The 2015 World Champion in figure skating, Russian athlete **Elizaveta Tuktamyshva**, shared her memories of her father. **Sergey Tuktamyshev** was involved in cross-country skiing during his youth and later became a mini-football coach.

— My dad wasn’t just a mini-football coach; he was also a candidate for master of sports in skiing. He even participated in a training camp in Estonia once, where I also went for training… They went in winter, and we went in summer. After that, he got into football and became a mini-football coach.

He was very active and full of energy, never sitting still. A sociable person and the life of the party. He used to draw portraits of me and my sister Zhenya. He had a talent for beautiful handwriting; we learned to draw beautifully at an angle when we were kids. He was truly a person of art as well as sports.

We always traveled around Glazov, whether it was to the river, the dacha, visiting friends, or camping trips. We were constantly active; we hardly stayed home. Dad played the guitar and was the one who sparked fun at gatherings. Every party would end with him picking up the guitar and us all singing songs together.

**— Were you your dad’s girl?**
— Absolutely, 100%.

**— He got to see your first victories.**
— That stuffed dog (points to a toy in her grandmother’s apartment — Ed.). He gave it to me when I performed at eight years old. I wanted the toy, I performed cleanly and well, and I was so happy.

**— Your father passed away when you were 14?**
— Yes.

**— What was that like at 14?**
— It was a conscious age, so I understood everything. It was a heavy blow; we all knew it was coming, but you can never fully prepare for something like that.

**— Do you miss him a lot?**
— In the beginning, very much so. Of course, many years have passed now. Roughly speaking, I’m a father to myself now. Still, it was a significant blow, especially considering our close relationship.

**— One of his dreams came true. You became a world champion.**
— Yes. While he was alive, I became second at the junior world championship. That made him very happy as well, — Tuktamysheva shared on **Viti Kravchenko’s YouTube channel**.