‘I have breasts, not boobs’: Ice queen Semenovich tells former Russia player to ‘cut something to run faster’ after cleavage claim

Former Russian ice skating champion Anna Semenovich has responded angrily to footballer Vladimir Bystrov’s suggestion that she could have “cut her boobs” in order to have stayed competitive and had a longer sporting career.

The retired skater was deeply insulted by Bystrov’s words, calling his comments “amoral” and advising the player that he could have “cut something else” to run faster on the pitch and produce better results.

In a recent interview, the ex-Russia winger said he was following women’s figure skating because of his daughter, who is taking up this sport.

"At a young age, figure skaters need to jump triple-quadruple jumps," the two-time Russian Premier League winner said, suggesting that having a curvy figure might be problematic for a professional skater.

"But when your boobs grow, it's harder to do it. It's easier to jump without boobs - simple physiology.

"For example, take Anna Semenovich. With her breast size, she had a hard time figure skating.

"That's what I'm talking about. If Semenovich wanted to stay in figure skating, she would cut her boobs."

The former ice dancer, who competed alongside former world and Olympic champion Roman Kostomarov, responded to the footballer’s comments via a shocked Instagram post.

“I thought you are an adult man, a father who has a daughter practicing figure skating,” she said.

“And saying that I should have cut my ‘boobs’ to become a champion skater just characterizes you as an amoral person.

"First of all, I have breasts, not boobs. And secondly, I don’t understand why my breasts really bother you.

“Dear Vladimir, maybe you should also cut something to run faster and score more goals?”

She reportedly added in further posts: "I don’t know you... what kind of rudeness. What is this, guys?

"I will remind you, Mr Bystrov, that I was engaged in ice dancing - and we do not jump quadruple jumps. What a stupid and rude person."

The pop star’s fans supported their icon, with one saying Bystrov “would do better if he cut his legs.”

Semenovich was one of the leading ice dancers in Russia before a spine injury forced her to retire in 2001.

She then embarked on a successful singing career as a soloist in the extremely popular girl band, Blestyashchiye.