“Previous season was terrible – I struggled a lot with whether or not to quit and skipped a month and a half of practice.” Alina Gorbacheva on her season and getting a neutral status
Alina Gorbacheva reflects on her season and shares future goals.
original source: Sport24 dd. May 28th by Konstantin Lesik
Alina Gorbacheva is one of four Russian figure skaters who received neutral status to participate in the Olympic qualification for the 2026 Games. A student of Sofia Fedchenko, she will serve as an alternate in women’s singles. In the interview posted on Sport24, Alina discusses the past season and her aspirations for the future. Here’s a translation of her comments.
Season Evaluation: 1 to 10
“Alina Gorbacheva: The season went pretty well. I’m happy with how things turned out, especially since last summer was challenging. I was able to showcase beautiful programs and artistic images. I felt a stronger connection to the character of Bellatrix in my short program because it resonated more with my personality, making it easier to convey the concept. However, I also adored the music for my free skate, The World Is Not Enough. The program itself was fascinating. At one point, we even considered keeping parts of it for this season but ultimately decided to change it.
Of course, it wasn’t my maximum, but I’m working toward that, and I hope to keep improving. If I were to rate myself on a scale from 1 to 10, I’d give myself a 7. When you know the inner workings, you tend to judge yourself more realistically.”
On Wanting to Quit Figure Skating
“Alina Gorbacheva: The 2023/24 season was terrible — I struggled a lot with whether or not to quit. I’m so grateful to my family and coaches, who helped me get through it and keep going in this beautiful sport. This season went much better than the last.”
Q: When did you realize you wanted to keep skating?
Alina Gorbacheva: It happened last summer. In April to May 2024, I didn’t want to skate at all — I skipped a month and a half of practice. Sofia Anatolyevna (Fedchenko,Alina’s coach) suggested lots of options during that time. She even spontaneously took me on a two-week holiday early, encouraging me to try joining different coaching teams — whatever would make me stay in the sport. She kept telling me it would be a shame to throw away so much effort and progress, that it was just a little more to endure.
But I didn’t want to leave her team, even though there are many strong coaches in Russia with incredible athletes. To me, no one knows me better than my coach, and leaving would have been the worst decision. It wouldn’t have changed my attitude toward the process or given me more motivation.
In June, Sofia Anatolyevna needed to go to Turkey for work and suggested that I come along, skate with international athletes, and try to reset. At the same time, Sergei Rozanov was holding a camp, and she asked him to work with me for a bit. Honestly, I didn’t want to at first — I was even a little scared — but in the end, I agreed. Now, I’m so glad everything turned out this way. Sergei Alexandrovich helped me see figure skating from a new perspective and rethink my approach to training.
Q: Recently, Sergei Rozanov has been in the media for negative reasons. What’s your experience?
Alina Gorbacheva: That has nothing to do with me. I’ve never noticed anything problematic, either toward me or other girls. Everything is great, and I really enjoy working with him.
Q: How seriously did you consider quitting?
Alina Gorbacheva: On one hand, yes, I was ready to quit entirely. On the other hand, I knew how much time and effort I had already invested. It was a very difficult period — one day I’d think of quitting, the next I’d go to practice, and it went on like that. Now, I clearly understand that I can’t imagine my life without figure skating and try to enjoy every practice session.”
Future Plans
“Alina Gorbacheva: I’m preparing for national exams in Russian, math, and biology. I hope to go to university in a year — I’m thinking about studying at a sports institute. For now, I need a break to focus on skating.
Studying in school is very different from university, where there are so many fascinating aspects I wouldn’t want to miss. I want to dive deeper into my studies and experience student life, but it’s hard to balance that with sports. As for coaching, I can’t say yet — it’s something I’ll consider in the future.”
