“Five years of constant pain. You know you’re in pain, so you do what you can with what you have and keep skating.” Vladimir Litvintsev about qualifying for the Olympics and editing music for skaters
Interview with Azerbaijani skater Vladimir Litvintsev.
original source: SovSport dd. April 9th 2025 by Anastasia Pletneva
In an interview with Sovetsky Sport, Vladimir Litvintsev who represents Azerbaijan, spoke about World Championships in Boston, qualifying for the Olympics, editing music for skaters and how he continues his career despite physical challenges and injuries. Here’s a translation.
“Q: What were your first impressions of the World Championships?
Vladimir Litvintsev: The organization was excellent — on a massive scale. When you step out of the locker rooms onto the ice, everything is beautifully and modernly designed. I’d never seen anything like it before. There were lots of spectators who came to watch, and they were very supportive. I’m grateful for that. The free skate even had a full house.
Q: You could have done something unique for your entrance, like Alysa Liu’s cartwheel.
Vladimir Litvintsev: That’s more for the brave skaters who want to stand out. Clearly, I’m not one of them.
Q: But you were one of the few skaters who smiled both before and after skating. It almost seemed like you were relaxed.
Vladimir Litvintsev: Visually, perhaps that was the case. I was certainly less tense at this competition compared to previous ones. For the free skate, I was hardly nervous — until I fell on the axel. That made me anxious because I wasn’t expecting it. I had to pull myself together after that.
For the short program, there was some nervousness, although I tried not to show it. I think the audience enjoys it when skaters smile and express their emotions naturally. It’s important because they come to enjoy figure skating and have a good time watching.
Q: Were you nervous about the Olympic qualification?
Vladimir Litvintsev: Yes. It’s no secret that if you make even one serious mistake in the short program, your chances of making it to the free skate are in question. That’s happened to me before, and it definitely made me anxious. My main goal was to secure the Olympic quota, and I’m glad I achieved it. I really didn’t want to go to the qualifying competition in Beijing because there will be strong competitors there as well, and there’s no guarantee I would perform well.
Q: You’ve often struggled with health issues. How are things now?
Vladimir Litvintsev: It’s true. I had a difficult period between the ages of 18 and 23 — five years, essentially. I was constantly in pain, always going to doctors. I still do, though not as frequently now. I relied on a lot of painkillers, unfortunately, but that was my reality. Right now, everything is fine.
Q: How do you compete when you’re constantly in pain?
Vladimir Litvintsev: At first, you endure it. Then you endure it some more. Then you think, “It’ll be over soon.” You keep going, and then you endure it again. You wait for it to end, and then you endure it some more. That’s how it goes. You know you’re in pain, so you do what you can with what you have and keep skating. Every athlete handles it individually, but it’s hard for everyone. Everyone is dealing with pain — some more than others.
Q: It sounds like constant stress.
Vladimir Litvintsev: Absolutely. Especially when the pain persists for a long time and you still want to skate and achieve results. You’re doing professional sports, you have a goal, but you know you can’t train at full capacity. How would you react to that?
Q: I’ve experienced that — it really affects your morale.
Vladimir Litvintsev: Exactly. All you can do is endure it and wait. You even start going a little crazy.
Q: Let’s talk about something more positive. Nika Egadze mentioned that you mixed the music for his free skate.
Vladimir Litvintsev: That’s true. I edit music for skaters. One day, I was feeling creative and decided I wanted to work on a piece. I had a concept in mind — an orchestral version of the Oppenheimer soundtrack combined with a remix of the same track.
Initially, it wasn’t meant for Nika. When I finalized the composition, I remembered that Egadze’s free skate was set to music from that film. I watched a video of his program, aligned the elements with the music, and sent him the track. Everyone ended up liking it.
I also created music for the Hungarian pair Maria Pavlova and Alexei Svyatchenko — for both their short and free programs.
Q: How did you start working with them?
Vladimir Litvintsev: It’s a funny story. My brother Andrey Litvintsev, a figure skating coach, works in Moscow with Tatiana Shilina. I often edit music for their students. One day, he asked me to do a music cut, which turned out pretty well — actually, it’s always good. (Laughs.)
Turns out, the cut was for Dmitri Savin’s son, and Savin liked it so much he asked me for another track: Pirates of the Caribbean. That’s how the collaboration started.
Q: You also mentioned you created the short program for Vladislav Dikidji this season. How did that happen?
Vladimir Litvintsev: Egor Murashov, a friend and fellow collaborator, asked me to do it. He knows I work with music. He provided me with specific tracks, and I put them together, smoothing transitions and refining the piece. Maybe I’ll create another composition for his new program —he seemed to really like the first one.
Q: I saw on your social media that your costume for the program was made with the help of Hungarian figure skater Maria Ignatyeva.
Vladimir Litvintsev: That’s true. And most likely, she’ll make a costume for the new season as well. She’ll be creating costumes for many people. At some point, I found out that Masha is passionate about fashion design. I asked her if she could make one for me. She agreed.
Q: On social media, you also shared a video of a sequence with a quad toe loop and a triple axel. Many skaters post videos of themselves performing unusual elements. Isn’t that dangerous?
Vladimir Litvintsev: No. When I was doing it, I had no thoughts that I could get injured. I understood that most likely, it would be executed successfully. When you’re confident in your abilities, you go and do it. As for why I performed it — honestly, I can’t answer that. I just felt like I could do it, so I did. If someone has the skill to perform such elements even in competition programs, like Ilia Malinin, then sure, they include it in their routine. I can’t take such risks myself.
Q: Have you been keeping up with Russian competitions?
Vladimir Litvintsev: I watched the Russian Nationals. My friend Roma Savosin competed there, and I cheer for him with all my heart. Apart from that — well, no, I wouldn’t say I closely follow anyone. Oh wait! I just remembered — I created the short program for Vladislav Dikidji this season.
Q: How did you end up editing music for Dikidji?
Vladimir Litvintsev: Egor Murashov asked me. He’s a friend, and we collaborate together. He knows I work with music, so he messaged me, saying, “Here are the tracks, please edit them.” I combined them, adjusted the transitions, and created a seamless composition. Maybe I’ll create a piece for his new program too — he liked one of my edits.
Q: Even though you don’t follow figure skating closely in your free time, you’ve probably heard about jump championships and other unique events being held in Russia. What do you think of these ideas?
Vladimir Litvintsev: They’re fantastic for both the audience and the athletes. It’s a great additional motivator to train and stay in the sport. I’m really glad that Russian skaters have such opportunities to compete in these tournaments. Financially, it’s an incentive as well. It motivates people to remain in the sport, especially since, unfortunately, there are no international competitions right now. So, in my opinion, this is absolutely the right approach.
Q: And it allows skaters to showcase something unique. For example, Vlad attempted a quad axel.
Vladimir Litvintsev: Yes, he took a risk. Big respect to him for that. It’s captivating for the audience. If he had attempted a triple axel instead, it wouldn’t have been as interesting. But a quad — that’s different. Vlad is doing a great job of engaging the audience. That’s what makes the sport exciting.
Rapid-Fire Questions Best triple axel?
Vladimir Litvintsev: There are many great ones, but for some reason, I think of Mikhail Kolyada.
Q: Best quads?
Vladimir Litvintsev: Definitely Ilia Malinin.
Q: Best mental mindset?
Vladimir Litvintsev: Again, Ilia Malinin.”
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