Athlete profile: Svetlana Zhurova

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

"When I was young, I saw Bonnie Blair on television," says Zhurova. "She was a good example for me and my uncle said to me, ‘Svetlana, you will beat her some day.' I beat her only once in three years. I was lucky that day in Innsbrück, for me there was no wind and for her, it was gusting"...in Nagano, Zhurova hopes to follow the woman who won the 500-meter gold in the last three Olympics...not since 1984 has the world seen someone other than Blair on top of the 500 meter podium, and many pegged Zhurova as the successor to the American hero, or so people thought ..."I said this to her after Lillehammer," says Austrian skater and Zhurova's good friend Emese Hunyady. "That ‘you would be the next Olympic champion.' Because she skates so nice. But now, she is having a problem with these stupid clap skates. She does not believe in them so they were working one day with the normal skate and one day with the clap skate. It's too late now, I think"...last year's World Single Distance champion in the 500 meter sprint, Zhurova would be a strong favorite for Nagano were it not for the introduction of the clap skate this winter...the clap skate has caused considerable problems for the entire Russian team and Zhurova is no exception..."It was a little problem because I get only normal skates for awhile," says Zhurova. "I had only a little try this summer on the clap skate. Then I broke one in Calgary. Now again I have been on the clap skate. It is different. Russia has a good tradition with the old skate, now it is not good technique"...she wishes they had a little more time to prepare themselves with the new technology..."I agree with Bonnie," says Zhurova astutely. "I was reading in the newspapers where she said that clap skates should have been allowed after the Olympics. That way teams would have more time to prepare on them"...as of late December, Zhurova had yet to record a World Cup podium, but Zhurova remains positive...after all, Zhurova has been nothing but a positive and motivated person all her life...in her free time, Zhurova loves to study and learn about the world around her...she is one of the few Russian athletes who has learned to speak fluent English...with her language abilities, she often translates and speaks with the other skaters..."I like to read and translate philosophy and English books"...she especially loves to read Sidney Sheldon novels among others..."I like school and I like doing something with my hands," she says. "Sewing and embroidery. I also spend time on my computer"...Zhurova first laced up skates when she was four years old...at nine she began skating competitively, "It was my choice to skate," says Zhurova...she has been on the Russian national team since 1988 working with coach Vladimir Filippov, but return home regularly to train with her childhood coach..."Sometimes, yes, it is fun to be on the road, sometimes no" she said during a Russian Olympic trial Events in Berlin. "Like now, I want to go home and relax"...her father works in an electronics factory and her mother is a manager of a café...she has a sister, Natalya, who skated until she was 15 years old...the small town of Pavlova on Neva has a population of just 2,500 people and is 40 km from St. Petersburg..."There are so many Pavlova's in Russia, that you have to day Pavlova on Neva," explains Zhurova, who continues to live in the St. Petersburg area...aside from learning English, Zhurova does occasional studies at the Russian State Academy of Physical Education in Moscow..."After two years I take exams," she says. "It is very important for me and then I have to write a dissertation"...with all that knowledge and enthusiasm, it is no surprise that Zhurova has big plans for herself following her skating career..."I want to stay in skating. I want to help somebody, go somewhere to work. Maybe go to the U.S., if you invite me," she says with a laugh...