Big competition and age: why figure skater Dmitriev decided to compete for the USA

29-year-old figure skater Artur Dmitriev, having recovered from a series of injuries, decided to return to the ice.

However, the athlete plans to compete in the national team not with Mikhail Kolyada, but with the American Nathan Chen.

The Russian received an offer to play for the US national team and intends to agree.

"They did not see prospects in me"

The son of two-time Olympic champion in pair skating Artur Dmitriev Sr. and world champion in rhythmic gymnastics Tatyana Druchinina at one time showed great promise. In 2011 he became the champion of Russia among juniors, tried to perform the most difficult elements. He is the only skater in history who has attempted to jump a quad axel in competition. And at the Challenger Series in Obersdorf in 2018, viewers saw for the first time a cascade of triple lutz and flip. Then, as the skater himself said, health problems worsened, which began even before the Olympic Games in Sochi.

“I broke my leg.

There was a very serious injury to the ligaments, the foot suffered.

To put it mildly, unpleasant.

It was reflected in the knees.

I had to go through an operation and long-term rehabilitation.

After 2018, I decided to take a break.

Then the coronavirus came to us.

All this time I was slowly, slowly recovering.

Now I am at the final stage of rehabilitation, recently I decided to try myself in competitions in the USA.

I think it went pretty well, ”Dmitriev said in an interview with Sport-Express.

Dmitriev plans to fully recover and start performing at the international level closer to the summer of 2022, but he does not want to represent Russia, but the United States, because the local federation has shown interest in him.

“In our country, I was not seen as a promising athlete, and I received an offer from the American Federation.

I thought this was a good option.

I took part in the tournament, I will try to qualify for the national championship.

I will look at my readiness, smoothly approach this competition, if possible.

I am absolutely serious, ”admits Dmitriev.

At the same time, there should be no legal problems.

As Arthur explained, he has American citizenship.

“When my father retired in 1998, his parents moved to the United States.

He performed there in the show, my mother worked as a choreographer with Sasha Cohen, Sarah Hughes, ”said the skater.

According to Dmitriev, despite his age, he wants to return the most complex elements to his arsenal and does not lose hope of performing a quadruple axel.

“I feel good, nothing bothers me.

The operation was long ago, in 2015, the problems are behind.

We will be recruiting the form in stages.

If we prepare the body, I see no obstacles to the execution of the quadruple axel.

I have every opportunity to restore my content, we are working on it, the main thing is not to rush, ”said the skater.

"He left back in 2019 for the Croatian national team"

Interestingly, Dmitriev should apply not to the Russian Federation, but to the Croatian one for permission to play on the US national team.

According to the General Director of the FFKR Alexander Kogan, Arthur changed his sports citizenship back in 2019.

“We have his application for a transfer and a request from Croatia, which was agreed by the executive committee.

Since 2019, it does not belong to Russia, so all other comments should be given by the Croats, and not by us, ”the RIA Novosti expert quotes.

The information was also confirmed by the President of the FFKKR Alexander Gorshkov.

He also said that he had not received any requests from the American Federation.

“I cannot answer you anything concrete.

I don't know if he played for Croatia at least once.

But in any case, it is she who now has to allow or forbid him to leave for the United States, ”said Gorshkov.

Honored trainer Tatyana Tarasova called Arthur's decision to try his hand in America logical, since he was not supported at home.

“Imagine yourself in his place.

If you weren't published anywhere, and then a good offer came, would you think for a long time?

Here he is not.

A logical solution.

Let's wish Arthur a good journey.

We are the only ones to blame for this.

We lose our children - we stopped loving them and do not accept them.

And I want to wish Arthur good luck so that he succeeds! "

- said Tarasova.

According to coach Alexander Zhulin, Dmitriev decided to change his citizenship too late and it would be difficult for him to prove himself at that age.

“Arthur has always had a lot of injuries, but he is a capable, interesting and charismatic guy.

At one time I even trained with me.

It seems to me that he started a change of citizenship a little late, he is almost 30 years old.

This is a small loss for our country and not a strong gain for the US team.

But, I emphasize, I wish him all the very best, "- quotes Zhulin" Championship ".

Irina Rodnina, three-time Olympic champion in figure skating, did not see any tragedy in the situation, since Dmitriev did not show high results in Russia.

“This is not a betrayal.

The man did not succeed in Russia, he has American citizenship and decided to try there.

You need to calmly treat such things.

We have not lost an athlete of the national team level.

Where is the reason for sadness?

As for the performances for the US national team, first you need to get there.

Nobody is waiting for him in America with open arms, ”Rodnina said in an interview with Sport24.

I agree with the athlete and Arthur's father, who does not see great prospects in moving his son to America.

“You need to skate both there and there.

The question is different: maybe it will be more convenient for him in the USA.

Would the Russian national team be useful?

We now have enough skaters, a lot of competition, then also the age, 29 years is the maximum for a single skater, "said Dmitriev Sr. in an interview with TASS.

The head of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev even called Arthur's transition a confirmation of the recognition of the Russian figure skating school around the world.

“The change of sports citizenship is an objective reality that is characteristic of athletes from different countries.

We normally perceive when such transitions take place from other countries to Russia.

If this athlete strengthens our team, then why not?

When our guys go to other countries, in most cases this happens not with the first numbers, but with those who cannot get to the high level due to the enormous competition, ”the official added.