“Lena never came up to me to say, ‘He kicked me,’ “ Drey recalls. “She never said a word, because she considered herself to be dependent on him. Remember, no one needed her in Russia. She was let go from everywhere in Russia, so she felt that she was dependent on Shlyakhov, on Latvia.” Drey sighs. “She was only sixteen,” he says. “She was not aware of the greatness of her skating; she did not know at the time that she would become a champion one day. I used to tell her, when she was sad, ‘Lenochka, don’t worry. Really, you will become great.’ “ But his words meant little to Berezhnaya. She was
...more
