Lukas Britschgi: “I knew it was actually impossible to become the European champion. It was never my dream, because it seemed really unrealistic to me. But yes, I achieved something I never dreamed of.”
Interview with Lukas Britschgi.
original source: Championat dd. Feb 27th by Natalia Boku
In the interview with Russian media Championat, Lukas Britschgi spoke about his career, hos style of skating, shared how he feels about his victory at the European Championships and suspension of Russian skaters. Here’s a translation.
“Q: In Tallinn at the European Championships, you said you didn’t know how you managed to win. How do you feel now? Do you realize you’ve achieved something special?
Lukas Britschgi: Now I’m beginning to understand what’s happening, that’s for sure. But I haven’t changed my opinion that it’s impossible and unreal to become the European champion when many good skaters perform clean. Or even not very clean. For example, if Adam does it, then I have no chance. Because he has much more quadruple jumps, higher components. I knew it was actually impossible to become the European champion. It was never my dream, because it seemed really unrealistic to me. But yes, I achieved something I never dreamed of.
Q: Do you feel different now? Or are you the same person and your new title doesn’t matter in this sense?
Lukas Britschgi: Of course, I now have a European champion title, which few have. I don’t know what could have changed, maybe there will be additional invitations to shows or something like that, but otherwise little has changed.
Q: You speak about it so calmly and modestly…
Lukas Britschgi: Well, it will undoubtedly put pressure on me, that’s for sure. People now expect good performances from me, as they know that a European champion will compete. So, I’m a bit more in the spotlight than usual. Surely there will be more criticism. The more people like you, the more haters you have. But I’m not really worried about it. Of course, there will be a bit more pressure, but I need to try to stay calm and not let it affect my next competitions or my future.
Q: How did your family and close ones congratulate you?
Lukas Britschgi: Honestly, most of them were crying, so they didn’t say anything. I think no one knew what to say, as it was such a surprise. I was eighth after the short program. No one expected a comeback. I knew a medal was possible if I skated well in the free skate. However, for everyone, it was a surprise – no one really knew what to say. They were all very happy, but I don’t remember anything specific. Everyone was speechless.
Q: On the day of the free skate, did you tell yourself something special? Or was it just another competition day for you?
Lukas Britschgi: I sometimes talk to myself mentally. But it was more like a situation where I had nothing to lose. I already messed up everything I could in the short.
Q: The axel was fine.
Lukas Britschgi: Yes, the axel was fine. Maybe the spins and steps, but… I made big mistakes on the toe loop and combination. But I knew that, if I performed well in the free, there would still be a chance for a medal. However, it was a completely different situation than before the short. I’m not new to this and knew I had a chance. So I was so relaxed, felt no pressure and just did one element after another. I told myself to give it 100%. And all this brought luck in the end.
Q: Maybe your coach said something interesting before the free skate? Or after your victory.
Lukas Britschgi: I’m so bad at remembering these things! It’s like being in a trance, like in a movie – I’m in my own world. I definitely don’t remember what Michael said before the free skate. But he said to focus on the landings as there were big problems with it in the short. And I had a terrible practice in the morning. Usually, the coach doesn’t show much emotion: he’s always very calm. The first time I saw him again after winning the European Championships was at the hotel. I don’t know where he had been hiding!
Michael was very happy and congratulated me. He said that I wrote a small piece of history: since 1947 Swiss skaters had not won gold at the European Championships. It’s actually the first gold medal for Switzerland in 78 years!
Q: Do you feel that for Switzerland this is an important event? In Russia, some skaters become celebrities and national heroes when they win medals, it’s a big event. But what about in your country?
Lukas Britschgi: Frankly, it’s a huge event. I totally didn’t expect it. Usually, figure skating isn’t very popular in Switzerland. In Zurich, when I arrived, there was a welcome party with about 300 people. I think Art On Ice organized this party, and there were media representatives, national television, all the major channels. It was the first time in my life I had that stage, which I will never forget, when six or seven cameras were right in front of me. That was something special.
