Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov: “We didn’t follow the ISU council. Frankly, we didn’t really expect other decision. In fact, it would have been a surprise if we had been admitted to international competitions.”
Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov about start of the season.
original source: Championat dd. 11th October by Anastasia Matrosova
In the interview with Championat, Anastasiia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov spoke about start of the season and suspension of Russian athletes. Here’s a translation of their comments.
Mishina and Galliamov competed in the Panin-Kolomenkin memorial and beat Boikova – Kozlovskii.
“Q: What are your first impressions after this competitions? Can it be considered a success?
Anastasia Mishina: It’s the start of the season, and for the start, I’d say it was a working skate. There were many minor flaws, but no major mistakes. We now know what we need to work on, and with a whole month until the Grand Prix (Russian Grand Prix series – ed.), we will refine our performance.
Q: You both have many activities alongside your sports career. Aleksandr has media football, a Telegram channel, and you study and actively engage with fans. How does all this change with the start of the season? Does a strict focus on sports emerge?
Aleksandr Galliamov: Focusing solely on sports isn’t very good either. I don’t pay attention to emotional burnout, but I believe there should be a balance between our main job — our sport — and hobbies. Sometimes it’s helpful to have distractions.
Q: Today’s Zenit (football club – ed.) match coincided with your own performance in the competitions. Aleksandr, during the season, do you manage to keep up with your favorite club, or does it take a backseat?
Aleksandr Galliamov: If home games fall during my free time, on weekends, I try to make time to go and watch. Going to the stadium is just a pleasant way to relax, where you can also unwind.
Q: This is the third season Russian skaters have started in a closed format. This year there are innovations for example, the theme of the “Russian Challenge” is “Good Mood.” Did you feel a desire to participate in this event again? You had very memorable performances in previous years.
Anastasia Mishina: This competition is very interesting in terms of creativity; there are no mandatory elements, and you can really be creative, which we can’t do in our competitive programs. Of course, there is a desire, but we need to think about ideas, because it’s a very broad theme.
Q: Have you been told anything about the tournament that will be held on Baikal?
Anastasia Mishina: No, we only know what has been in the media.
Aleksandr Galliamov: We were delighted when we saw this news. I’ve seen many videos of people skating on the ice at Baikal — they are very atmospheric, and it would be nice to perform there.
Q: The recent ISU council discussed the issue of allowing Russians into international competitions, but nothing has changed yet. Have you followed?
Anastasia Mishina: We didn’t really follow that. When the decision was already made, we read about it and understood that it will be like this this season. Frankly, we didn’t really expect otherwise. In fact, it would have been a surprise if we had been admitted.
Aleksandr Galliamov: I didn’t refresh the news feed every minute; I just saw the news and understood that we would have to work in the same mode.
Q: At the Panin-Kolomenkin Memorial, the attention to pair skating, and particularly to your pair, was very serious — many toys and unique gifts, such as handmade dolls, were presented. What creative gift from fans do you remember the most over the years?
Aleksandr Galliamov: This is the third time we’ve been given such dolls (smiles). Before, we received dolls dressed as characters from the “Elvis Presley” program, and a long time ago, in our first season together with Anastasia, dolls of us in casual clothes were gifted at the Russian Nationals before the Olympics in Pyeongchang. For me, it was amazing, and I really liked those dolls. I still remember them, even though so many years have passed.
Q: And the numerous toys that are thrown onto the ice — what do you do with them? Do you keep a collection?
Anastasia Mishina: There are some toys that catch my attention, and I keep those. I can’t say there are very many, but I do have some at home. Many I give away — I have many friends and acquaintances with children.
Aleksandr Galliamov: The bear given at the test skates went to my parents’ house. The bears given after the short program at the memorial also went to my parents. After the skates, we gathered quite a few toys, and now we need to find time to go to an orphanage and donate them.”
Related topics: Anastasia Mishina Alexandr Galliamov
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