Lukas Britschgi: “I’m still in shock. I was standing on the podium with skaters of such high caliber; they are definitely much better skaters than me. I certainly did not expect this gold medal.”
Lukas Britschgi about winning European Championships.
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
Swiss figure skater Lukas Britschgi has won the European Championships in men’s singles. He has become the first Swiss since 1947 to win the gold. Prior to him, only Hans Gerschwiler managed to do so 78 years ago. Here’s a translation of Lukas comments reported by Sports journalist Maya Bagriantseva.
“Lukas Britschgi: I don’t even know what to say. I am still in shock. I was standing on the podium with skaters of such high caliber; they are definitely much better skaters than me. So, I’m a bit puzzled as to how I ended up with the gold. Especially after such a short program.
Perhaps, it was easier for me than for the others. I had nothing to lose, after all, I was in 8th place [after the short]. Attacking is easier than defending a title. And my strategy was simply to execute one element at a time, giving my maximum. I was very calm — what’s there to be nervous about in my position? But I certainly did not expect this gold medal.
Are these the best scores of my career for the free program? Honestly, I have no idea — I don’t follow my scores. Whatever they give, they give.
While I was sitting and waiting for the others to perform, I really wanted them to skate clean. I know what it’s like to be out there in the center of the rink when things aren’t going right,” reports Sports’ correspondent Maya Bagryantseva, quoting Brichgi.
Related topics: European Championships, Lukas Britschgi
Good for him ! I hope he doesn’t stop with this medal and continues developing further. His performance shows amazing work that has been done.