"These weeks we worked twice as much": what did the Russian skaters say after the start of the Grand Prix stage in France

After not the most successful performance on Skate Canada, Evgenia Medvedeva to get to the final must take at least the second place, but to gain the maximum number of points. However, according to the results of the short program, she stopped only on the third line, losing to two Japanese women - Mai Mihare and Rike Kihira.

At the end of the speech, Medvedev admitted that she was dissatisfied with herself.

“At the same time, I understand what kind of work we have done. These four weeks (after the Canadian Grand Prix. - RT ) we worked twice as much and twice as focused. But not one, not two, not three and not five people told me that success does not come quickly, ”RIA Novosti quotes Medvedev.

She said that the path to the goal would be a long one, but she is ready to make it.

“But still, I’m a person who wants everything at once,” the figure skater admitted.

Also, Evgenia said that in the free program she is going to present to the public a new technical element - a cascade of double axel and triple rittberger.

“The idea (of the new cascade - RT ) was common. Not to say that for a long time, but I jumped about a month. Therefore, I hope to execute it tomorrow, ”Medvedev said.

At the end of the previous season, Medvedev stopped working with her long-term mentor, Eteri Tutberidze, and went to Canada to study with Brian Orser. According to her, she changed almost everything in her life.

“I speak Russian only with my mother, grandmother and two of my friends. We speak half of one of these friends in Russian, half in English. Maybe I am used to it, but not completely, ”Medvedev said.

In addition, the athlete said that recently she has paid a lot of attention to nutrition and even began to use the services of a specialist.

“I can eat everything because I have such a strong stomach. But I began to work with a nutritionist. We are trying to find the best food for me and are moving towards this step by step, ”the Russian figure skater added.

Her compatriot Maria Sotskova can also put her rental into an asset in a short program. After the fiasco at the tournament in Finland, where she took only the ninth line, the Russian woman seriously claims a place in the top-5.

“The rental and I, and the coach are very satisfied, I gave it my best. Of course, the elements can still be refined, because there is no limit to perfection. But according to the program, choreography, filing, I am satisfied. There are certainly no estimates, ”said Sotskova.

She noted that the season began for her later than usual, which affected her results.

“I came to the form later than the set time, and now is not in optimal condition. But I feel much better than in the previous step. We have done a great job, even though there was little time. I feel progress. For me, this stage is like mobilization after unsuccessful rentals in Japan, I have to gradually get into condition so that I can get to the Russian championship at its best, ”Sotskova added.

And Stanislav Konstantinov hardly satisfied with his rental in Grenoble. In the course of the program, the Russian woman made several serious mistakes and ended up only on the tenth line.

“I rate the performance poorly. Unfortunately, you can not start over. I would love to roll again, but I most likely lost all the chances of getting into the final. Tomorrow I will fight to the end and will do everything I can, ”the figure skater said.

The performance of the Russian duet Alexander Boykov - Dmitry Kozlovsky was a pleasant surprise. The young couple skated the short program almost flawlessly and took the first place with a personal record.

“In fact, the emotions are amazing, because today we beat a couple who are in the figure skating elite. These are athletes with a tremendous level of skiing. They made mistakes and gave us the opportunity to overtake them and stand on the first line. But tomorrow is a much harder day, the tension will be tremendous, ”said Kozlovsky.

Boikova could hardly find the words to describe her impressions of the performance in the short program.

“Feelings are mixed, laid out at the box office very much. I do not realize what and how has passed. We need to tune in tomorrow, forget today and everything that happened today, ”the athlete concluded.

Alexander Samarin was also surprised. After the fourth place on the stage in Canada, the Russians started their performance in France very well. After a short program, he goes to second position and is second only to American James Brown.

“Emotions, honestly, are not very many, because I made a decent amount of mistakes. The latest training runs were much cleaner and better. The excitement affects and get out small, offensive and annoying shortcomings. You can find fault with a lot, ”the figure skater admitted.

The athlete admitted that he was going to perform a cascade of a quadruple Lutz - a triple toe loop, but because of an error at the exit, the second jump turned out to be just double.

“On the whole, I am calm. Tomorrow free skating and unnecessary emotions are not needed. I do not set any tasks this season. I just want to go out and make the audience happy. I don’t even think about the final, I don’t need to give up such thoughts, ”the athlete emphasized.

Unlike his compatriot, Dmitry Aliyev cannot yet boast of a successful performance in Grenoble. The Russian was grossly mistaken on the cascade and could only count on ninth place.

“I feel quite well physically. I don’t understand yet what the mistakes are in the programs. Everything worked out, but, apparently, we still need to learn and learn, act more, show character. So far, to some extent, I do not feel a competitive moment in order to gnaw everything with my teeth, ”said Aliyev.

Russian athletes retain chances for medals and competitions in dance pairs. So, after the rhythm dance, Victoria Sinitsyna and Nikita Katsalapov occupy the second line and are second only to the silver medalists of the Olympics in Pyeongchang - the French Gabriele Papadakis and Guillaume Sizeron.

“We really were focused today mostly on technology, on levels. It is seen that they have improved, and much more in comparison with the previous stage. Perhaps, in the end we squeezed, because the head was clogged. To do this, you still need to learn to ride, ”said Katsalapov.

At the same time, he noted that they are pleased with the start of the Grand Prix thanked the fans for their support.