Maria Butyrskaya became the first Russian lady skater ever to win the World Championships. Winning at the age of 26, she also was the oldest ladies World Champion in history. The Russian won her first major title when she became European Champion in 1998. Butyrskaya is thinking about working in the field of choreography when she has finished her active skating career. Even now she is doing a lot of her own choreography, and she also takes part in designing her costumes. The Muscovite usually picks her music herself. Butyrskaya started to skate at her kindergarden and soon won all the little competitions the kindergarden people set up for the children. She was then accepted at the famous ZSKA club in Moscow where she trained for years. However, when she was a teenager a coach didn't believe in her talent anymore and she had to leave the club and to look for another coach.