Minerva Fabienne Hase: “I understood that if I got lucky with a new partner, I could restart my career. But I couldn’t have imagined that things would turn out this successfully.”
Big interview with Minerva Fabienne Hase.
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
I the interview with Maya Bagriantseva, Minerva Fabienne Hase spoke about her career, partnership with Nikita Volodin and Olympic dream. Here’s a translation.
“Q: Right after your victory in Tallinn, you said you hadn’t yet realized the fact that you became the European champion. How do you feel now?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: I’m slowly starting to get used to the thought, although it still feels strange. I look at the medal — wow, it’s gold, and it says “European Championships” on it. Did this really happen to me? But it’s a very pleasant feeling.
Q: If someone had told you this four years ago, would you have believed them?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Of course not. Before I met Nikita, I couldn’t even dream of this.
Yes, I understood that if I got lucky with a new partner, I could restart my career. But I couldn’t have imagined that things would turn out this successfully. Nikita’s story is quite similar: he had nearly said goodbye to figure skating, but everything changed when he moved to Germany. So, I’m very happy we found each other.
Q: How did you end up forming a pair?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: After the Beijing Olympics, it became clear that my partnership with Nolan Seegert was coming to an end. Our performance at the Games was disastrous (Fabienne Hase and Seegert finished last in the free skate – Sports). It wasn’t a very successful season overall — I was recovering from a serious injury, and Nolan spent two weeks in quarantine in Beijing. But the result was undeniably disappointing.
Nolan was willing to skate for another season, but no more than that. I didn’t want to stop skating, so I told Dmitri Savin, who was helping us with training at the time. After the World Championships in Montpellier (where, fortunately, we performed much better), Dmitri told me he had someone in mind for me. He said, “I’ve already called him, so get ready — I’ll bring him to try out with you.”
Q: Why was Nolan only willing to stay for one more year? Typically, skaters either retire after the Olympics or commit to the next cycle.
Minerva Fabienne Hase: He believed the absence of Russian skaters created an opportunity for a podium finish. His plan was to aim for a European Championship medal and then retire. Nolan was already 30 years old, and it would’ve been physically challenging for him to complete another Olympic cycle.
I understand his logic, but the problem was that I wanted more.
Perhaps I disrupted his plans and, in a way, broke his heart. Yes, we were partners, but I also had to think about myself. I understood that we’d reached our maximum with Nolan, and it was probably the end of our story together.
At the same time, I knew there weren’t any available partners in Germany, so I’d have to look internationally. That meant going through the process of obtaining citizenship and waiting for a release. I couldn’t afford to wait a year, as it would have jeopardized my Olympic dream. Dmitri supported me — he’s very good at calculating things and understood that I needed to form a new partnership without delay.
Unfortunately, that meant Nolan and I didn’t part on the best terms.
Q: Did Nolan congratulate you on your victory in Tallinn?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: No. I’m truly sorry it turned out this way. I think he’s still angry with me. It’s sad, but there’s nothing I can do — this is sports. Maybe one day he’ll forgive me. But I’m glad he gets along well with Nikita — that’s important to me. Nolan is now working as a coach, and I see that he’s doing great.
Q: I have to ask: if Russian skaters hadn’t been suspended from international competition, would you have still continued your career?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Yes. My decision wasn’t related to that at all. I wanted to keep skating and see how far I could go.
Nikita and I are often asked how we feel about the absence of Russian athletes at competitions. We’re honest: we’re ready to compete against everyone and are working hard to be worthy competitors. From the beginning, it was clear that this ban wouldn’t last forever, so we can’t let ourselves relax.
Of course, as a new pair, it was easier for us to break into the top ranks in these circumstances. But we are genuinely ready to compete. Besides, Nikita is Russian, and I think it’s especially important to him to compete against Russian skaters.
Q: Do you follow Russian competitions?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Yes. It’s a bit difficult to find links for their performances because everything is blocked, but Nikita keeps me updated. Before my own competitions, I try not to watch anything, but otherwise, I’m curious about who’s currently on top in Russia. Incidentally, it’s the same pairs that Nolan and I used to compete against. Or rather, we competed, and they won (laughs), so I know how strong they are.
Q: But now, you’ll likely be competing in the same warm-up group as those pairs, and you and Nikita are contenders to win any competition.
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Who knows; it’s not worth discussing right now. But I’m confident that in a year, we’ll be ready to compete with them — we don’t hide that.
Sometimes I see comments like, “Without the Russians, this isn’t a real gold medal.” But I think we still deserve recognition. We work hard and do everything we can. The rest isn’t up to us and a title is still a title. We’re proud of it.
Q: You mentioned your Olympic dream. But you did compete at the Games in Beijing.
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Yes, but I don’t feel like I truly experienced the Olympics. Those were very strange Games due to the COVID restrictions. Nolan was in quarantine for a long time, I went to practices alone, and I couldn’t attend the opening ceremony — I watched it in my hotel room on TV. Honestly, I might as well have watched it from home.
