“When Hector lifted me for the first time, I thought: “Wow!” It made me want to try pair skating.” Interview with Australian pair skater Anastasia Golubeva
Translation of the interview with Australian pair skater Anastasia Golubeva.
original source: Sport24 dd. 24th June by Konstantin Lesik
Anastasia Golubeva (18) is a former Russian skater who currently represents Australia. With her skating partner, Hektor Giotopoulos Moore, she is two-time World silver medalist (2022 and 2023) and the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final champion.
In an interview with Sport24, the skater spoke about the switching to pair skating and training in different countries. Here’s a translation of her comments.
“Q: How did you become a figure skater?
Anastasia Golubeva: A skating rink was built in our town of Balashikha, and my father first enrolled my older sister Masha there. I was intrigued observing her training, peeking over the sideboards. I was only a year old, yet I was already bugging my mom to let me join. I would steal Masha’s skates and put them on my feet. Mom finally agreed, and I started training since I was three with Marina Dezhina.
Q: Did your sister eventually become a coach?
Anastasia Golubeva: Yes, she studies at the university and works. While I was in Moscow, she helped me with jumps. We worked together, it was fun.
Q: Why did you switched to pair skating?
Anastasia Golubeva: At one point I was offered, but I didn’t want to. Why would I? I love jumping, I like being single skater. Yet a year after, my future coaches from Australia, Galina and Sergei Pashins, called my coach and offered to come to “MegaSport” (skating arena – ed.). I hesitated and thought hard about it with my coach. I really enjoyed single skating, I was jumping all triples and was planning to learn the quadruple jumps. Yet, I understood that it wouldn’t be enough for the international arena — the competition was too tough. So I decided to try pair skating. What’s more, I took a liking to pair skating — the lifts are so cool. When Hector lifted me for the first time, I thought: “Wow!” It made me want to try something new.
Q: Do you remember meeting your future partner for the first time?
Anastasia Golubeva: Of course! It was at “MegaSport”. I was told: “Warm-up and wait. A boy will come.” I didn’t know what he looked like, that he doesn’t speak Russian (laughs). But I saw him and thought, “Cool! We will definitely connect.” Previously, Hector had tried to work with several Russian girls, but I can’t say he knew our language very well, only the basic things – “hello”, “how are you.” You don’t need much more for training, haha! But now we speak only Russian. He has learnt it all! We became very good, close friends.
Q: Did you meet at the time of pandemic? Did it add difficulties?
Anastasia Golubeva: Yes, at first we trained in a restaurant. Our coach had some connections, we found this place in Zukovsky. Everything was closed at that time and I had to learn pair elements. In short, I studied the basics of pair skating in a closed restaurant: we drew the curtains and worked. The place was a bit small, but we didn’t hit the ceiling during the twists — at least something. Also, we practiced at a children’s playground near the house.
Q: In what countries have you trained during your career?
Anastasia Golubeva: In Russia, Belarus, Australia, Canada, Poland. We were in Poland during our junior season, just when there were two Grand Prix stages in this country. Then our coaches agreed with Polish colleagues for us to train with them. The conditions were very good, the guys welcomed us well, we skated there for a couple of months. In Belarus, we were also wonderfully met – we skated there for about four months, made friends with the guys, visited them. I really liked it. We spent the whole past season in Montreal. The conditions there are super, we immediately became friends with Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps. They helped us with everything. Also, we have our choreographer Igor Chinyev there, who helped us a lot with the move. For some time we lived at his home, he sheltered us.
Q: What does your usual day in Canada look like?
Anastasia Golubeva: Our skating starts at 8:50 in the morning, we arrive at the rink at 7:30 and warm up. We do exercises with Igor. In the new season, we want to show more mature skating, so we pay attention to gliding. We don’t want to look like juniors. After that, we work on the short program, and at 11:50 we have the third ice — there we practice the free skate. If we want, we stay more — to do jumps, something to do, stretching exercises. We usually get home around one o’clock. From this time, I usually studied.
Q: Which competitions do you remember the most?
Anastasia Golubeva: The most significant competition for our team was the junior Grand Prix Final in the 2022/23 season. I remember that the short program didn’t go well, but we took first place in the free program and won our first gold medal. Coaches were very pleased then, positive energy. And I liked Italy, the Final was held in Turin. But in general, I wouldn’t say we achieved much. We haven’t won a medal in the senior World Championships yet.
