Those Russian Gold-Medal Figure Skaters Are Dating, Right?
Olympians Volosozhar and Trankov are redefining love in the public eye, and I applaud them.
They're graceful. They're gorgeous. And they're totally in love...right? Well, yes and no.
Last night, Russian figure skating pair Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov took my breath away with their near-perfect Olympics routine—which scored them a well-deserved gold medal, by the way. But it wasn't just their gestures on the ice that got my attention. I was just as fascinated by what was going on with these two outside of the rink.
Maybe it that lingering embrace, as if cameras weren't fixed on them and broadcasting their intimate moment to the entire world. Or the tender way he stroked her face and wiped away her victory tears.
Wait, wait...that definitely was a deep kiss on the lips. Yep, that was more than your average congratulatory kiss shared among teammates. You only kiss someone like that when you love them.
It turns out mine wasn't the only inquiring mind that wanted to know what was going on with this pair. In a pre-roll segment before their performance, the interviewer asked them point-blank if they were a couple. "We're more than boyfriend and girlfriend," Trankov replied as he looked adoringly at his partner. In the past, he's described their love as platonic, but then we learned last night that they have a dog together.
I think it's safe to say it's complicated—in the best possible way.
I thought about them more today. I started to wonder, why should these two people—who decided to come together professionally as recently as 2010—be forced to define their love in certain terms that we (okay, I) can understand? Love is so nuanced—look at couples who get married and divorced numerous times, people who remain friends after a breakup, men and women who identify as bisexual or polyamorous.
In an age when people in the public eye so often remain secretive about their relationships (it's their right, for sure), Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov are letting it all hang out—even if we're not quite sure what we're looking at. And I'm refreshed by it. I applaud their flawless routine (seriously, did you see her stick those landings?!) just as much as I applaud their choice to flaunt their genuine yet undefinable love for the world to see.
What did you think of Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov at the Sochi Olympics? Tell me in the comments below!
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