Imagine this: you’ve dreamed of going to the Olympics for 17 years, and then you finally get there, and it’s a complete disappointment. That’s it? All those stories other skaters have shared about the Games — is this really what it’s like?
Of course, external circumstances played a role, but after returning from Beijing, I realized: I need another Olympics, a real one.
I want to compete at events, cheer for Team Germany, perform in front of audiences, and freely connect with athletes from other countries. So I told myself: “You need to go to at least one more Games for yourself and your childhood dream.”
Q: Do you remember your first meeting with Nikita?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Of course. I went to pick him up at the airport and was terribly nervous.
At that moment, I hadn’t really trained for a couple of months, so I wasn’t in great shape. I had heard a lot about how blunt Russian male skaters could be about their partners’ height and weight. I was worried about what Nikita’s attitude would be — what if it started with comments like, “You should eat less” or something like that? I really didn’t know what to expect from him.
I wanted to keep skating, but I definitely wasn’t ready to do it in a toxic environment. Nikita ended up with a demanding partner, haha. I wanted to pair up with a nice guy, but one who wasn’t new to pair skating. I wasn’t willing to start from scratch or wait for a former singles skater to adapt. I’ll be honest — I didn’t want to start from 20th place in the rankings.
Q: At first, Nikita could barely speak English or German. How did you communicate?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: With gestures and smiles. I was amazed by how positive he was from the very first moment. Nikita turned out to be a cheerful and kind guy. He radiated confidence and made me feel safe. Not once did he make me feel too tall or too heavy. Believe me, for female skaters, this is very important.
He also acted like a true gentleman. I think this is something very Russian — opening doors for you, carrying your suitcase, for example. At first, I was shocked because I had never experienced anything like that before.
Q: No one at competitions carried your suitcase for you?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: No. This isn’t a criticism of my former partner — he’s a good guy — but that’s not the norm in Germany. Here, women are expected to be strong and take care of themselves. At first, I’d grab the suitcase out of Nikita’s hands, saying, “No, no, I can manage on my own just fine.” It took some time for me to relax and let him take care of me. Now I hand over my bags automatically, haha.
Q: Tell me about your first training session together. Was it difficult?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Surprisingly, no. His first question to me was, “Are you comfortable?” He constantly asked me, “Is this okay for you?” He never said, “Here’s what I feel, and this is how I want it.” He only thought about me.
This was a completely new experience for me because, with Nolan, it was a bit different. He’s seven years older than me, and when I partnered with him, he was already experienced, while I had just transitioned from singles skating and didn’t understand much yet. Unfortunately, we never managed to become equals — I always struggled to figure out my role in the partnership.
With Nikita, it was a partnership from day one. There’s respect, consideration for my feelings, and complete trust. At first, I was so surprised by it all that I didn’t know how to react — I couldn’t believe it was even possible.
But you get used to good things quickly, haha, so now I know partnerships can be like this. It motivates me a lot — I want to be better, to work harder, for us, for him, and for myself. I didn’t even know I was capable of so much.
Q: Did you realize right away that you were a good match for each other?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Pretty much after our first training session. At our first competition together, we got the best scores of my career. That’s when I understood that reality was exceeding all my expectations. At that moment, I knew it was all worth it.
Q: But you and Nikita come from different pair skating schools, which is often believed to make a difference.
Minerva Fabienne Hase: That’s true, but I was lucky because I had worked with Dmitri Savin before, so I already had some Russian foundational technique. I think that made it easier for Nikita and me to sync up.
Q: Can you explain what that means?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Primarily, I’m talking about lifts. Broadly speaking, there are two techniques: the Canadian style, where the female partner enters the air at an angle, and the Russian style, which uses a straighter axis.
According to Savin, the second technique works better for taller partners like me. And, of course, Nikita was taught this technique as well, so we naturally work at the same rhythm. When it comes to pair elements, we were fortunate — not much adjustment was needed.
Thanks to working with Dmitri, I also understand the Russian mentality well: the importance of working calmly and consistently, not complaining, and sometimes even pushing your limits.
Q: People often say that Russian skaters tend to push themselves too hard. Is that true?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: To some extent, yes. Nikita had to learn not to train to the point of exhaustion every single day. In the beginning, it was difficult for him to understand this. He wanted to give 150% in every practice session, thinking that we weren’t working hard enough in Germany. And, in some ways, he might be right, but it’s important to listen to your body. If it says “stop,” you shouldn’t push yourself too far.
I explained to him that we want to skate for a long time and that we paired up not just for a single season. Plus, we aren’t 17 years old anymore, so we need to take care of our bodies. He used to ignore pain and other signals, but it’s better to take a break and avoid a serious injury than to be out for a long time because you pushed yourself too hard.
Now, his perspective has shifted. He can even skip a training session if he feels he’s getting sick —something he never would’ve done before.
