Daniil Gleikhengauz Reveals His Childhood Idol in Figure Skating

Russian choreographer and director **Daniil Gleichengauz**, who is part of **[Eteri Tutberidze’s](https://www.example.com/tags/27171-eteri-tutberidze/)** coaching team, shared the name of the athlete that inspired him during his childhood years as a figure skater.

**- You began your professional journey during the peak of men’s singles skating in Russia. During that time, everyone was captivated by the rivalry between Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko…**
— I have always been a huge fan of Alexei Yagudin. As kids, we would hit the ice and practice his routines, mimicking the movements from his programs “Gladiator” and “Winter.” I still possess a newspaper containing an interview I gave when I was nine, where I expressed my dream of becoming an Olympic champion and mentioned that Yagudin was my idol. Naturally, I kept up with him and watched his competitions. Back then, there was no option to rewatch performances, so we all gathered around the TV, eagerly anticipating the broadcasts, — Gleichengauz told Forbes.