“I was shocked by the directness of Harutyunyan”: Bell about relations with coaches, mountains of toys of Medvedeva and the skill of Tuktamysheva

"I never performed after the ice was thrown so many soft toys"

“This is your second time in Moscow.” Did you manage to walk around the city, see something?

- After the Grand Prix stage in France, I did not return to the United States and spent the rest of the week in Switzerland. I had a flight to Russia on Tuesday ... I arrived on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday I actually fell out. My coach Rafael Harutyunyan has a daughter in Russia ... So, his wife and daughter took us to Red Square, and it was very cool. Last time I didn’t have the opportunity to go there. I really enjoyed it and the weather was nice ...

- Yes, in November it’s a rarity ...

- That day was not very cold ... They live here, they know the history of the capital well. As if I had an individual tour throughout Moscow. It was cool.

“ Nguyen told us that he had found some wonderful donut shop.” Maybe you also found something ...

- Yes, I already checked out the situation in the shopping center - there are McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, and Crispy Cream.

- Russian viewers are crazy about Evgenia Medvedeva. You had to execute an arbitrary program after it. How did you feel?

- This is a new experience for me - I have never performed before after the ice was thrown by so many soft toys. But in general, athletes should support their opponents, and some part of me was very happy for her, because she did a great job in Russia, but that does not change my task.

It was cool because the audience was so excited. And I needed a higher concentration in order to focus on my rental. This is an experience that I can rely on if I ever come across something similar.

- You said that last year was the most successful in your career, but the beginning of this season seems to be even more successful - two Grand Prix medals. How do you explain such rapid progress?

- In the summer I was tormented by the idea that I did not perform so well. But I continued to work. I work with Adam Rippon. With him I can share my experiences - he is very understanding, because he also experienced similar feelings. In general, he looks at it like this: “It doesn’t matter what happened - you just need to ride on; no matter what feelings you feel, wherever you are, you have one goal. ” So I adopted this way of thinking and applied it in my work. And I must say that he gives very good results.

I was glad that at the beginning of the season I was able to win the category “B” tournament for athletes of the older age category. In general, this is a double-edged sword, because, on the one hand, you are very happy about the victory, but, on the other, they expect more from you at the next competition. But I managed to achieve consistency in my work, to cope with expectations, with takeoffs. and continue to ride according to your capabilities.

"When offered to ride under Britney Spears, she said:" Mmm ... not sure "

“Was Adam Rippon the key to your progress?”

“Yes, definitely.” Rafael plays a huge role in success, but recently I started working with Adam on a daily basis. He helped me a lot. He survived all this himself. Adam - a participant in the Olympic Games, won the Grand Prix medals and US championships many times. I appreciate his advice and try my best to apply them in my work.

- You had no doubt when he suggested you ride the song Britney Spears? Judges are quite conservative ...

- He turned to me with this proposal after the national championship last year. Adam did not visit us often because he was very busy. Rippon is incredibly popular - in the world in general, but especially in the United States. He has every minute scheduled every day, but somehow he came to the rink and said that he would like me to skate to Britney Spears next year. I replied: “Mmm ... not sure about this. It doesn't look very much like me. I do not know". And the song itself is called Work Bitch ...

We could not include these words in the speech. I just wanted to make sure that there was no risk, that the performance would be well received. But at the same time, I really trust Adam. In general, I think it is, of course, cool - how to appear on the other side. When you stand side by side with magnificent skaters doing quadruple jumps and triple axels, you think maybe I can leave my mark, do something unique, as happened with this short program.

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- The music for your free program was already chosen by She-Lynn Bourne ...

- Yes, and it turned out great: Adam chose a remix for a short program - this is unique, you will never see such a thing in the world. Very unusual. When I was at the airport, about to fly out to work with She-Lynn, she sent me music options. Hallelujah was on the list, and I didn’t even listen to others. I always loved this song very much and was delighted that she offered it to me.

- Bourne puts programs and other skaters. In this regard, how difficult was it for you to work together?

- She knows each skater perfectly individually. I have been cooperating with her for the second year, and we have a wonderful relationship, I really like to work together. She-Lynn is good at revealing the features of each athlete and helps to show off what you do best.

“It's great to compete in an era when girls perform quadruple jumps and triple axels”

- Stefan Lambiel admitted that you are his favorite loner, and emphasized that he appreciates grace and accuracy in you. Do you consider these qualities to be your advantage over other skaters?

- First of all, for me it is a big compliment and I am extremely pleased. You always need to find some ways to stand out, for example, a complicated technical component. Now figure skating has become a very technical sport, because of which the artistic part may be slightly lost. But I love skating very much, and I started skating before I learned how to jump, so I understand this best. And, say, to the song “Hallelujah”, which I love, it’s easier for me to speak and share my feelings with the audience.

- Doesn’t it seem unfair to you that the skaters performing the quad jumps get too much advantage?

