Zagitova's motivation and memories of Shcherbakova
Some sports fans are sure that many athletes come from wealthy families, and this is what allowed them to first break into the first roles in the sports school, and then get into national teams. However, this myth was debunked by the Olympic champion of Pyeongchang-2018 Alina Zagitova.
The skater said that in childhood she was largely motivated by not the best financial situation of the family. According to the athlete, sometimes they did not have enough money even for travel by public transport.
“Once ran away from training! This did not happen again, I could not say: "I do not want to - I will not." My rivals went to victory and were not going to stop, though through pain, but they had to work, ”Zagitova told Cosmopolitan Russia.
She admitted that at the beginning of her career she was afraid to go on the ice. The situation was aggravated, according to her, by overly demanding judges. At the same time, the coaches and the family helped the figure skater to help with the unfounded criticism that arose on social networks.
“At first I tried not to pay attention to them, but at the moments when there was an unsuccessful start, they slipped through. They wrote to me that I should! But in fact, I owe nothing to anyone, I myself wanted to perform well, ”said Zagitova.
She remembered the last time she attended school about six years ago. Then she had friends with whom she spent time after class. In figure skating, where "everyone is for himself," she never made any really close friends.
“Sport taught me discipline, parties are not for me, I feel at ease at social events. I’m only now making new friends, including from other cities, we are texting. But this is not easy, you never know for sure who wants what from you, ”added Zagitova.
This season, the podiums of all the major tournaments were occupied by students of Eteri Tutberidze - Alyona Kostornaya, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova. Russian fans and experts often call them the abbreviation TSCH for the first letters of surnames. However, the vice-champion of Europe admitted that the girls themselves prefer a different nickname.
“We do not like TSCh at all. And Triple A (“Triple A”, a nickname coined by foreign fans. - RT) looks very funny when writing. When I first saw it, I thought that they were writing about a triple axel, and I didn’t understand what it was about, ”RIA Novosti quotes Shcherbakova.
She also remembered her first steps in professional sports. For a long time, the skater could not believe in her victory at the 2019 Russian Championship. It was then that she won her first gold medal at the adult level.
“Thoughts that I could get into the top three or win, I didn’t even allow it. After it was not arbitrary, either. That a medal was approaching me, I very gradually realized, sitting after and looking at the speeches of others, ”Shcherbakova admitted.
The philosophy of Tuktamysheva and the benefits of Samodurova quarantine
Due to the difficult epidemiological situation, by order of the Ministry of Sports, all training centers and sports schools temporarily stopped their work. Skaters are forced to keep fit at home, but this is extremely difficult without practice on the ice rink. 2020 European Champion Alyona Kostornaya expressed concern that during quarantine she would lose her skills.
“We haven’t had this before. I think, like everyone else, when I get out on the ice, I’ll practically learn to ride again. Such a break. This is unusual for us. But we’ll have to deal with it somehow, ”Kostornaya TASS quotes.
World Champion 2015 Elizaveta Tuktamysheva in her free time continues to actively communicate with her fans. She not only talks about life, but also shares her thoughts on various topics. So, the skater spoke about her understanding of femininity.
“She is not so much in external manifestations as in behavior and self-awareness. I can compare femininity with dance. For me, this is a combination of self-confidence and tenderness, inner harmony and love. When at the right moments you have the wisdom to give in, without losing your self. When you have great strength, but you can afford to be weak, ”Tuktamysheva wrote on Instagram.
View this Instagram post
Publication by Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (@liza_tuktik) Apr 12, 2020 at 9:37 am PDT
Another student of Alexei Mishin, Sofya Samodurova, in quarantine, is mastering another social network that is gaining popularity - TikTok. She regularly shares videos of her dances, and also sings along with famous songs. At the same time, the 2019 European champion regularly practices under the guidance of her mentors. In general, according to her, self-isolation has a positive effect on her.
“I established a regime that I couldn’t enter for a very long time. I have a jog every morning at 9 in the morning, and family. We run in the stadium. The time is determined depending on the condition, starting from 30 minutes, ”shared Samodurova.
In the offseason, the athlete also indulged in nostalgia and remembered what she felt, having won so far the biggest award in her career - the gold medal of the continental championship in Minsk. She admitted that then she was confident in her abilities, although she was not a favorite.
“Of course, I rode the third number to this European Championship. I understood that more attention would be paid to Alina Zagitova, Stanislav Konstantinova. I was even calm about this. I did what I can. There’s nothing to add. Somehow it happened, ”said Samodurova.
Jagudin's joke about quarantine and Plushenko’s dances
Quarantine is not easy for both current and former skaters. Olympic champion in ice dancing Tatyana Navka said that during self-isolation she prefers home clothes. It is now extremely rare to do hairstyles, make-up and dress up.
“Unfortunately, the frequency of approaches to the refrigerator has increased in quarantine. What is going on with the series? Oh, this is horror! Sunflower seeds! I’m from Ukraine. As for the series, now we have begun to master the "Wild West World." “Papa” has already been watched - two seasons. I liked it, ”Navka said in the show“ Evening Urgant. ”
On April 13, the ex-skater turned 45 years old. She had to celebrate her anniversary at home, although a flurry of congratulations poured in on social networks from both her former colleagues and the athletes with whom she collaborates in her ice productions.
Olympic champion Salt Lake City 2002 Alexey Yagudin continues to entertain fans with funny videos. He has already managed to participate in several challenges, trying on clothes from pillows, and also trying to get dressed while standing in his arms, and now he has decided to “switch” from quarantine to self-isolation. For this, the illustrious skater installed a door in the courtyard of the house and invited the whole family to go through it.
“Let's forget the world of quarantine and go to another. Just have to check if everything is clean there. There is a completely different air, different colors, ”Jagudin joked.
View this Instagram post
Publication by Alexei Yagudin (@ alexei.yagudin) Apr 13, 2020 @ 7:36 am PDT
According to him, shooting such videos is quite a costly affair.
“We need to choose a perspective, how best to remove it, which phrases and so on. Plus, time is spent on the Internet, where there is a lot of interesting things: I’m looking for some funny videos, reformatting for what can be done at home, and then shooting, ”commented the process in an interview with Sportrecs Yagudin.
Honored trainer of the USSR Tatyana Tarasova decided to remember her students and shared joint photos on her Instagram page. Initially, there was published only a video of the performance of Maxim Kovtun, on which it was captured how she was worried about him.
The ex-mentor was jokingly jealous of Yagudin. Then Tarasova decided to “correct” the injustice and shared pictures with other skaters - Brian Joubert, Emanuel Sandyu, Tomasz Werner and Evan Lysachek. The Russian was not among them again.
"This mess is already complete!" - offended Yagudin.
To compete with Yagudin in shooting funny videos, perhaps only two-time Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko can. He repeatedly spoke about training with his son Alexander, noting their importance in conditions of self-isolation, but flashmobs and entertainment are also not alien to him.
“Uno quarantined by skaters. There was some kind of week of self-isolation there, ”Rudkovskaya wrote.
View this Instagram post
Posted by Yana Rudkovskaya (@rudkovskayaofficial) Apr 14, 2020 at 7:34 PDT