“There’s a competition, there are participants, there’s a medal, there’s a title. As for those who are not there – well they are not there” Anastasiia Gubanova about winning medal in the absence of Russian skaters
Georgian figure skater Anastasiia Gubanova about judging and winning a title in the absence of Russian skaters.
original source: Okko Sport
Here’s a translation of Anastasiia Gubanova’s comments made in the interview with Okko Sport.
Georgian figure skater Anastasia Gubanova shared her thoughts on whether she believes she is judged unfairly.
“It’s not entirely my business because the judges think so. They place scores the way they do, and apparently, they judge the way we skate. I can’t say it differently. I won’t say, ‘Oh, this is all unfair!’ Well, they gave the scores – they gave them. We go out, skate, and they score based on what we performed.
The reaction at the Kiss and Cry on the Grand Prix stage in France? I got really upset there because I expected a higher score since I didn’t skate that badly – definitely not for the scores they gave. At that moment, I took it very emotionally, couldn’t hold back a bit.
It’s motivation to be better, to improve myself, to work even harder. It’s frustrating, but it still motivates – it means I need to do even better, even more perfectly, so there’s no room for criticism at all,” said the 2023 European champion.
Anastasiia Gubanova shared why she advocates for the return of Russian athletes. Gubanova switched her sports citizenship from Russian to Georgian in 2021.
“Anastasiia Gubanova: Firstly, I have many friends in Russia because I live and train here in the group of Evgeni Vladimirovich (Rukavitsyn). I understand how difficult it is for the guys without international competitions. The competitions themselves are calmer without Russians, but with them, I think the atmosphere would be more charged.
Q: Doesn’t the return of Russian athletes push aside those who now have such a significant chance, including yourself, from the podium?
Anastasiia Gubanova: Many strong girls are growing, like mushrooms, ha-ha. I think it’s even motivation. I can’t say that it will push us back; on the contrary, it will motivate us,” said the 2023 European champion.
Gubanova also responded to criticism regarding winning her title without competing against Russian skaters.
“Q: How do you feel about headlines stating that Gubanova wins only because there are no Russians, that the victory at the European Championships is a coincidence?
Anastasiia Gubanova: These are standard comments. I can say that these are opinions of people sitting at home on the couch. Let them think that way. We all know how enormous the effort is, and hardly anything happens by chance in our sport. We worked, and we achieved.
Regarding comments about the absence of Russians – there is a competition, there are participants, there is a medal, there is a title. As for those who are not there – well they are not there,” added the figure skater.
Related topics: Anastasiia Gubanova
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