“It’s correct that Tarasova and Morozov did not make it to the final”: Bestemyanova on the stage of the Grand Prix in Japan for Russian skaters

- Recently in Moscow, a young skater Makar Ignatov took third place. In Sapporo, he could not repeat this result. How would you rate his performance and what future do you see with him?

- It seems to me that this is a promising athlete. In Japan, Ignatov did not skip his best option, which, by the way, is logical, since that incredible success at the last stage was a little, as I think, relaxed or forced to think about things that you can’t think of in principle - I mean the way out to the Grand Prix finals. There was some kind of improper tuning to the competition. This is the experience that he received, which will be useful to him. I hope Makar will correctly perceive what has happened and apply this experience in the future. And so he, of course, is a wonderful athlete, well-built, handsome guy with two quadruple jumps and a triple axel. He has everything to achieve very high results.

- How would you rate the performance at the Grand Prix with other Russian singles - Alexander Samarin and Dmitry Aliyev?

- They both worked very well at the beginning of the season. The guys are still young enough to improve their results over the remaining year. We cannot say that they are at their peak. Samarin and Aliyev at the foot of the mountain, which you need to climb. Therefore, I really hope that they will go straight up. I respect Samarin very much for his ability to work, for his obstinacy in the good sense of the word. And I’m very happy for Aliyev, because last season was absolutely disastrous, although he performed just fine in the year of the Olympics.

- Yuzuru Hanyu and Nathan Chen gain crazy points for their rentals. Can someone compete with them now?

- So far, they are beyond the reach of other skaters. Hanyu in Japan skated his programs very well. It seems like his productions are old, but it seems that he is getting better and better year after year. At the beginning of the season, it seemed that Yuzuru was in better shape than Nathan Chen. But he, of course, will not give up positions. The fight in the Grand Prix finals will be an exciting sight. I look forward to seeing it.

- In Europe, there is no such dominant skater. Who, in your opinion, will be the main favorite at the European Championship?

- Probably, the struggle will unfold between Samarin and Aliyev, plus Michal Brzezina from the Czech Republic. Of course, it is ours that will fight for first place. I wouldn’t even drop Mikhail Kolyada from the accounts. We do not know what state he is in now because he is undergoing a course of treatment. God grant that he recover, because he also has an extraordinary technique and a set of elements. If Kolyada is restored, then you can also talk about him as a potential participant in this battle.

- In Japan, Sergey Voronov, who took fourth place, became the best Russian skater. What are his prospects?

“Of course, he deserves extraordinary respect.” He is one of the most experienced skaters in the world and is very stable. We remember how last year he was unable to perform at the Russian championship due to some kind of injury, so God grant him health. The old horse will not spoil the furrow.

- In pair skating, the last three stages of the Grand Prix turned into correspondence rivalry between the Chinese Sui Wenjing and Han Tsun with the Russians Alexandra Boykova and Dmitry Kozlovsky. Can we say that the Russian couple has already approached the level of world champions?

- It seems to me that the fact that we are discussing the rivalry of Boykova and Kozlovsky with the Chinese couple is already a huge success for them. Sui Wenjing and Han Tsun are absolutely outstanding athletes, and it is already an honor for Russians that they are compared with the Chinese.

- How did Boykova and Kozlovsky manage to rise to such a level already in his second adult season?

- Couples who train with Tamara Moskvina usually gain momentum very quickly. She first harnesses for a long time, and then once - and it turns out something interesting. But I still don’t understand how they managed to shoot like that, although for the third season I have put them a short program and I know them closely. I did not expect them to make such progress. For me, this is a miracle, a miracle of the coaching staff. I do not detract from the talent of the skaters themselves, but this coaching staff worked as it should.

- In components, Boykov and Kozlovsky are still losing to competitors. Will they be able to fix it this season?

- It’s true, their components still leave much to be desired, although they have become higher compared to the past and the year before last. Of course, it is important for them to understand for themselves, to let through their heads what they also need. They are such guys that what they want is achieved. So far, Boykova and Kozlovsky have not decided for themselves that this is very important - not only to make all the technically complex elements, but also to roll steps, transitions, and attitude to each other. While they are working more on technology and must themselves realize that they need components, then we will see luxurious programs.

- How do you rate the debut season of Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov, who took third place in Japan and were able to qualify for the Grand Prix finals?

- If we talk about young couples of world level, then they started brighter than all. It seems to me that they have everything that a couple who goes up should have it. What is important to me, Mishina and Gallyamov look great, they are tall and tall, well-built. In doing so, they make all the complex elements. Everything else will grow. First of all, while they have insufficient speed, this was especially noticeable in the short program. All this will come, they, of course, are a very promising couple.

- What do you think about the fact that Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov could not make it to the Grand Prix finals?

“It is unfortunate that they did not succeed.” But on the other hand, it speaks of honesty of selection. They did not have a start this season, at which Zhenya and Volodya would not break something. These were such bells that now turned into bells. Need to do the elements. Everything else: beauty, style, other components of pair skating - they have a high, amazing level. In the hands of Marina Zueva they became even better.

I really like Tarasova and Morozov. Now they will have time when all the couples leave for the Grand Prix finals, before the Russian Championship, raise their stamina in a free program and just start making elements. It seems to me correct that Tarasova and Morozov did not end up in Turin, although I repeat, I feel very sorry for them, because they are a beautiful duet. But the guys have to draw conclusions.

- Is it possible to compare the competition among girls and couples in Russia now? Both there and there at the national championship there will be a lot of applicants for getting into the national team.

- I would not compare them. Girls, having passed the championship of Russia, will easily win the world championship, and couples will face the rivalry of the Chinese, who are very good. Couples should make an even greater leap up.

- How would you rate the performance of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin, who finished second in Japan?

- I am very pleased with the way they performed. They drew programs very well, improved in the month that has passed since their last tournament in Las Vegas. They were world-class. It’s only strange for me that they get very low marks. Some kind of game happens to them that is incomprehensible to me. I can see with my own eyes how good they are. All experts talk about this. It is only necessary to take care that the judges evaluate properly.

- How do you evaluate the new bold programs of Gabriela Papadakis and Guillaume Sizeron and are they really inaccessible as their referees estimate?

- The French are very good this year, they added compared to last season. They have a new style in rhythm dance, very soulful skating in arbitrary. Gabriela has become so very warm. Usually I hear only Guillaume, and now they interact very well in a duet. This, of course, is a big plus for this couple.

- Will it be possible to approach them this season?

“Our two couples will be approaching them, but not so close that we can talk about rivalry.” But you need to approach anyway. There are prerequisites for this, you just need to work and work. Both Stepanova and Bukin, and Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov have their own advantages that need to be developed.