Of course, there was never such media attention towards me, it was a bit overwhelming. The first week I did not have a minute to myself, except for the flight back to Munich. Everything else – constant interviews and reporting, mostly on national television. Then I even participated in a TV show.
Of course, it’s not as cool as with skiers, they are on a whole other level, but this was much more than I expected. But yes, overall, there aren’t many European champions in Switzerland. Switzerland is small, we have many champions in skiing, snowboarding. Basically, anything related to snow… But in other sports, not so much.
Q: Let’s talk about the beginning of your career. Your mother was a figure skating coach.
Lukas Britschgi: She was involved in ice dance, but just as a hobby, and also coached kids. Instead of leaving us with a nanny, she would take my brother and me skating. I liked it pretty quickly, so I never left the ice. That’s how I first got into figure skating. I’m from the city of Schaffhausen in northeastern Switzerland, close to Germany.
Q: How do you feel about criticism directed at you? Some experts call you a weak champion. What would you say to them?
Lukas Britschgi: Honestly, I rarely read about myself because I know there’s always criticism and people who will judge. I really don’t want to worry about those things and I try not to read all that nonsense. What do they mean by a weak champion? I guess they think I shouldn’t have won. I mean, there were other skaters who were much stronger, but they just made mistakes that Saturday, and I became the champion just because I skated clean, well almost.
Yes, technically I don’t have many advantages. I only had two quad toe loops. Usually, that’s not enough to become a champion. However, since figure skating is about quality, maybe I just got lucky that others made mistakes and I didn’t. Technically speaking, I can agree with them. I wouldn’t say I am weak because I’ve been quite consistent over the last three seasons.
I’ve struggled a lot with a knee injury but otherwise have been holding up. But yes, it’s just one quad toe loop. So if that’s what they mean, then I agree with them. It’s not as incredibly difficult as for others like Ilia Malinin or Adam Siao Him Fa, or maybe some Russian skaters. That’s absolutely true. But in the end, you need to skate clean, and I was able to do that. Others had much more difficult content but couldn’t showcase it. But I definitely didn’t go to the championship as the favorite.
Q: In men’s singles skating, there’s a need for as many quads as possible, evolving with new quad jumps. What do you think about this side of the figure skating development? Or do you think the artistic side should be developed more?
Lukas Britschgi: I don’t want to mention names because I don’t want to speak ill of other skaters. However, there are those who include many quads in their programs, but there’s nothing from an artistic viewpoint in their skating. I believe that’s not what should be in the sport. Quad jumps are important, it’s impressive if you do six quads in a free program. I support that, we need to technically improve. But on the other hand, if your program only has jumps and stroking steps in between, people will start falling asleep from it.
There should be a balance. We need to give equal attention to both sides. Many skaters lose out on more than just artistry. They need to focus on the jumps and rest in between them. And I think that not very good development. But combinations with quads are very impressive. And I love to watch stuff like a triple axel into a quad toe loop or a triple axel into a quad salchow by Mikhail Shaidorov. That’s just wow! But at the same time, skaters should also be improving their components.
Q: You earlier mentioned that you jumped a double axel only at 15. Now you are one of the most experienced top-level skaters. Do you think your longevity in the sport is due to not pushing yourself with difficult jumps when young?
Lukas Britschgi: Well, I worked on them, I just couldn’t learn the double axel. (Laughs.) Around 11-12 years old I started learning it, but it took me three years to execute it. Sometimes it depressed me that I had been working on it for three years and couldn’t succeed. But maybe that is also a good thing. There was no pressure on me from anyone when I was young, not from my parents or anyone else. I never had ambitions to be a European champion, to be among the top ten in the world. It seemed unrealistic at some point to be at that level because I really didn’t have the talent.
I’m still not that talented, but somehow I manage to at least do the quad toe loop and salchow. I’m one of the oldest skaters performing now. There aren’t many older than me. For instance, Matteo Rizzo. I feel I am not so young anymore, so there are more and more nuances. I have issues with my knee because of the salchow. But overall, I was glad that I didn’t have many injuries.
