Young Champion Skates Despite Painful Illness

March 26 -- The sport she loves could aggravate the devastating disease she suffers. But Irina Slutskaya, the 2002 women's world skating champion from Russia, refuses to sit on the sidelines.

Last year, Slutskaya, 25, was diagnosed with vasculitis, a disease that can cause major vascular organs to deteriorate. Patients with vasculitis often have fevers, weight loss, fatigue, a rapid pulse and general aches and pains.

"Sometimes it is just bruises and sometimes it hurts just to step. Sometimes my fingers going white," Slutskaya said of the disease that kept her off the ice for an entire season.

But the former champion adds: "Other doctors say, 'You want to skate? You are crazy.' I say 'OK, thank you.' But my doctors who work with me — they understand me."

Victor Akimanov, the Russian skating team's doctor, said while he has no intention of trying to keep Slutskaya from achieving her dreams, she must always put her health first.

"This is the sort of disease, if left untreated, the forecast would be very bad for her," Akimanov explained. "Nobody is going to let Irina die, but if complications are not taken care of it can lead to pain in the joints, or even paralysis."

Slutskaya convinced Russia's figure skating federation she was fit enough to be placed on its world team earlier this month. Slutskaya has joined 2003 World silver medalist Elena Sokolova and former European bronze medalist Viktoria Volchkova on the Russian ladies' team.

The skater says she would be miserable if she had to give up skating due to her illness. "I know I will skate. This is my job, my life. You know, I feel the power and when I feel the power I think I can do it," she said.

But during her skate in the World Figure Skating Championships in Dortmund, Germany Thursday, Slutskaya came in fifth. She fell once and had trouble on nearly every triple jump.

After the program, Slutskaya acknowleged the flawed performance. "The program wasn't excellent, but I'm on my way back to the top," Slutskaya said. "I have not yet totally recovered from health problems."