Did you know we have an Olympic gold medalist who lives here in Pittsburgh?
When we recently met up with Elena Valova, she brought her gold and silver medals to show us. Since retiring from ice skating, she’s been teaching and coaching at Robert Morris University Island Sports Center for the past 30 years.
“I was invited here when this building wasn’t even built yet. They sent me the sketch. I fell in love with the picture. And then when we came here, we really liked the city,” said Valova.
She says Pittsburgh reminds her of her hometown: St. Petersburg, Russia. That’s who she represented in the Olympics when she won gold in 1984 in Sarajevo in pair skating.
Valova also won silver in 1986 in Calgary for pairs skating. That’s the performance she says means the most to her.
“Because of the injuries,” Valova told us. “So the whole preparation for the Olympic Games was a big deal. To me, it was more treasured.”
There’s so much going on mentally, too, for athletes at the top of their sport.
“Any Olympic Games is a lot of pressure because you feel a responsibility for your country, your coaches, your family, your fans,” said Valova.
As RMU gets ready to add another Olympic banner to the collection at the ice rink, Valova will be following what’s going on in Milan Cortina.
“I’m just excited to watch figure skating. It’s always fun. The Olympic games is much more fun than anything else,” said Valova.
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