“Alina’s problems come from the head”: Butyrskaya about the failure of Zagitova, the “female” skating of Kostornaya and the quadruple Trusova

- For the first time in history, Russian skaters have taken the entire podium in the Grand Prix finals. After such a space rental emotions overwhelm?

- Of course, but when they asked me about expectations from the finals, she said that the podium would be ours. I didn’t even doubt it.

- Alena Kostornaya set another world record, this time in the total points. Was her victory predictable after a short program?

- Honestly, I especially like her, this season Kostornaya is my favorite. It’s just impossible to find fault with Alena: there are skating itself, and jumping, and rotation, and emotions - everything was done correctly and very charming. I'm rooting for her.

- Do not you find that we have already begun to get used to her successes and are waiting for them, as was the case with Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova at the time?

“Perhaps, but this is only the first year.” In general, all three medalists go quite smoothly and will still fight with each other. Yes, Kostornaya got the upper hand in the Grand Prix finals, but this does not mean that Alyona is the unequivocal leader: others will push her and so simply will not let her go.

- Alexandra Trusova for the first time performed a quadruple flip. Can it be said that she is making history?

- Yes, and everything happens very quickly. It began last year, and now she is already trying to jump five quads in a free program, and before that the axel is in a short one ... This is a child prodigy, and she is improving, even if she doesn’t always succeed. But according to Sasha, it is clear that jumping is her element. She loves them, she bastards herself when she performs them. And today, many are trying after Trusova to perform the same complex elements, including juniors.

- Five quadruples in one female program - do you believe that you saw this?

“It's really hard to believe in that.” On the other hand, Kostornaya demonstrates that jumping is not the most important thing. You can have in your arsenal not five, but one or two, but it’s very nice to ride and win.

- What is it like to live in an era of such “flights”?

- Cool. We have not had such a leap forward in women's skating for a long time.

In general, boys have long been able to do what girls are doing now, and at some point, single men were stronger. But today, representatives of the weaker sex show that they are no worse and are also ready to perform the most complex elements.

- How does Anna Shcherbakova, with her growth, manage to perform jumps with such amplitude so flawlessly?

- She has a very small stature, only 154 centimeters. All the girls are very small, they are just thin, and therefore look long. Plus it’s also a television picture that can distort reality a bit. Shcherbakova has excellent data for the performance of such elements.

- Each of the trinity of yesterday's juniors had their trump cards, but which of them most closely corresponds to the term “women's skating”?

- All the same Alyona Kostornaya. I like the fact that she just left juniors for adult ice and competes with “aunts”, but she doesn’t look damp. She looks amazing, and it will be even better.

- In other words, it is with her that you see the greatest potential?

- No, it's hard to say here. If you take the same Trusova and add emotionality and artistry to her five quadruples, then you can also get a sky-high assessment. Nevertheless, they understand that these elements are very expensive, and Sasha is not afraid to experiment. For example, in the short program, she jumped the axel in 3.5 turns, although she was not ready for it. But she still was not afraid and went to him. And Shcherbakova is also pulling herself up. She does not look mature enough yet, but it is very pleasant to look at her.

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- This is the first time in history when three girls from one country occupied the entire podium. Is it possible to say that the Russians, led by Tutberidze, "took over women's skating"?

- Absolutely, no one can argue with that. It is remarkable that such a high competition has developed, this is a great incentive for athletes. I hope that at the start of the Russian championship two weeks later, Tuktamysheva will also show her quadruple sheepskin coat, which she makes amazingly. He and trainer Alexei Mishin also work, not picking their nose. I think Lisa will join the fight.

- Alina Zagitova skated at her current maximum?

- To begin with, Alina amazingly performed a short rental, put all her heart into him and absolutely rightly took second place. But she cannot be mistaken. Yes, Zagitova is already an Olympic champion, but she needs to show at all costs that she can skate cleanly.

- What is the reason for her failures?

- In my opinion, in psychology. Alina’s problems come from the head. She lacks confidence, but she sees that she is losing in technique to other girls. Hence the breakdowns. Such a peculiar failure in the system.

- Didn’t it seem that Alina has gained extra weight? Tarasova and Averbukh did not hesitate to say live that the changes in the body are visible to the naked eye ...

- As I said, a television picture can sometimes give a distorted impression. But Alina does not look fat, but feminine. Yes, she is already a girl, and it’s hard for her to fight. At the Olympics, she was the same girl, and now she has begun growing up. This will happen to everyone, everyone will have weight, and we will say the same about the others. To ask: “And where are the fours?” But it normal. Plus, Zagitova’s thoughts and psychology are completely different now. She needs to understand why she is riding. Because others are tearing and tossing, and she has already won everything, achieved everything.

- Alina is now leaving in a peak, how did this happen to Medvedeva?

- Not. Zagitova still achieved more in figure skating.

- But can we already say that the decline of Zagitova’s career is not far off and with a high degree of probability we will not see her at the European and World Championships?

- Let's first wait for the upcoming championship of Russia in Krasnoyarsk. Only two weeks left, and there, too, hassle may await us.

- Is it worth waiting for the change of leaders in the championship of Russia?

- It seems to me that nothing will change significantly. We are waiting for approximately the same alignment.