If you’ve ever watched the Winter Olympics, you’ve probably been wowed by the strength, grace, and athleticism of the figure skaters. This particular sport might look pretty, but it’s actually incredibly difficult. That’s why it’s so much more amazing to see a child who’s a talented figure skater.
But one performance from a little girl named Gia Kokotakis has received more than four million views since it was uploaded. In it, Gia, who was only 7 years old, competed by performing to the classic song “You Raise Me Up.”
The song has been covered by everyone from Josh Groban to Celine Dion, but Gia’s performance was set, appropriately, to the version sung by Connie Talbot.
Connie was only six years old when she auditioned on Britain’s Got Talent. She sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and moved Judge Amanda Holden to tears. Connie was a dynamite little girl with talent beyond her years. So, it was a perfect choice for Gia, another outstanding little girl with loads of talent in another art form.
At the beginning of the video, Gia looked very much like any normal 7-year-old.
She spent a moment talking to a woman on the side of the rink, perhaps her mother or her coach. Then she fidgeted with her costume for a minute.
But the moment she pushed out onto the ice, she left that fidgety little girl behind and threw herself into her routine. It was amazing how she showed almost no sign of being nervous, especially since she was competing against skaters as old as 14 — twice her own age.
She moves fluidly around the ice, gracefully transitioning from spin to leap.
She’s clearly enjoying her performance, which makes it all the more wonderful to watch.
After the video was uploaded to YouTube, people had many things to say about the talented little girl. Those who skated themselves were impressed by her dexterity and her ability to pull off moves that were usually reserved for much older and more experienced skaters.
“For a 7-year-old, that was an amazing move,” said one commenter. “I couldn’t really do the spin/jump like that until 12.”
During that competition, Gia took third place.
“Absolutely unbelievable,” wrote another commenter. “It’s ludicrous that’s she’s 7 years old. Once she grows and develops actual strength, she’ll be amazing. Excellent form.”
These days, Gia continues to skate.
Her Twitter page shows her displaying a medal after a tournament. She tweets occasionally about collaborating with media makers and other figure skaters. But her real goal is to get to the Olympics.
“I am a competitive figure skater,” she says. “I love to swim and spend time with friends. I hope to compete in the 2022 Olympics.”
The world will be waiting to see if she appears at the next Olympics.
We can’t wait to see what she’ll do next. With talent like this, she will go far.
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