Nikita Volodin: “It’s not easy to form a pair that achieves these kinds of results. But I’ve gotten an exceptional partner.”
Interview with German pair skater Nikita Volodin.
original source: Sport-Express dd. May 8th 2025 by Maria Kravchenko
In an interview with Sport Express, Nikita Volodin discusses goals for the Olympic season, competition in Russian and world figure skating. Here’s a translation.
“Q: How often do you visit Saint Petersburg?
Nikita Volodin: Recently, not very often. I’d like to come more, but with our training schedule, it’s difficult, especially during the busy competition season. I was able to come after the European Championships, where we won in Tallinn. I managed to take 16 hours off so my family could congratulate me.
Q: What’s the purpose of this visit?
Nikita Volodin: This time, it’s part of a vacation — to spend time with my family. I usually come at the end of the season. I’ll be back in July when we’re scheduled to have seven days off.
Q: You won bronze at the World Championships last season and silver this time. When will it be gold?
Nikita Volodin: Next year, we’ll fight for first place.
Q: How would you evaluate this past season?
Nikita Volodin: I’d say we did everything 97% right. I docked 3% because of the World Championships. It was a good season overall, with many surprises, including the Grand Prix stage, where we placed second. There was even a funny fall during the step sequence. Everything else was consistent compared to the previous season — we avoided big dips in performance.
Q: Your friend Aleksandr Galliamov congratulated you on your world silver medal, saying, “Next time, if I’m not there, you’ll win gold.” Do you think gold is achievable with Russian pairs involved? How do you view the competition?
Nikita Volodin: We support healthy competition. The stronger the rivals, the more interesting it is, and the more motivated we are to push ourselves in training and add more challenging elements to our program. Right now, we’re working on including a throw flip in our program. Without it, we won’t have the technical score to remain competitive. By the way, Sasha joked that it wasn’t him who actually wrote that message.
Q: In your opinion, who is the best pair in the world right now, ignoring scores?
Nikita Volodin: I can name several pairs that could win medals at any given moment: Minerva and I, Sasha Galliamov with Nastya Mishina, Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, Nastya Metelkina with Luka Berulava, and Hungary’s Maria Pavlova with Alexei Svyatchenko. This is my subjective opinion based on their elements and my personal perceptions.
Q: Are there any Chinese pairs you’d highlight?
Nikita Volodin: If the Olympic champions return, they’ll definitely be at the top without a doubt. (Beijing Olympic champion Wenjing Sui recently announced her return with a new partner.)
Q: Do people recognize you in Germany?
Nikita Volodin: Yes, where I live, everyone knows me — it’s a small community. I live at a sports base, similar to Novogorsk. It’s not closed off, but it has the same vibe. Sometimes people recognize me at the airport.
Q: Do people recognize Minerva too?
Nikita Volodin: Yes, just as often as they recognize me.
Q: What forms the foundation of the German school of figure skating?
Nikita Volodin: In pair skating, everything is based on the Soviet school. Our coach, Knut Schubert, is also a product of that system. He lived on the other side of the Berlin Wall, in East Germany. All the German pair skating coaches were his students. As a coach in Germany, he’s a legend.
Q: In which country do you think figure skating is currently at the highest level of popularity?
Nikita Volodin: Japan, no question. They absolutely adore figure skaters and have many legendary athletes, like Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno. You can see it in the scale of their shows, which fill massive stadiums. It’s ingrained in their culture. In Russia, figure skating has always been popular, and recently, it’s become even stronger. After the ban from international competition, Russia created high-quality domestic events.
Q: What about Germany?
Nikita Volodin: It’s not the most popular sport because there aren’t many figure skaters here. People might remember Aliona Savchenko and Katarina Witt. Katarina is a legend — she keeps up with us, congratulates us, and it’s incredibly kind of her. We stay in touch, and if we ever need help, she’s there. We’re working on popularizing figure skating in Germany. It’s one of our goals — to make the sport more exciting so more young athletes join. But it will take time.
Q: Are there many kids in Germany doing figure skating?
Nikita Volodin: There are, but fewer compared to Russia. There are enough children, but not enough coaches for them. The federation is addressing this issue, and things are gradually improving.
Q: Does your pair have a fan group in Russia?
Nikita Volodin: Not yet. Someone reached out about creating a Telegram channel, but it didn’t take off.
Q: How about in Germany?
Nikita Volodin: There’s a fan club for figure skating enthusiasts. They attend all the national team competitions, congratulate all German skaters, and even organize dinners for us — it’s incredible. They helped me financially when I first moved to Germany, which I deeply appreciated. Some club members occasionally visit us at training sessions.
Q: Are you trying ultra-C elements?
Nikita Volodin: We’ve seen Russian pairs attempt advanced throws and twists. I once saw Galliamov try a “cosmic-level” twist in practice. The risks are enormous, and the scoring system doesn’t incentivize development in that direction.
Q: Why do you think difficult elements aren’t scored higher?