Q: What can you tell us about the Australian Championships?
Anastasia Golubeva: We were the only ones in these competitions (smiles). There was also a junior pair. There were, of course, more single participants. Cozy tournament, homely atmosphere. There were even spectators. We got a medal for the first place. I think there were also cash prizes. But not a lot.
Q: Why did you decide to train not in Russia at some point?
Anastasia Golubeva: Hector’s visa was expiring, so we looked for a country that would be suitable for us. And we decided to go to Belarus.
Q: And then Australia happened…
Anastasia Golubeva: My family and I were doubting for a long time whether to move or not. This is a new life. Especially because I was going alone at the age of 15 – tickets were very expensive. We thought for a long time, weighed all the pros and cons. I didn’t want to leave my family, but we decided to try. You can always refuse, but such an offer comes only once in a lifetime. I want to express great gratitude to Galina and Andrei Pashins. They did everything to facilitate the move. I lived at their house at first, Galina became like a second mother to me – she cared, drove me to trainings, helped with studying and even leisure – we went visiting together. I also lived at Hector’s house. I’m incredibly grateful to his mother, she also became my second mom. In Australia, I felt like home.
Q: Did you see any kangaroo?
Anastasia Golubeva: Only in a zoo. They don’t bounce around on the streets. Just like we don’t have bears with vodka walking the streets, ha-ha. I thought there will be a lot of spiders, insects, snakes. But there was none of this. Australia is a very beautiful country. Everything is different: landscapes, animals, people are friendly, smiling, nice. You walk down the street and strangers say to you: ‘hi’, ‘good morning’, ‘how are you’. I was very surprised when I first saw the ocean. I liked the view so much that I was photographing absolutely everything and sent it to my mom and dad. I was euphoric.
Q: At some point you started to rent your own place?
Anastasia Golubeva: My coaches had a very big and pretty house, but they sold it. I had to move closer to the rink, to look for a smaller place. During their moving, I was already living at Hector’s house. This is how half a year to a year passed. Then, Hector’s father was offered a good job in America. The family slowly began to pack up the house, sell things. Hector and I rented an apartment closer to the rink, and then moved to Canada. Now we live in Montreal, three of us: me, Galina and Hector.
Q: Your coaches are Russian speaking, your partner also knows the language. You have to communicate in English, don’t you?
Anastasia Golubeva: Yes, with others. But in Australia there’s really a lot of Russian-speaking people. At the same rink we have coaches Ludmila and Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, athletes Vlada Vasilieva, Maria Chernysheva. Russian mafia! But with others I practice English. When I came there, I can say, I didn’t know this language at all. They also have an accent! When they start babbling, I think: ‘Oh, could you slow down please’. But now I can speak calmly.
Q: Is it expensive to live in Australia?
Anastasia Golubeva: Yes, especially the housing. It’s expensive to rent an apartment. Especially in Sydney, it’s cheaper in Melbourne. Food is also very expensive. But the salaries are different there.
Q: Australian-Russian skater Jonathan Guerreiro worked with you. What are your impressions?
Anastasia Golubeva: He choreographs our programs. He did a fantastic short program for our junior season, which we are performing until now. He always brings something new, interesting. When Jonathan suggested a program to “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”, I first had doubts. But Hector’s mom and Galina convinced me. We watched the movie together, I cried at the end! This romantic story is so touching. Thanks to Jonathan, it turned out to be decent. In this season, Igor Chinyaev will choreograph our new short program. I think it’s going to be interesting. The free program will remain the same as the old one — we fell in love with its choreography.
Q: In the end, why did you leave Australia?
Anastasia Golubeva: There were no conditions for training. If possible, Macquarie ice rink provided us with a separate ice rink so we could skate for at least 15 minutes. Or 45 minutes with skaters who already know how to skate. And our second session usually happened during public skating. Everyone comes out, even amateurs who take plastic rental skates and go out to skate with toy penguins. And at that time, I was flying across the entire rink, ha-ha. Actually, we skated very carefully with them. We had to spend extra energy to not knock anyone down, to make everything go smoothly. That’s why we decided to move to Canada.
Q: Do people in Australia know about figure skating?