Q: Has he changed a lot? Do you notice it?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Yes, though it might be more noticeable from the outside. I think he’s become more relaxed and confident. I sense even more support and care from him now — though it seemed impossible that he could be any more supportive. Sometimes he even stops me when I’m being stubborn and overly focused during training. “Mini, go home; that’s enough,” he’ll say. Previously, I couldn’t imagine him saying something like that. We’ve grown even closer and truly feel like one team.
Q: How has he changed you?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: He taught me to push past boundaries I thought were unbreakable. When we first started skating together, I often felt like I was working at my limit, but for him, that level of effort was normal. It motivated me to keep up with him.
Now I realize that, before working with Nikita, I often trained at half-speed. I used to think I was giving it my all, but now I see I was probably only putting in 10% of the effort I put in now.
Q: Are we talking about the duration of training, or the quality?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: The quality. We now work much more effectively: we talk less, do more repetitions of elements, and this helps us feel more confident in competitions. My old approach used to be, “Let’s give it a try, but as soon as we land the element, we’ll stop, so I can hold onto a positive feeling about it.”
But Nikita taught me not to think about such nonsense: “No, you won’t achieve consistency in performances that way. You need to be 100% confident in the element—so let’s go and do it five more times.”
I’m very grateful for that because, without him, I wouldn’t have discovered what I’m truly capable of.
Q: So who’s the leader in your pair?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: I’d like to say it’s me, haha. But the thing is, since Nikita doesn’t speak German very well yet, I handle all the organizational tasks: communication with the federation, any bureaucracy, and press interactions. If he’s sick, I book his doctor’s appointments, for example.
So for now, I’m sort of forced to act as his manager. But Nikita more than makes up for it by supporting me 100%. He’s my rock—both in training and in competition.
Q: Psychologically?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Yes, he’s the foundation of our pair. He’s just an incredible person to rely on.
If I’m in a bad mood, Nikita tries to cheer me up. If training doesn’t go well, he helps me understand that it’s not such a big deal. He’s an optimist and teaches me to look at the bigger picture instead of getting stuck on the negatives.
But most importantly, he’s an incredibly reliable partner. He’s a rock I can trust with closed eyes.
Q: Pair skaters often suffer the worst falls in figure skating. Do you ever feel scared?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Sometimes there are unpleasant incidents. At the beginning of the last Olympic cycle, I had one of those. A twist didn’t work out, Nolan couldn’t catch me, and I fell from a great height onto the ice. I tore a ligament in my leg, needed surgery, and the recovery took a long time.
But that’s when I realized I’m stronger than I thought. I pulled myself out of an emotional and physical hole because I didn’t want to give up — I wanted to fight. Maybe it comes from my parents, something in my genetics?
Q: Do you still feel afraid?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: No, I’m no longer afraid. The twist isn’t my favorite element, but with Nikita, it feels absolutely safe. Though initially, I refused to perform twists in shows — I didn’t want to tempt fate unnecessarily.
I find throws much easier. They’re my responsibility since I’m the one landing. But with twists, it took time for me to trust Nikita completely.
Q: Can you explain, for beginners, who’s typically at fault for falls from throws — the male or the female partner?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: It’s either both or neither. If the throw is done out of sync with the pair’s rhythm, it’s unsalvageable, and no one is really to blame.
So far, Nikita and I haven’t had any serious falls from any element. He always ensures I land safely, even if the throw comes at the end of a poorly executed program. Nikita understands that for me to land well, he needs to launch the throw properly.
I’ve said it before: he’s like a rock—always focused, always thinking about me. If it meant falling upside down to protect me, he’d do it. His priority is my safety. You see how lucky I am?
Now I’m not afraid to try complex elements. Nikita is an extraordinary partner. Before him — even though Nolan was wonderful too — I’d never skated with someone of such a high level. For my success, I needed Nikita Volodin and a Russian coach.
Q: Is it easier to skate with a partner if you’re a couple off the ice, or is it better to keep things strictly professional?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: I’ve always separated skating and romance. With my previous partner, it was purely professional, and I never even had such thoughts because it’s a working relationship. Figure skating is already our job, taking up nearly our entire day, so it’s nice to have separate personal lives outside of it.
Nikita and I have a great partnership — we respect and like each other. We can sit down to discuss work without getting caught up in emotions. If we get into a disagreement during practice, we go home, cool off, and start fresh the next morning. I really appreciate this approach.
Q: Do you ever argue?
Minerva Fabienne Hase: Our coaches joke that we bicker like a couple who’ve been married for 50 years, haha. But these aren’t real arguments — we’re just venting emotions. We’ll pull faces at each other or jokingly throw something. Usually, it’s because neither of us wants to admit the other is right.
But within five minutes, we’re back to normal and focused on work again.
In contrast, if you’re romantically involved, it might take longer to get over a disagreement since emotions run deeper and stick longer.”
Related topics: Minerva Fabienne Hase, Nikita Volodin
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