Maria Butyrskaya had a long and decorated career as a Russian figure skater. , she became the oldest person to win the ladies' singles title at the World Figure Skating Championships in 199. She also won bronze medals at the 1998 and 2000 World Championships. She placed fourth at the 1998 Winter Olympics and sixth at the 2002 Winter Olympics. She appeared in the November 1998 Russian issue of Playboy.
Butyrskaya is a six-time champion at the Russian Figure Skating Championships and a three-time champion at the European Figure Skating Championships. When she won at the 2002 European Championships at the age of 29, she also became the oldest woman to ever win the European Championships.