“I would not say that this is unfair.” Yes, and not me to talk about it. My job is to ride, and let the judges judge. I am only responsible for my skating. I can say about the quadruple jumps that other skaters do not perform them, it is very difficult. I personally like to speak with my programs, I always strive to show everything that I am capable of.

- Do you think that now there is the same trend as in men's skating - in a few years, quadruple jumps will start to do everything? Or is it simply that several such talented skaters have appeared now?

- I do not know. It is interesting that there is a “fresh growth” of young talents. The future does not predict. Perhaps this is really a forward movement, and there is a need for all these quadruple jumps and triple axels. But I do not presume to predict. I can only say that it’s really cool to compete with them in this era of figure skating, when girls perform quadruple jumps and triple axels.

- Russian coaches control many aspects of the life of their wards. You say that you do not have a training plan with Harutyunyan. Is this an exception to the rule?

- In the first two years of training with Raphael, he paid me a lot of attention, and this year he said: “You are already an adult. I will no longer hold your hand. I gave you all the tools, and it’s up to you to decide whether to use it in your work or not. ” He said that I have too many fears and he cannot repeat the same thing to me.

This is partly why I started working with Adam to help me with my daily routine, but I really respect Rafael for being blunt: he let me know that I can control what I'm doing. It helped me develop a more mature approach. Indeed, I’m an adult, I’m 23 years old, I can do my job.

He has few wards with a fixed training schedule. But I still spend a lot of time with him. In training, he devotes five to ten minutes to each skater, but always watches everyone. Each time he tells me: “I see everything that you do. Do not think that I am not looking. ” However, he feels when I need to say something, and when not.

“But he said that you would need two years to work with him ...”

“When we started working, he said:“ You and I will need to work for two years, after which some progress will appear. ” I said, "Good." These two years expired in 2018. He was right. Sometimes I want this to be wrong, but he is always right. Now it is simply required to continue with new perseverance.

- What struck you the most when you started working with Raphael? He is a coach of the Soviet school, the style is different.

- He has a completely different style of setting up the technique, but with no understanding of the problems, he is very straightforward. Previous coaches were sometimes prone to lengthy words and thoughts, but not with him, he is frank and honest: if you do something badly, he will definitely say it. It was a shock for me, but I respect him very much and I think that he is a great coach.

- You said that you plan to learn how to make a triple axel. Can the example of your peer Elizabeth Tuktamysheva, who performs this jump, serve as inspiration for you?

- Undoubtedly. I respect her very much. She performed the triple axel at an earlier age, then she stopped working, and now she is doing it clean again. This is amazing. In the free program, it has two triple axels, it is also very inspiring, you understand that there is no limit to perfection. I am going in my own rhythm and I can’t rush forward too sharply, it is important for me to properly consolidate what I can do now. Then you can already add other elements.

“All Russians in communication are very pleasant”

- Did you perceive the tournament in France in a special way? After all, your young man, Romain Ponsard, is a Frenchman.

- Yes, for me it was a special tournament: we have not seen him since August, and then an opportunity appeared. It was very important for me that we met again and spent time together. In addition, there was Nathan Chen, with whom we are friends. The three of us have a very close relationship. This tournament worked out well for each of us: for Romain, for me, and, of course, for Nathan. When we saw each other, it felt as if the family had reunited after separation. We rarely meet with Nathan because of his studies at Yale. Upon learning that I was going to France and could see Romain, I was very happy.

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- At the award ceremony in France, a funny thing happened with a medal. Tell us how it happened, how did you understand that you got a gold medal?

- They put it on me, and I noticed that it somehow shines too brightly, but thought: “Oh, how great! Such a brilliant medal! ”Then Alina (and we participated in various shows, competitions and became friends) told me:“ I think it's gold. ” I looked at the medal: "Oh, you really are gold." Then she decided: "I will just put it on Alyona herself and congratulate her as expected." So I congratulated you. It was very funny, we laughed on the pedestal.

- On Saturday, Evgeny Medvedev congratulated you. Which Russian figure skater do you have the warmest relationship with?

“I respect them all.” We are friends with Zagitova, I know others not so well, but all of them are very pleasant in communication. I respect them both as athletes and as people. But perhaps the closest I am to Alina: we participated in various shows together - but I also crossed paths with Eugenia in many countries.

“Some skaters have dogs, and you have a rabbit ...”

- Yes.

- What is it like being a skater keeping a rabbit? And do you plan to take him to the competition somehow?

- No, he is unlikely to survive the flight, and certainly he will not be able to sit quietly up there - he is not at all peaceful. Of course, I have a small leash for him, but he still will not go anywhere. He is very glorious. He easily walks around the house, around the apartment in which we live with a young man. We had been accustoming him to this for about a year, and he was doing very well. For us, the rabbit is an ideal pet, because it is very independent - it has an automatic feeder and drinker, we do not even have to feed or drink it. We sometimes treat him with something, but he copes without us. I also like that it does not fade. He is very cute. An ideal pet, because we are often on the road. But I can ask my friends to check him any day, and everything is always in order with him.