“Zhenya is a beauty, she just sometimes forgot about it”: Tikhonov - about a pair of Tarasova and Morozov and a coaching duet with Trankov

- Did Tarasova and Morozov think about ending their careers after the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics?

“They certainly thought about what to do next.

Volodya from the very beginning was set to continue skating, Zhenya didn’t really doubt it, she just got married after the Games and actually opened a new page in her life.

In the end, she supported her partner, and I think it was absolutely the right decision.

In general, I would say that the guys just started to show real skating in the Olympic season.

— What exactly is it?

- In addition to the performance of technical elements, which this pair has always been at its best, I would note the relationship of athletes on ice.

It is not only about the relationship of partners, but men and women.

I have always appreciated it very much.

Because this is what makes the program memorable and catchy, puts the sport on the verge of art.

- How difficult, or, conversely, how easy is it to work with skaters in such a large coaching team as yours?

I wouldn't say that this is a problem.

Eteri Tutberidze is present, as a rule, at those training sessions where we do program rentals, Sergey Dudakov and Daniil Gleikhengauz come on the ice with her, but the main training process falls on Maxim Trankov and me.

- In your coaching views, are you and Max antagonists, or like-minded people?

We look at the process a little differently, and that's good.

Max not only knows some things well, but also explains them perfectly, I bring some touches, including those that came through working with Tatyana Tarasova, when I skated with her in the All Stars Theater for many years back.

- How long do you think Zhenya and Volodya are able to ride without losing quality?

And what is the most difficult thing - to find motivation, not to think about your own age, to force yourself to go for some kind of complication or change of style?

“Yes, everything together matters.

I myself skated until the age of 35, but I also returned to the sport quite late.

Tarasova and Morozov have been skating together for 11 years, and this is a significant period.

- I would say that there is a different trend: at the Skate America tournament in the sports pairs tournament, the second place was taken by Deanna Stellato, an 

- Yes, but, if we talk seriously, finding motivation to do something new, especially at the global level, is really not easy.

And every year it just gets harder.

But Zhenya and Vova certainly have strength.

It even sometimes surprises me that the guys after such a long career have so much desire to fight and prove.

- In my opinion, the Games in Beijing breathed a completely different mood into this couple.

It seems that only there Tarasova and Morozov truly opened up and felt their relevance.

And how to get rid of the constant raid of fatigue.

- I partly agree, it really happened.

Moreover, if Vova always knew his own worth, then Zhenya remained on the sidelines.

We have been busy for quite some time just trying to get her real essence out.

She's beautiful, she just sometimes forgot about it.

That's what I had to remember.

And now this awareness of one's own value has finally come in full measure.

The fact that Tarasova and Morozov show on the ice is great in every way.

There are some rough edges in the training process, but these are just working moments that are easy to overcome.

Therefore, I would very much like Zhenya and Volodya not only to successfully overcome this season, but also to capture the next one.

As Maxim jokes during our training sessions, with such skating you can safely remain for the next four years and fight to become Olympic champions.

- Tarasova and Morozov are now performing a program that is not the most difficult in terms of technical content, such a familiar classical version.

At the same time, athletes are already appearing who make more difficult jumps, learn the elements of ultra-c.

Is there no danger that some of the young will simply sweep all the current leaders out of their way?

— I don’t see such a pair yet, although the trend of technical growth is obvious.

The same Khabibullina and Knyazhuk perfectly performed a parallel triple lutz, made a very clear throw-flip.

But after all, the St. Petersburg pairs of Tamara Moskvina have now taken the path of complication: they are learning quadruple throws, twists.

In youth, I still see a very big difference with adult couples in the presentation of their programs and skating.

It is simply impossible to outshine with one technique what the leaders of our team are doing.

Although one can recall the case when Katya Gordeeva and Sergey Grinkov left junior skating for adult skating and immediately won the Olympic Games, and with a colossal margin.

But such couples are born infrequently.

- What was the desire of Tarasova and Morozov to leave the Olympic free program for another season?

- I would say that the guys did not skate well with this program.

She is so good and everyone likes her so much that the decision to leave her for another year seems to be logical.

Although Volodya spoke out in favor of making a new production.

But then we thought about it and decided to abandon this idea.

In the summer, the guys had the opportunity to ride in the show of Ilya Averbukh, so we started the new season later than usual.

There was simply no time left to change both programs.

- Performances - this is the diocese of Daniel Gleikhengauz?

- No, it’s also a joint work, which is done by Danya, and Eteri, and I, and Maxim, although, of course, Gleikhengauz and Tutberidze are involved in the production process to a greater extent.

- If Tarasova and Morozov were offered to perform more often, would it make you happy?

- Me, as a coach, definitely, yes, although I did not talk about this with the athletes.

Moreover, I thought a lot about this issue and came to the conclusion that it would be right to give the guys the opportunity to start at the Grand Prix stages not two, but three times, even if one of the stages would remain unaccounted for.

Moreover, if each of our strongest couples performed three times, it would be much more interesting for everyone, including athletes.

Now it seems that the leaders were given the opportunity not to collide with each other, to perform absolutely comfortably, but competitions are competitions.

They pull on your nerves, pull emotions out of you, make you concentrate incredibly even when there are no main rivals nearby.

My Masha (Maria Petrova.

) once said that she would generally like to see leaders at all stages in a row.

Starting every week is, of course, overkill - there simply won’t be time to train.

But three starts, I think, would be just right.

- Such a practice once existed not only at the stages of the Russian Cup, but also at the international Grand Prix.

— Yes, I caught those times.

That was a long time ago.

We also joked, I remember that two stages are given to us in order to win test points, and the third - in order to prevent our opponents from winning these points.