Yulia Lipnitskaya retired from figure skating at the age of 19 after battling anorexia. (Reuters)
An Olympic gold medal-winning Russian figure skater retired from the sport at age 19 after a battle with an eating disorder.
Yulia Lipnitskaya’s mother, Daniela, told the Russian news agency Tass on Monday that Lipnitskaya reported her retirement to Russian skating authorities in April after undergoing three months of treatment for anorexia.
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Lipnitskaya became the youngest Olympic skating champion since 1936 after winning gold in the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi when she was 15-years-old.
However, the young skater missed the medals in the individual competition, where she had been considered a potential champion.
Russia's Yulia Lipnitskaya competes during the Figure Skating Women's Short Program at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, February 19, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (RUSSIA - Tags: OLYMPICS SPORT FIGURE SKATING) - RTX19541 (REUTERS)
Lipnitskaya bounced back with silver at the world championships in April 2014, which was her last major event.
Vladimir Putin praised the young skater’s performance at the Sochi Olympics, boosting her fame and making her a symbol of the sporting event.
However, the teen struggled to cope with her newfound fame.
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In November 2014, Lipnitskaya complained that she had lost her freedom and felt “constant stress” when trying to live up to her fan’s expectations.
The skater also had a hard time coping with loss. Lipnitskaya left the arena rather than attending a medal ceremony when she came second at that year's Grand Prix competition.
Despite this solid Grand Prix result, Lipnitskaya's poor performances at the Russian nationals, where she came in sixth place, meant she was not selected to compete in other major championships.
Her last season was hampered by injuries, including a fall on an icy street which caused her to miss the nationals.
On Sunday, Evgeny Plushenko, coach of Russia’s Olympic individual champion Adelina Sotnikova, said she would not defend her title next year due to injury.
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Anorexia normally affects women between ages 15 to 24-years-old, according the National Eating Disorder Awareness Center. Patients with the disease restrict the amount of food they consume and fear gaining weight. The disease has the “highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder,” according to the center.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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