Q: Do you feel the pressure now because of the trend to add more quads? Are you planning to add new quad jumps to your programs?
Lukas Britschgi: I have been working on quads, I was doing quite well with the salchow, but then I had a left knee injury, and I had to stop. I also trained the loop, lutz, and flip —tried all the quads except the quad axel. (Laughs)… I’m not Ilia and I’m not so young anymore. Some of them were pretty good, others were a bit harder. Last summer, I had serious problems with my knees, so I nearly didn’t train. I would train for a few days, and then I had to take weekends off.
Continuing to train quads was impossible. Hopefully, next season I can work on the salchow again because it was actually quite good. I had planned to include it in my program last year, but everything changed. But there definitely is pressure, as many skaters, including Adam Siao Him Fa and Daniel Grassl, jump at least two different quads in their program. And there are many more athletes worldwide: Japanese, Americans, Koreans. I need to work on quads to keep up.
I want to improve. I don’t want to stay at this level for the rest of my life, that would be boring. My program always has the same content, so I want to challenge myself. I know I am not the most artistic skater, so I want and can do a lot. Now that I have the title of European Champion, people expect more from me.
Q: You said you had no ambitions of becoming a top skater until you were 14 or 15 years old. Does this relate to the fact that you learned the double axel?
Lukas Britschgi: Yes, absolutely. When I landed my first axels, I’m sure something changed. I knew that without an axel, even at the national level, I had no chance of winning. After landing it, I learned all the other triples within a year, so progress was quite rapid. Then, I realized that, yes, I now had more chances, but to be honest, I still wouldn’t have become the champion. At my first junior Grand Prix, I placed 16th or maybe 10th on a super good day. I was never that good.
Something changed over the last four years. Before the Olympics, when I realized I had a chance to qualify, it became a huge psychological motivation. The title of European Champion or even a Grand Prix winner were totally unreal to me four or five years ago. Therefore, achieving these goals now is even more valuable. I remember the bronze medal from two years ago at the European Championships. I thought it was impossible for me. It was the same this year — just a clean skate, clean and free.
Q: What did you feel when you realized you qualified and would go to the Olympic Games? It was your ultimate dream, right?
Lukas Britschgi: Yes, it was my ultimate dream. When I went to the World Championships in Stockholm, I put out of my mind that it was a qualification for the Olympic Games. I tried to block out those thoughts because it was causing too much stress. To calm down, I told myself it was just a practice. On one hand, I qualified for the Olympic Games and won a spot for Switzerland. But placing 15th at the World Championships was an incredible achievement for me at that time.
I usually don’t even make it to the free skate. So for me, it was a huge step, maybe even more impressive than the Olympic spots. But then, I realized that now I had a chance to go to the Olympic Games if I performed well next season. So two dreams came true at once.
Q: Now you will try to qualify for the next Olympics. Considering all your experience and titles, what do you feel now?
Lukas Britschgi: I think I can make it, but the short program is tricky. You never know what might happen. Unfortunately, there are enough cases involving experienced skaters who made mistakes in the short program that no one expected. So it’s not certain that I will pass the qualification. I still have to perform the program, and it won’t be as I skate now in Tallinn.
I know that if I skate well, I can score 90 points or more as I did last year. I know I can do a lot more than just qualify, but the short program… It’s always somewhat a lottery, whether you will handle it or not. But now, I have enough confidence to just deliver a reliable program.
Q: And what’s your goal for the upcoming Olympic Games?
Lukas Britschgi: It depends on my form, my injuries, and so forth. But I dream of getting a diploma at the Olympics: if you make the top-8, you get an Olympic diploma. Last year, I placed sixth at the World Championships, so I know it’s possible if I skate well. But aiming for something more than the top-8… Top-7, top-6, or the podium still feels impossible. So no, it’s actually not my dream or anything else.
Q: Russian skaters are now allowed to participate in a neutral status in two competitions: the Olympic qualifiers and the Olympic Games. How do you feel about them being allowed to return?
