New Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova "proud" to be among sport's elite

Anna Shcherbakova has been an Olympic figure skating champion for a matter of days. But that's not stopping her from asking the sport's elite for a selfie when she saw them in passing during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

"Nathan Chen, Yuzuru Hanyu, Jin Boyang, Gabriela Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron... " Shcherbakova responds when asked who she's snapped a photo with recently.

"I can continue for so long... I still take pictures with them; I wish them good luck before the competition or say that I admire the performances."

The difference now? Shcherbakova is an Olympic champion herself - but says she's proud to still tell those she's looked up to that they've inspired her to become the skater that she is.

"I still admire so many athletes, but I'm probably getting used to it a little bit," the 17-year-old admitted in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com. "But of course, I feel kind of proud to be around them, that more than that. I can tell them how I feel, how I admire someone. This is also very important for me and that makes me proud."

Shcherbakova's list continues: Uno Shoma, Kagiyama Yuma, American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

Once a skater who had "looked at everyone with eyes wide open", she is now an Olympic champion that others look up to - as evidenced by her phone "exploding" after her triumph in the women single event on Thursday (17 February).

One of those reaching out to her: 2018 Olympic champion Alina Zagitova, who sent her a congratulatory message - with hopes of the two getting to see one another in the not-too-distant future.

"I haven't seen her yet, but she texted me, 'Congratulations.' But she also supported me before the competitions, so [the two of us] are good friends."

Anna Shcherbakova: A fighter from the outside - and within

While Shcherbakova admires those around her at the top of the sport, she's proven herself to those she now calls her peers having become world champion in 2021, and backing that up with the biggest title in the sport - an Olympic gold.

She's become known as a fighter, digging deep when she needs it - and delivering when the pressure is on.

"Maybe people from the outside can see it better," she said when asked if she thinks of herself as a fighter. "I just try to work every day and in competitions I'm not trying to show anything specific... I try to combine it all, to show myself. And I'm just really glad to get people's support in return. It's very nice."

At 17, she says she's tried to be like a sponge absorbing everything around her as she's gone from competition to competition. And her world title in 2021 only served as further motivation: How can she get better for the Olympic stage?

"I think that after each competition, there is some kind of growing up because you just gain experience," she explained. "After each competition you notice something new."

Yet there is a patience that Shcherbakova would like to have with herself as she heads to next month's World Championships in France and beyond: How does she strive to be a "maximalist" - as she calls herself - while learning at every turn?

It's the mark of the champions she so admires: Finding that balance in the pursuit of greatness.

"I'm trying to fight a little bit with myself right now, because all people make mistakes. And if I want to continue, I guess I'll have to deal with it at some point and not blame myself, not let it eat at me," she said.