Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze one of the country's highest honors Monday, nearly a year after a doping case involving one of her skaters overshadowed the Winter Olympics.
A presidential decree dated Jan. 26 but published on Monday listed Tutberidze among three people awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky “for ensuring the successful training of athletes who achieved high sporting accomplishments” at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Tutberidze has coached leading skaters including 2018 Olympic champion Alina Zagitova and 2022 gold medalist Anna Shcherbakova, AP recalls.
However, she has faced scrutiny over the relatively short careers of her teenaged skaters and a high rate of injuries.
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