Lukas Britschgi: There are two perspectives. From a political standpoint, one can always say: the tough situation is still ongoing. On the other hand, honestly, the level in many disciplines has dropped without Russians. It has decreased in ladies, in pairs. We still have amazing skaters, apart from the Russians. But Russians literally dominated, at least in ladies’ singles and pairs, and a bit in dance. The men were also very good, though not always dominant.
Also, there are now fewer spectators. When we skated with Russians, there were simply more people in the arenas because they are big fans of figure skating. I definitely miss these things a bit. Well, except for discussions about politics. But speaking of the skating itself, something is definitely missing. I’m also somewhat fortunate that they aren’t here. I probably would not have become the European champion if they were competing.
Whatever I say now someone will definitely dislike it because I know some do not want them to compete because of the situation in Ukraine. I also know that other people want them to compete because the competition can help maintain a good level of skating. Overall, I really don’t have an opinion on this matter.
Q: Do you have any friends who are skaters in Russia? Do you communicate with anyone from Russia?
Lukas Britschgi: Before all this situation started, I wasn’t so well-known. I don’t even remember skating in the Grand Prix stages then. I really didn’t interact much with the Russians because I was placing 15th. Now, maybe it would be a bit different. I would be meeting them more often at the Grand Prix or elsewhere. But in my junior years, I knew some people because I competed a lot with Russians.
For example, Petr Gumennik — I competed with him for many years, I hope he remembers me. I watched some videos of him recently. I saw that he has grown very tall. When I competed with him, he was such a little boy at the junior Grand Prix! Now, I watched some competitions, maybe it was the Russian Championships. They have impressive programs.
At least technically: all those quadruple jumps they do, it’s madness. And the girls are impressive too. I can’t definitively say whether it’s good or bad that they can compete again, but personally, just from a sports perspective, I do miss that level of performance. However, it’s a very complicated issue.
Q: How would you describe your skating style?
Lukas Britschgi: I guess I have my style. I’m not the cleanest or most elegant skater. But I like to entertain people. And I think that’s what works in my case — providing an entertaining program for the audience. So, my style… I don’t know, maybe you could call it entertaining. But I have broad shoulders, and my hands aren’t the most beautiful.
Q: But you are also known for your exhibition programs.
Lukas Britschgi: That’s definitely something I can do well. However, I could never skate to Tchaikovsky; it would be impossible. And I don’t want to. For me, it’s not that interesting; we’ve seen enough of it in figure skating. Overall, I prefer more progressive programs.
Q: Your short program this year is somewhat of a manifesto, right? How was it created?
Lukas Britschgi: The idea came from my choreographer. For the first time, I liked a program with such a profound message, addressed not only to me but to the entire audience. It is indeed a deep and meaningful program. It also fits very well with the current world and all the ongoing conflicts, unfortunately. It’s not just about events in Ukraine but concerns global issues. It does not target anyone specifically; it’s just a general message that I want to convey.
Unfortunately, this fits very well into the present time. This program is important to me. And the feedback I receive is very positive; people like it. It’s also my new style. We use a lot of sign language. The choreography is really different from what is usually seen. Learning it was challenging, using this sign language, as if speaking words with my hands. It was a challenge, but I’m very glad that it worked out well.
Q: Which skaters did you admire or look up to in your childhood? And whom did you model yourself after?
Lukas Britschgi: I was always a big fan of Stephane Lambiel when I was young. Of course, he was my champion. After he retired, I was still a big fan of his, but then it was Yuzuru Hanyu’s time, Nathan Chen’s time; then there was Javier Fernandez, Florent Amodio — each of them had something unique and special, and I tried to take something from each. I loved Javier’s programs, even skated to the same songs as he did — that’s how much I liked them.
I liked Amodio for his dances. Hanyu for his skills and jumps, Chen for his jumps. I tried to see something positive in each, in what they were best at. So it was not one specific person, but a combination of different aspects from different skaters.”
Related topics: European Championships, Lukas Britschgi
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