Natalia Bestemianova: “Watching the international Grand Prix now, besides Malinin, I didn’t see any other personalities in men’s singles skating. And it was unpleasant to see how he was judged.”

Natalia Bestemianova about men’s skating in Grand Prix Final.

original source: TASS

Natalia Bestemianova about the judging of men’s single skating at the Grand Prix Fial. Here’s a translation of her comments.

“Q: Have you always liked men’s singles skating?

Natalia Bestemianova: No, not always. Although, when Igor (Bobrin) was skating, I adored it. It was Patrick Chan who brought back my love for men’s skating. I hadn’t watched figure skating for many years, and then suddenly one day, I turned on the TV and there were some Grand Prix events happening that I didn’t even know about. And then I saw him. And I realized – I needed to see this, I needed to understand who he was competing against, how they were trained. I’m pointing out how important personal presence is in sports. Now these personalities have emerged, and it’s very pleasant.

By the way, watching the international Grand Prix now, besides Ilia Malinin, I did not see any other personalities in men’s singles skating. Everything was gray. And it was unpleasant to see how he was judged. People fell, and they received higher scores than the person who attempted and landed the quad axel. It seemed like a topsy-turvy world.

Q: Does his Russian surname harm him?

Natalia Bestemianova: It’s not about that at all. They’re pulling for the Japanese – they have a very strong federation, they know their business. I have great respect for it and for everyone who works there – they stand by their own. But the American federation has not done enough to support Malinin. I spoke after this with his agent, Ari Zakarian. I asked how does he cope with it? Ari answered: ‘He copes, I do not.’

So, it’s not about the Russian surname; he’s an American, and he’s simply adored in America, he’s a superstar there. It’s just how the judging coalitions have aligned.

Q: What should our guys do in case of admission if Malinin, with his cosmic skating, is judged unfairly?

Natalia Bestemianova: You have to fight. Tatiana Anatolievna (Tarasova) always told me – if you’re head and shoulders above everyone else, they wouldn’t dare to judge you unfairly. It’s not just about winning; you have to win by a large margin, then maybe you can win. By one-tenth or one judge’s vote. Being ahead by just one head was never enough for us. It’s just that today’s generation didn’t experience those times. Now they may feel the pressure we skated under. It’s okay, everyone grows in competition, everyone is quite hardened.

Yes, no one ever likes it when one country takes all the medals. The Americans now have a girl who won the Grand Prix, their dancers won. And to give them the men’s singles gold too? But in reality, the Americans have three gold medals.” s

Related topics: grand prix final, Ilia Malinin, Natalia Bestemianova, Patrick Chan