Russia’s ‘most beautiful’ Winter Olympian Yulia Kanakina is kind ex-ballet dancer who wants to open animal shelter

The 26-year-old will make her Olympic debut on Friday when she competes in the women’s skeleton in Beijing.

She will be hoping to make it through to the finals on Saturday and secure a medal for the Russian Olympic Committee.

Kanakina comes into the Games having achieved two top three finishes in this season’s World Cup.

And there is no doubt she is in China with the aim of finishing on the podium.

Speaking to Sport24, Kanakina said: “We have been getting ready for the Games for quite a long time, much work has been done.

“I need to keep myself in good shape, both physical and psychological, till the beginning of the compeтιтion.

“Some people like to motivate me by saying ‘Yulia, the most important thing is to win.’

“I don’t need this kind of motivation. I need to tell myself, ‘Yulia, simply enjoy the compeтιтion, do your job, run fast, slide smoothly, don’t make sharp moves and then you will succeed.’

“We all come to the Olympics for a reason. The ‘not winning, but taking part’ rule doesn’t work for us.

“Everyone will fight for the podium, including me.”

Kanakina, who has accumulated an Instagram following of 86,000, told RT earlier this week that she plans to open an animal shelter once she has retired from skeleton.

But right now she is soaking in the atmosphere at the Beijing Games.

And the former ballet dancer, who also enjoys running on the track, spoke about her appreciation for other winter sports – in particular figure skating.

“It’s very interesting. I love watching figure skating, it brings me aesthetic satisfaction, this grace and power relax me at a certain point,” she added.

“Those tiny girls are doing unreal things! Kamila Valieva breaks her own records at every tournament, but the compeтιтion in women’s skating is insane.”