“There has never been such a competition before”

Figure skating fans are eagerly awaiting the start of a new season, which promises to be one of the most exciting in recent years due to the transition from juniors to the adult age group of a number of talented athletes.

Competition from younger colleagues does not scare 2015 world champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. On her Instagram page, she published a video in which all the athletes preparing to play in the Russian national team in the 2019/20 season are represented. She compared the upcoming starts with the show "The Last Hero".

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Posted by Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (@liza_tuktik) Aug 14, 2019 at 8:53 am PDT

“The upcoming season will be the eighth for me at the adult level, but I can definitely say that there has never been such a competition as now. I immediately remembered the show "The Last Hero", where the participants were divided into two tribes. My team and I made a promotional video of the new season with all the Grand Prix participants in the screensaver style of this project, ”said Tuktamysheva video.

Meanwhile, at the training camp in Estonian Tartu, the Russian woman presented her new free-wheeling composition, the musical accompaniment of which was the song Caravan performed by the American group The Hot Sardines. The program director was Canadian choreographer She-Lynn Bourne.

“Character will be decisive”

Already, many predict Alexandra Trusova, Anna Shcherbakova and Alena Kostornoy a bright future in adult skating. Most often, such an opinion is based on the highest results at the junior level. However, the honored trainer of the USSR Viktor Kudryavtsev, known for working with Maria Butyrskaya, Sergey Volkov, Kira Ivanova and many other eminent athletes, urged not to make hasty conclusions.

“It is theoretically possible that we will not see Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedev at the top tournaments soon. But in practice - you have to wait. There is a second assessment, according to which the balance of forces will not be so unambiguous. In addition, how many cases have there been when young athletes moved to an adult level and after that lost stability in elements, jumps? These girls have not yet gone through a difficult age. The competition in any case will be very strong. And in it, psychology, character will be of decisive importance, ”the expert said in an interview with Sport-Express.

As an example, he cited the post-Olympic season of Zagitova, in which she really managed to open only for the world championship in Saitama. In his opinion, the success in Pyeongchang so unsettled the skater that she risked not getting to the main start of the 2018/19 season.

“Of course, this was not made public. Alina herself did not want to go. And only the coach’s decision made her change her mind. And thanks to the enthusiasm conveyed to her, she was able to rise and win. Almost heroically. Eteri concentrated her, gave confidence, and the athlete showed character, ”added Kudryavtsev.

Interestingly, not all experts agree with the current rules of the International Union of Skaters (ISU), according to which athletes who are 15 years old by July 1 are eligible to take part in international competitions. Earlier, three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina advocated raising the age limit, and now her ex-figure skater Maria Anikanova supported her point of view. In her opinion, the appearance on yesterday’s ice of juniors negatively affects not only the entertainment of skiing, but also the lives of young athletes.

“The same Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes jumped out and disappeared. And the outstanding skaters did not achieve anything. Sports, you say? Nothing of the kind, I will insist that children can not compete with adults. So, some other net is needed to protect the athletes who were the best for the entire four-year period. Under the current rules, destinies still break and health is in vain ruined. And how much money is invested and not returned? Parents may stop bringing their children to the sections, and we will lose a lot of talent, ”Anikanova said.

“350 days a year in her group host their Olympic Games”

Russian skaters are gradually forming their calendar for the season 2019/20. As their first starts, many of them choose Challenger tournaments. So, it became known that the sports couple Evgeny Tarasov - Vladimir Morozov in mid-September will take part in the US International Figure Skating Classic, held in Salt Lake City. At the beginning of the month, most representatives of the national team will show themselves in the control rentals, which will be held in Moscow “Luzhniki”.

At the same time, the state of health will not allow Arthur Dmitriev to speak at the Japanese Grand Prix stage. First, his name disappeared from the application protocol, and then his father Arthur Dmitriev, the elder, explained that in the spring, Alexei Mishin’s ward underwent nose surgery.

“It was recovering for a long time because there was a lack of coordination after the operation. He is just gaining shape, and we decided not to participate in the Grand Prix, ”quoted the two-time Olympic champion Sport24.

The junior competition season begins earlier than their adult counterparts. So, the first stage of the Grand Prix starts in French Courchevel on August 21.

One of the main hopes of men's figure skating, the winner of the 2019 Russian Junior Championship, Daniil Samsonov, spoke about working with Eteri Tutberidze.

“It felt like I won the lottery. I think she noticed my desire to work, saw a perspective in me. The first weeks I was on a trial period, I gave all my best. I think Eteri Georgievna realized that I can work the same way as everyone in her group, ”Samsonov said in an interview with Moscow Skater magazine.

Despite the large number of figure skating stars who left the Tutberidze group, some fans and experts continue to accuse her of being too rigid with respect to their wards. In their opinion, the methods of the mentor negatively affect both the physical and psychological state of athletes. However, Honored Coach of Russia Inna Goncharenko took her side.

“I can say that we all work hard, it’s just that not everyone gets the result like hers. Eteri managed to find such a mechanism when children come to the ice every day and fight. They fight for the elements, for her attention, fight with themselves and among themselves. Therefore, her athletes are so steady and stable in competitions. In training twice a day, six days a week and 350 days a year, her group hosts its Olympic Games, ”Goncharenko emphasized.