Nikita Volodin: I think ISU’s policy is to reduce injury risks since ultra-C elements in pair skating are extremely dangerous. Many try, but I’ve seen competitions where Sasha Boikova and Dima Kozlovskii attempted a quad throw and failed, with the partner falling. Then Mishina and Galliamov performed a flawless triple throw and won.
Q: How do other countries view ultra-C elements in pair skating?
Nikita Volodin: In Germany, they prioritize safety, and that’s important. The goal is to have a long career and skate at a high level. However, we’re open to the idea of trying such elements. Maybe after the Olympics, we’ll give it a shot.
Q: Have you already started preparing for the Olympics?
Nikita Volodin: Yes, the preparations have started, and all our thoughts are directed toward it. Right now, we’re on vacation, but this is also part of the preparatory period to recover well. We’ve already partially choreographed the short program. It’ll be something new while continuing in the direction we explored last season — an interesting theme and melody for pairs skating. Our choreographers are Paul Boll, Mark Pillay, who have been with us since the beginning of our partnership.
Q: Beyond the Olympics, what are your plans for the upcoming season?
Nikita Volodin: We want to reach higher than where we’ve been before, in terms of programs and elements. We aim to polish the final details so everything is perfect.
Q: Comparing yourself to last year, is it harder to maintain your position at the top or to reach it?
Nikita Volodin: Both are challenging because we approach every competition from zero. We don’t dwell on past victories; we focus on delivering maximum results here and now. Naturally, there are memories from previous European Championships, like the lift we missed that cost us first place. That mistake was very upsetting. This year, we corrected it, though there were still some nerves, especially during the short program.
Q: You mentioned you follow Russian competitions. Is it just pair skating, or do you watch other disciplines too?
Nikita Volodin: Russian figure skating is strong in many disciplines — there are amazing athletes everywhere, and it’s exciting to watch them. Women’s figure skating is exceptional, as always. I believe Russian women would fight for the top spots on the world stage. In pairs, however, the competition has declined; there are fewer pairs now. For two years in a row, we’ve seen the same leaders. In men’s singles, I really like Petr Gumennik and Vladislav Dikidji. I don’t watch ice dance much.
Q: Did you watch the World Team Trophy? What do you think the purpose of this event is? Would you like to participate?
Nikita Volodin: Yes, I watched it. It’s interesting because it functions not only as a competition but also as a show project within the ISU system, evaluated like other events. Many athletes set personal records there. Thanks to Morisi Kvitelashvili, the Georgian team was able to participate. Let’s not forget that he hadn’t competed for two years. His performance was shaky, but he attempted quads and landed a triple axel, which is impressive.
Q: Describe Sasha Galliamov in one sentence. You’ve known him for a long time and you’re friends.
Nikita Volodin: As an athlete, he’s consistent. As a friend, he’s cheerful. As a person, he’s reserved. I know him from a different side, not the one most people see.
Q: Do you follow his social media or statements?
Nikita Volodin: Not really, honestly. He usually tells me everything himself, so there’s no need for me to follow him.
Q: Besides figure skating, what sports do you follow?
Nikita Volodin: In Germany, I attended a basketball game of “Alba.” Minerva’s partner, Johannes Thiemann, invited us, and I was impressed. Basketball is spectacular, especially with long-range shots. I haven’t been to football matches because I haven’t had the chance to experience that kind of energy exchange between the crowd and the athletes in a stadium. During the competition season, I typically choose to rest at home instead of attending active events.
Q: Do you play football yourself? Sasha Galliamov said you’re a good defender.
Nikita Volodin: Wow, thank you very much—he made my day! I’ve tried playing, but I wasn’t very good at it. Sasha is a strong forward; he sometimes likes playing solo but still manages to outplay everyone.
Q: How is your process of obtaining German citizenship going?
Nikita Volodin: Right now, I need to pass a language test. I’m working intensively with tutors and native speakers. German has many nuances, and you need someone to explain them. Working with native speakers is a whole different level. I can already say basic things in German —directions, casual greetings, maintaining small conversations. The tricky part is understanding which dialect will be used. In Oberstdorf, the language is different from Berlin. Since I’ll be taking the exam in Berlin, I’m focusing on that dialect. I think I’ll take my first mock test in the next couple of months and then see how I do.
Q: Do you think Nikita Volodin has grown as an athlete and a person in the past two years?
Nikita Volodin: Without a doubt. When you find yourself in an unusual situation in another country, you’re forced to grow and adapt to the new environment. The first year in Germany was especially tough, but now I feel comfortable. As an athlete, I’ve gotten an exceptional partner. With Minerva, we immediately established a connection. It’s important to be on the same wavelength. Minerva is a great listener, incredibly responsible in training, competitions, costumes, and preparation – everything is at a high level.
I’m not as disciplined in some of these aspects, but she helps me stick to our plans, which is reflected in our results. It’s not easy to form a pair that achieves these kinds of results.
Related topics: Minerva Fabienne Hase, Nikita Volodin
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