Ilya Averbukh talked about the role of mentors in his life

Ilya Averbukh told about his main mentors on his sports way at the "Knowledge" forum.

"As a child, I thought that hockey and soccer were closer to boys, so I did not really dream of figure skating. But my mom decided for me. She persistently took me to the rink. I was not very promising. They kicked me out of every group and told me I had to quit. Eventually the coaches ran out and my mom decided to be my mentor herself. She had never been a coach and knew little about figure skating. All she knew was that you have to skate fast and beautifully. That's how I skated," he said.

Averbukh also noted Jeanne Gromova's role in his career and said that when he jumped his first axel, she gave him a Prague cake.

"Another important first coach for me was Natalia Petrovna Dubinskaya. I will always remember them" Averbukh concluded.