Daniel Grassl: “I failed to update my real location in the system three times – it happened at different times and in different countries. I was suspended for one year because I was able to prove the violation was unintentional.”
Daniel Grassl about suspension and return to competitions.
original source: Sports dd. 18th November by Maya Bagriantseva
In the interview with Sports correspondent Maya Bagriantseva, Daniel Grassl spoke about missed doping tests, ban and return to competitions. Here’s a translation of his comments.
“Daniel Grassl: This was the hardest year of my life. I didn’t step onto the ice at all, not even once.
Q: Not even at the Christmas city rink?
Daniel Grassl: No, I had very clear restrictions, it was impossible. I was denied access to any rink affiliated with WADA or NADO Italia.
And at public skating rinks, I had to be 100% sure that no sports-related people were skating with me – that was also part of the sanctions against me. I tried to find such ice, but it was very difficult.
Q: Can you elaborate on what the final decision in the matter sounded like? Since no official information has been published.
Daniel Grassl: I was suspended for one year – that’s the minimum punishment in this situation because I was able to prove the violation was unintentional. To clarify: a year without competitions starting from September 1, 2023, and I was able to train again after 10 months. So, on July 1, I was back on the ice in Turin.
Q: Whose decision was that? WADA?
Daniel Grassl: It was the verdict of NADO Italia, but in close collaboration with WADA. Unfortunately, I cannot provide much detail.
Q: Okay, let’s go back: how did these three flags come about?
Daniel Grassl: I basically failed to update my real location in the system three times – it happened at different times and in different countries.
There were many versions on the internet that were inaccurate. For instance, it was written that I missed all three tests during training in Russia. That’s not true, only the last miss coincided with my stay in Moscow. The other two occurred earlier, when I had left Italy for competitions in other countries, such as Japan.
The third case, which happened in Russia, wasn’t even a missed test but a miscommunication, caused by connection issues. In the course of lengthy proceedings, we managed to prove that it was not my fault.
Q: What do you mean? Was the internet not working?
Daniel Grassl: I can’t go into detail, but yes, I had some issues with my SIM card, and the doping officers need to be able to contact you at any moment. But I had technical problems at that time.
Q: So, okay, it happens once, then a second time. Were you scared by that point?
Daniel Grassl: Extremely. I was in a panic. Many people, including our federation, tried to help me. They rechecked how the system worked and helped me keep track of everything. Before leaving for Russia, I checked the system hundreds of times – I understood that I had no room for error.
In Moscow, I was confident that there were no issues and I was in control of the situation. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be so.
Q: How did you find out about the third flag?
Daniel Grassl: It was a shock. It was July 2023, during a training camp in Novogorsk. We were there with Nika Egadze, and when I found out what had happened, I started shaking. I was ready to fly to Italy immediately to take a doping test, but they told me it was too late. But I still packed my things right away and returned to Italy.
It was a disaster. I had been regularly taking all the necessary doping tests – during training sessions in the USA and in Italy.
I didn’t understand how it was possible: I had been super careful and meticulous. Of course, I knew that after three flags for incorrectly entered data in the system, disqualification follows. I already had two warnings, and there were only eight days left until the end of the calendar year from the first flag.
Q: Do you realize now what you should have done differently to avoid this situation?
Daniel Grassl: I needed to be more thorough and check myself not a hundred times, but a thousand. I always had problems filling out all those papers – and I should have asked for help from loved ones so that I didn’t miss anything important. Now my family helps me with this; they have access to my account and check everything repeatedly.
Q: Do you remember the feelings when you first went back on the ice after the break?
Daniel Grassl: I was overwhelmed with emotions – but, primarily, I was very scared. Weird feelings: although you know how to skate, you still tremble. I told myself that if I couldn’t recover my jumps, I would leave the sport.
But within a couple of weeks, I started jumping quads again – first, I returned the loop and then even learned a new quad, the salchow. It happened almost by accident: I was so eager to get back to training that the constant pushing on the flip and lutz caused my leg to get sore. So, I had to master new jumps, haha.
