
The Sochi Olympics didn’t quite turn out how Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya had hoped. After losing out to her Russian teammate and placing 5th overall in the ladies competition, you can bet that this talented 15-year-old will be back with a vengeance for the 2018 Winter Games.
But despite her relative inexperience on the international stage, she has already made quite a name for herself across the world with her fierce determination, signature spin, and blunt remarks. Over the past several weeks she’s also amassed quite the following of Japanese fans. One piece of art made by a Japanese fan even caught the attention of none other than the skater herself! Read on to see the fan drawing that Yulia posted on her personal social networking site.
First, let’s check out this collection of some of the other fan-made artwork that has been popping up around the web!
▼Performing her signature “I” spin- look at that flexibility!


▼Sketchy-style

▼Wow, absolutely gorgeous!

▼In the style of kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting
▼”I wanted to draw a quick picture of Yulia during my break time, but gave up halfway.”
▼Adorable super-deformed version

▼”The athlete I admire is Mao. The thing I hate is the media” (click here for the reason why). Illustration by bona fide manga artist Takashi Shiina

…And so on. Even Yulia herself stumbled upon a drawing uploaded by Twitpic user @lizhi3 and uploaded it to her VK account (VK is one of the largest social media sites in Europe).
▼Yulia’s VK account profile page

▼@lizhi3’s picture displayed on Yulia’s account page
It must be pretty exciting for an Olympic athlete to take notice of your artwork, huh?









Figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva receives hate mail in Japan, fans respond with viral hashtag
Figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva swaps her Sailor Moon outfit for a traditional kimono in Kyoto
Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu announces retirement from competition
Russia’s gold medal-winning skater gets a dog from Japan, picks an unusual Japanese name for it
Life imitates (anime) art as Evgenia Medvedeva gets a Yuri!!! on Ice present from fan【Video】
British man arrested for biting Japanese police officer during shokumu shitsumon questioning
Denny’s Japan created crazy split-in-half parfaits to target social media photo-snapping foodies
Time to open the final Village Vanguard Luck Bag of 2026, the magical girl Red Lucky Bag
Heart/body-warming anime video is a beautiful love letter to family and miso soup【Video】
Japan releases first official sakura cherry blossom forecast for 2026
7 great places to see Mt. Fuji from without having to climb it
Racing into our stomachs this winter are motorcycle fuel tank-shaped bento
10 things you should buy at 7-Eleven in Japan
Let’s try some “deer poop” ice cream in Nara, Japan’s city of deer!
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Visiting Japan’s Gyarados Pokémon park in the city with a special connection to Magikarp【Photos】
Majority of Japanese women in survey regret marrying their husband, but that’s only half the story
Massive manga collaboration bringing 100 years of Shueisha manga to Uniqlo T-shirts【Photos】
Totoro cream puffs and Catbus cookies are finally available in downtown Tokyo
Japan’s kid-friendly ski program is now selling Pikachu snowboards for a limited time only
Japanese vending machine serves up unique drinks at four Tokyo train stations
Japan’s foreign tourist numbers projected to fall for first time in years in 2026
10 times to avoid traveling in Japan in 2026
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
Leave a Reply