Transcripts
2000 Europeans: Irina's Comeback

Announcer: Welcome back to Vienna, everyone. About to take the ice, Irina Slutskaya. She has had a fantastic season. An impressive decisive win over Michelle Kwan at the grand prix final. Many had written her off but with a win here in Vienna. Slutskaya will be the favorite heading into worlds. 

At the ripe old age of twenty-one,  Irina Slutskaya is experiencing a rebirth of her skating career.Iin 1996, at the age of 16, she burst on the scene and won back to back European titles. But her quick success was followed by a sudden decline. After taking second at 98 worlds, she didn't even make the 99 world team. Her federation told her she was finished.

Irina Slutskaya:  "I'm not agree with some people who say she's finished skating. Of course I have little hurts sometime inside of me. I have moments when I don't want to skate. I doesn't want to do anything. I'm just crying. I change in my mind lots of things. I change.... I change all (laughs)

Announcer: Being dropped from international competitions was a wake up call for Slutskaya. She lost the weight she had gained after winning her titles. Slutskaya came back this season all grown up,  a newlywed with a fit body and a positive attitude. 

Irina Slutskaya:  "I never think about 'oh somebody win and I don't win.' I never think like this. I  just want to be myself. You must be ready not just for jumps. you must be ready in your head and your body and everything.  I think like this I start like new life."

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