Evgenia Medvedeva: “For me, the outcome of the Olympics was complicated because, as they say, ‘Your expectations are your problems.’ I had certain expectations that weren’t met. And that’s solely my problem.”
Evgenia Medvedeva about income, parties and not winning the Olympics.
original source: Sasha Sulim’s Yutube channel
In an interview, Evgenia Medvedeva talked about earnings, not attending parties during her sports career and not winning the Olympics. Here’s a translation of her comments.
“Q: On personal matters: Did you ever feel like having a beer or going on a date with the wrong guy — was this controlled?
Evgenia Medvedeva: It wasn’t so much controlled as there simply wasn’t room for it in my life. There are figure skaters who could manage, like Hannah Montana, to live a double life: a schoolgirl by day and a superstar by night, so to speak. During my sports career, that kind of thing didn’t happen. Physically, I was too weak — I simply didn’t have the energy for it.
I had training from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. For someone who has the strength and free time —by all means, do what you want, just don’t break your legs. And be ready to show up at practice at 10 a.m. the next day in good health, prepared to train properly. If you can go out partying at a club and still show up on time, ready to skate your free program clean — well, great, that’s awesome.
For me, it was different. I would come home half-dead, go straight to bed at 10 p.m., simply because I didn’t have the physical or emotional strength for anything else. It wouldn’t even cross my mind to go hang out with someone instead of soaking in a magnesium bath.
Q: You sound like a perfect lady. Did you ever feel like going to a club, trying to smoke, or doing something rebellious?
Evgenia Medvedeva: I didn’t have the energy. Honestly, that’s my biggest fear, and it’s why I don’t talk about my career much. I try to avoid the topic because it does sound like I was this perfect person: training from morning to night, then reading books. But well, it turned out that way, and that’s how it was.
I caught up on all of that after I stopped competing. That’s when — oh boy — I got into parties, clubs, hanging out late at night. I still do it now, and it’s amazing.
There was a certain period when I had to sacrifice some things. Do I regret it? Not at all. My life is wonderful now, and I have so many opportunities — and all of it is thanks to the fact that I endured back then, keeping myself disciplined and focused.
But that chapter is already closed. I’m living a different life now, one that includes parties, wine glasses, spontaneous trips in the middle of the night — say, to Saint Petersburg or anywhere else. I can fly to another country on a whim if I want, as long as I have my passport with me. The life I have now is exactly the kind I felt was missing back then, in those years.”
Evgenia Medvedeva shared that she now earns more than she did in sports
“Evgenia Medvedeva: When you’re in sports, money is a nice bonus. Still, when you’re competing, you don’t earn as much as, for example, in the entertainment industry. Now, I earn much more than I did back when I was in sports. It was only around the Olympic season that I started getting contracts, and there were quite a lot of offers. But we had to turn many of them down because there wasn’t time for filming or fulfilling contract obligations.
A real income from projects came when I started doing endorsements, like advertising Pantene shampoo, then I had Nike, and I think Nestlé came after that. Those were major projects, ones that, as an active athlete representing your country, you could take on because they’re both reputationally appropriate and scheduled around your time.
At that point, you’d get a fee for fulfilling these contractual obligations, and it would be far greater than what you’d earn from medals. So, elite sports, if you’re genuinely winning something, is an investment in the future. The Olympics gave me a big boost in media exposure, and thanks to the fact that, back then, both my country and part of the world learned about me, I now have the opportunity to sit here and talk to you.”
Evgenia Medvedeva quoted footballer Andrey Arshavin wen speaking about her emotions after winning silver at the 2018 Olympics
“Evgenia Medvedeva: For me, the outcome of the Olympics was complicated because, as they say, ‘Your expectations are your problems.’ I had certain expectations that weren’t met. And that’s solely my problem. I went through what I went through — a mix of emotions ranging from anger to disappointment.
But it wasn’t about other people. It was about me.”
Related topics: Evgenia Medvedeva
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