Anastasia Golubeva: Of course. It is popular there. Galina and Andrei Pashins brought figure skating from its knees there. People began to pay attention to this sport. I think passer-bys on the streets would say that they know figure skating. Not all, but they would answer.
Q: To compete at the Olympics you need have Australian citizenship. Are there any steps taken in this direction?
Anastasia Golubeva: We started dealing with this issue as soon as I moved. The Australian Federation is helping us a lot. Getting citizenship is in the process. It’s not so easy. As far as I know, I will get it as an athlete.
Q: Have there been any problems because you have a Russian passport?
Anastasia Golubeva: There was a problem with an American visa. Last year, we did not go to the Four Continents Championships (the competition was held in Colorado Springs). We went to the American embassy in Sydney for an interview. And they quibbled over a tiny document that was missing. We had prepared everything, but because of one piece of paper, everything turned out to be in vain — ‘we cannot give you a visa’. And that’s it. The next interview could only take place in two weeks, and we had to fly … It was incredibly offensive. Hector’s mom was fighting for me till the end. This year we are preparing the American visa in advance (the World Championships 2025 will be held in Boston), so that there are no problems anymore.
Q: How much does the Federation help financially?
Anastasia Golubeva: They do help us, but figure skating in Australia is not at the same level as it is in Russia. The Olympic Institute of Winter Sports in Australia also contributes to our funding. They do provide certain funds but we cover a lot of our costs from winnings for Grand Prix – flights, accommodation etc. Hector’s family, as well as Galina and Andrei are also a big help.
Q: Were you able to watch the performances of the figure skating stars live at the World Championships?
Anastasia Golubeva: I wholeheartedly cheered for Deanna (Stellato-Dudek) and Maxime (Desham). We trained and competed together. I desperately wanted Deanna to win the World Championships gold. She has been heading towards that goal for a long time. I’ve met no one more unique than her. Her secret is desire. She loves figure skating with all her heart. She knows these are her last chances and puts absolutely everything into her work.
Q: Were you able to watch Ilia Malinin?
Anastasia Golubeva: Of course! I saw his legendary performance live. I was hurrying to the arena – “There Ilia is performing, and here I am running late”. There was one funny story. The guys sat in the stands, to watch men’s singles, and to watch the legendary Ilia. It was the second-third round of boys’ warm-up groups, we all sat and chatted. And then Ilia walks to the stands…He greets everyone and sits and watches. We were shocked: “Why aren’t you warming up? You’re supposed to be performing your program soon, why are you sitting?”. But he was chilled out, watching his colleagues, clapping. And then he just said: “Okay, I should go now”. Later, we watched his performance with our mouths open. We also watched Adam Siao Him Fa with interest. He did a back flip then – two points deduction. What if those points would make the difference for a medal? We were worried. The guys have excellent skating, gliding. We want to show a similar level.
Were you able to chat with Malinin?
Anastasia Golubeva: We all could communicate at the banquet. He is like ordinary guy, treats everybody the same, speaks in Russian. Friendly and good young man.
Q: Is Russian language popular in international competitions even in the absence of our team?
Anastasia Golubeva: It’s very popular! Everyone at the individual table during lunch was speaking in Russian. In figure skating, Russian is a language of international communication.
Q: Do you have idols in sports?
Anastasia Golubeva: I always admired Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov. My mom was a fan of theirs. I cheered about Alena Savchenko at the Olympics, read her book, was interested in learning about her career from the inside. I followed Sasha Trusova. She made a big step in the development of figure skating with quadruple jumps.
Q: Do you find time to watch the competitions that are currently taking place in Russia?
Anastasia Golubeva: Yes, I’m very interested. It’s curious to watch the organization, its level has grown much. I also keep up with pairs from Russia. Many of my friends are skating here, it’s interesting to support them.
Q: Would you like to compete with Russians?
Anastasia Golubeva: I would love to. Their absence at international competitions is noticeable.
Q: But it is easier to win a medal without them.
Anastasia Golubeva: I wouldn’t say that winning a medal is always challenging. Anyway, it’s more interesting when the competition is tougher. It’s more exciting when all teams participate in the competitions.”
Related topics: Anastasia Golubeva, Hektor Giotopoulos Moore
Leave a Reply