at odds over how to handle the rest of this season.

“I don’t know where the relationship goes from there,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’ve got to go to couples therapy.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Injured Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, center right, talks with an official, center left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)