You know, during this forced break, I mentally replayed my quads so many times in my head that I quickly remembered how they are done. I watched recordings of my skates and studied them frame by frame. So, I was left only with off-ice physical training, dancing at home in front of a mirror, and training in the gym – also by myself. It’s not easy because you don’t fully understand how to motivate yourself.
Q: What was the hardest thing about the year of suspension?
Daniel Grassl: I couldn’t get used to a new daily schedule – without training. I’ve spent my whole conscious life on the ice, it was hard to learn to live off the rink. I took my skates to my parents’ house and took them back to Turin a month before the end of the disqualification.
Q: Did you watch competitions last season?
Daniel Grassl: Yes, almost all of them – at home on the TV. It was tough because I really wanted to be there, on the ice. But at some point, I realized that this forced break was actually beneficial for me. By the spring of 2023, I was completely disoriented: I didn’t understand what I wanted, felt lost, and couldn’t handle the stress.
But I almost lived a normal life for a year in Turin: I went to university, met with friends, relaxed, and did things besides figure skating. For the first time, I made friends outside of the sport, and it was like I came back to life.
Also, I was just a regular student, finished my second year of university early, and studied a lot. It’s great that I was able to spend a lot of time with my family.
Family and friends – they’ve been my main support group these last months. If it hadn’t been for them, I probably wouldn’t have handled this situation. I’m lucky – my friends always tell me the truth, they don’t try to soothe or console me just so I don’t get nervous. They love me and can calmly say, ‘what an idiot, how stupidly you acted’ – and this certainly helps me stay connected to reality.
I’m happy that I returned to Italy, I’m home – and it’s such a relief. I don’t want to leave anymore. I feel like I’ve risen from the ashes and now I’m a new person. And you know, it turns out that if you’re happy, even training goes completely differently.
Q: You recently wrote a post where you thanked your haters, who only motivate you to move forward. Do you feel there are more of them now?
Daniel Grassl: No, I just realized that I have become stronger. A year ago, such messages would hurt me, but now they really motivate me. I have matured a lot. That old Daniel was weak, but now I’m a completely different person.
The meaner the comments, the more strength and energy I have to prove to these people that I skate for a reason. A year ago, there was only talk about how my career was over – and look, I already have two Grand Prix medals this season.
Q: Do you keep track of what people write about you on Twitter?
Daniel Grassl: I don’t have an account there, so nothing reaches me. I know there are people there who like to go after all skaters, not just me. They have so much malice and so little love for figure skating that it’s not worth paying attention to them.
Q: Do you understand why they hate you so much?
Daniel Grassl: It started after I moved to train in Moscow with Eteri Tutberidze. But it doesn’t affect me anymore.
Q: A year ago, you switched to a new coach, thanking Tutberidze for ‘professional support and training’.
Daniel Grassl: Yes, now I train in Turin with Edoardo De Barnardis. I’m comfortable and calm with him; he knows how to psychologically tune me and gives very precise technique tips.
While I couldn’t go onto the ice, he studied my jumps from recordings, so after returning to the rink he had a ton of advice on what and how to improve. He also immediately said, ‘Do you want to be the new Daniel Grassl? Then jump new jumps.’
One of our main tasks now is to skate a short program with two quads. I understand that this is necessary to compete with the strongest.
We also want to choreograph a new short program; we didn’t have time for that in the summer. We did the current one, to Chopin’s music, with choreographer Benoit Richaud two years ago. It was not the best period of my life, and I want to close that chapter, turn the page, and start with a clean slate.
Q: Do you maintain relationships with people from your past – coaches or skaters?
Daniel Grassl: We met in Astana with Eteri; we came there for the Denis Ten Memorial. I’m still good friends with Nika Egadze. I also fondly remember Adelia Petrosian – we became friends during my training in Russia.
When I left Moscow, she was almost the only one who wrote something good to me and supported me. I am terribly grateful to her for all the words she found for me then. She’s very cheerful and kind-hearted, we often fooled around together during training – for example, throwing snowballs at each other when Eteri looked away. I really like her, and I can say that she is now the strongest Russian skater.”
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