New hobby Zagitova and idol Kostornaya: what they talked about after the Grand Prix in Japan

Chania with mascots and incendiary dance of Stepanova and Bukin

In Japan, the final stage of the Grand Prix in figure skating has completed. After the competitive part, the athletes took part in the gala evening. This time there were almost no surprises. The bronze owner Alina Zagitova again went on the ice with a touching number dedicated to the mother of the choreographer Daniil Gleichengauz Lyudmila Shalashova, who died in late August. The winner of the tournament, Alena Kostornaya, appeared before the audience in a sensual image of the heroine of the film “50 Shades of Freedom”.

But the silver medalists in ice dancing, Alexander Stepanov and Ivan Bukin presented a new number. The audience appreciated their incendiary dance to the Señorita summer hit performed by Sean Mendes and Camila Cabello.

Sergei Voronov, who failed to get into the top three, is very popular among local fans. In this regard, the organizers of the tournament saved up his demonstration number for the final part of the evening and did not lose. A dynamic performance by Frank Sinatra's That's life song was accompanied by loud applause.

After the end of the demonstration numbers, the triumphant of the men's tournament, Yujuru Hanyu, pleased the audience with a funny trick. He went to the rink with one of the NHK Trophy mascots and danced with him in a duet.

GOOD FOOD # YuzuruHanyu # 羽 生 結 弦 # NHKTrophy2019 # NHK 杯 フ ィ ギ ュ ア pic.twitter.com/ce0jpiZe5Z

“I don’t think about creating my own clothing line”

After the competition, Zagitova boasted numerous gifts from local fans, among which were soft toys and handmade crafts. The athlete is known for her love for Japan and its inhabitants, who reciprocate with her. She said that she is currently repairing her room in Moscow, which will be decorated in Japanese style.

“I wanted to have sakura on the wall, but it’s not finished yet. The statuettes that Japanese fans gave me are decorated with a special shelf for medals, ”TASS skater quotes.

In addition, the Olympic champion announced her new hobby.

“I don’t think about creating my own clothing line, everyone who is not lazy is doing this now, and it’s not so interesting for me. I like pottery - I have never done it, but I want to try it. It looks very reassuring, and it will be possible to create some kind of exclusive things, ”said Zagitova.

At the end of the stage, Kostornaya, a debutant of adult competitions, spoke about herself in communication with local journalists. According to her, a role model for her is the 2012 world champion Carolina Costner.

“I always liked the ride of Carolina Costner, I pay attention to her legs moving when pushing away, to her knees, how she tries not to look down, does not lift her shoulders to her ears. When skiing, I mainly follow my knees and socks, the rest along the way I shout out to Eteri Georgievna, ”the Russian woman said.

Interestingly, some time ago, the Russian choreographer Viktor Adonyev, who worked at the Sambo-70 sports school, compared Kostorna with Italian. In his opinion, both skaters differ not only in complex technique, but also in the aesthetics of their performances.

In addition, the student Tutberidze shared her attitude to the ban on quadruple jumps in the short program and modern figure skating in general.

“I can’t say anything about the prohibitions, there are rules, I didn’t set them, and I obey them. Four jumps is very cool, figure skating is progressing so much that every year something new appears - both in the technical component and in the second assessment. Sport is developing, ”said Kostornaya.

In turn, two-time Olympic medalist Alexander Zhulin suggested that the skater is already able to master the quadruple jumps.

“I do not hide the fact that I like Alyona. In Sapporo, she showed excellent skating both in the short program and in free skating. If not for a failure on a solo axel, she would have broken the world record of Alexandra Trusova. Kostornaya and at 16 years old is able to master the fourth jump. She is growing skill, excellent technology. And the trainers will tell you what and how to do it, ”the portal“ Moscow Region Today ”quotes Zhulin.

“We applaud Alina for beauty”

Summing up the final stage of the Grand Prix, the experts continued to admire the character of Zagitova, who managed not to lose heart after the failure in the short program and even went up to the podium. So, the bronze medalist of the World Cup 2015 Elena Radionova noted the positive changes that have occurred with the skater in recent times.

“I really like Alina this season. Has changed, matured, her skating has become more confident. I think she really speaks for herself now. In Japan, she again showed fighting qualities. It's really nice to look at her. She really goes for an arbitrary program, reveals her strengths. I want everything to turn out well for Zagitova this season, ”RIA Novosti quoted Radionova as saying.

This season, the 2019 world champion in the free program takes to the ice in the image of the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra under the compositions of The Feelings Begin by Peter Gabriel, Ramses Khatir Hicham and Lawrence d'Arabie overture Maurice Jarre. The successful choice of the skater was also noted by the silver medalist of the 1980 Olympics, Sergei Shakhrai.

“I believed in Alina after a short program, and I was not mistaken. She showed how real athletes can fight to the end. Zagitova’s brilliant free program lifted the palace in Sapporo to its feet. All the spectators stood up and applauded our skater. Her Cleopatra was not just royal, but divinely royal, ”Shakhray quotes“ Soviet Sport. ”

The 2006 Olympic champion in ice dancing, Tatyana Navka, said that not only she, but also her five-year-old daughter Nadezhda, remained impressed by the rental of Zagitova in the free program.

“She skated so that my little angel, Nadyusha, looks so bewitched, watches so seriously. Who knows, maybe she will also become a champion? Well it is, thoughts aloud. Time will tell. In the meantime, we applaud our Alina for beauty, will and professionalism and congratulate her on her best result this season! ”, Wrote Navka.

In the final of the Grand Prix, Russia will be represented by four skaters. In addition to Kostornaya and Zagitova, Alexander Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova will compete for medals. Two-time Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko suggested that competitions can bring a lot of surprises, and also expressed hope for a fair refereeing.

“I hope everyone will ride well, and in this situation I would like to see how the barometer behaves on the part of the judges. Someone makes many quadruples, but there are other omissions, someone jumps axels. Not everyone rides cleanly, but everyone rides great. It will be a very interesting ending, ”Plushenko shared his opinion.