Claim: Eteri Tutberidze student -- Daria Usacheva -- has a fractured hip and is in a wheelchair.
Facts: On November 12, 2021, the Russian Skating Federation confirmed that Daria Usacheva does not have a fractured hip. Usacheva suffered a “ligament tear of one of the internal muscles of the right leg.” The Russian Fed stated that the injury is “fairly common” and “typical” for athletes aged 13 - 17 years.
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Context: It is important to note that U.S. figure skater, Nathan Chen, suffered the same injury at 16 in 2016, per USA Today. Chen competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics and won gold in the men’s individual event at 22-years-old. At the time of Chen’s injury, USA Today reported that Chen had suffered multiple injuries due to growth spurts. The news report added that “adolescent athletes are at higher risk for such injuries.”
According to “Twitter,” proper technique should keep any issues relating to growth spurts at bay. Apparently not.
As far as Daria Usacheva using a wheelchair upon returning home from the fateful competition, per the Team Tutberidze Instagram page. That should not be surprising considering the nature of the injury. That said, the prognosis is a positive one in that 99% of cases sees that athlete return to their regular activities.
Latest News: As of 2022, Daria Usacheva has returned to the ice. On February 14, Usacheva posted a video of her return on Instagram (watch it here). In a more recent video posted in late March on Instagram, Usacheva appeared alongside 2022 Olympic silver medalist, Alexandra Trusova, doing side-by-side spins. See for yourself:
It is also worth noting that Daria Usacheva is currently touring and skating in shows alongside 2022 Olympic gold medalist, Anna Shcherbakova, and 2022 Olympic figure skater, Kamila Valieva circa April 2022.
Fact Check Results: False. The claim that Daria Usacheva has a career-ending injury is patently false. The Russian Federation confirmed the nature of Usacheva’s injury back in 2021. It is not a hip fracture. Nathan Chen has battled back from the exact same injury at around the same age. Chen was 16 and Usacheva is 15. He subsequently won three World Championships and competed at two Olympic Games.
End Result: Twitter once again ran away with speculation and rumor-mongering. The false claim helped bolster an agenda without caring to consider the facts. There will be those on Twitter who decry this fact check alleging that the Russian Fed is lying. Of course, there is no proof to support this contention.
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