Dream Performances
“Alina Gorbacheva: I’d love to perform to music from Game of Thrones and Kill Bill, but since those pieces have been used a lot already, I’ll leave those ideas for now. Maybe someday in the future…
I really liked Sasha Trusova’s program to Game of Thrones. It suited her perfectly, and the choreography was so interesting. She even included quads, which made it look so powerful. I’ve seen various programs to Kill Bill, and they all have unique elements and stand-out moments – each one is memorable in its own way.”
On competing at the Russian Grand Prix Final with an injury
“Alina Gorbacheva: Thanks to the doctors who helped me get back into more or less normal shape pretty quickly, because for some time I couldn’t do anything at all. Even before the competitions, I couldn’t perform full run-throughs of my programs because some spins were difficult due to pain, and maintaining certain positions was uncomfortable. My first complete performances happened directly at the event, which made me quite nervous.
I really wanted to compete in the Russian Grand Prix Final. I didn’t want to skip such an important event, and there wasn’t a single thought of withdrawing as long as the doctors gave me a permission. I’m very happy I was able to compete and win a silver medal, though I’m still upset about the flip in my free skate.”
On Programs for the New Season
“Alina Gorbacheva: My programs for the new season will be completely different from anything I’ve done before. Right now, they’re a bit challenging for me, but I really enjoy skating them. My coaches and I have decided not to reveal too much until the test skates.
We recently finished a training camp in the UAE, where we spent a whole week refining the short program and completing the choreography for the free skate.”
On Attempting New Ultra-C Elements
“Alina Gorbacheva: The story of my quad toe loop is an interesting one. I hadn’t jumped it at all for over a year — not even attempted it. We were focused on preparing for competitions by training the salchow, sometimes the axel and lutz.
Just before the Russian Challenge competition, I was practicing triple toe loops, and the entry felt really good. I can’t remember exactly — either I decided to try a quad, or Sofia Anatolyevna suggested it. Either way, I agreed, and after three attempts, I landed a quad toe loop. It was a really exciting and energizing experience.
I think it’s entirely possible to include it in a program in the future. Of course, adding more quads means more effort and increased difficulty, but with the right approach, it’s doable. The quad toe is somewhat similar to the quad salchow, so if I follow my coach’s instructions properly, it should work out. We haven’t finalized the exact content for the next season yet, but we have some ideas and will try different options.
As for the triple axel, we’re getting along, but we’re not quite best friends yet (laughs). I’ve been working on it a lot with Sergei Rozanov in Italy. For me, it’s the hardest jump out of all the ultra-C elements.”
On Her Training Experience in Italy
“Alina Gorbacheva: I had to travel to Italy alone because Sofia Anatolyevna’s visa wasn’t approved in time. Overall, it wasn’t scary since we’d already traveled there together in the autumn, and I knew how everything was set up. It was even interesting to go to another country by myself.
Getting there took a long time — a flight with a layover to Milan and then three trains and a bus, so it was a full 24 hours of travel. In the fall, we drove from Milan, which was much faster.
Training went well. Of course, it’s much easier and more reassuring when Sofia Anatolyevna is nearby, but I managed on my own. She joined me toward the end of the camp, and a couple of days later, we went sightseeing in Italy. We spent two days in Verona and two days in Rome. I loved it – beautiful places. I enjoy traveling and experiencing different cultures and countries; it’s always fascinating and leaves a lot of impressions.
The architecture in Italy is stunning. I can’t choose a favorite city — Venice, Milan, Rome, and Verona are all amazing. We even visited the small state of Vatican City, which was also beautiful with a rich history. I have so many memories and photos from the trip.”
Q: Would you like to return to Italy in February 2026?
Alina Gorbacheva: Of course, I would.”
On Plans After Turning 18
“Alina Gorbacheva: I’d love to get my driver’s license and attend driving school in the summer. Maybe not drive my own car yet, but I’d like to start driving. I haven’t asked Sofia Anatolyevna if she’d let me drive yet (laughs). At first, I might not drive because I’d be scared. But it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
I also still have a goal to buy my own apartment. It’s very important, especially as I’ll be turning 18 soon, so I need to work toward it. I’m not planning to move out immediately, but it’s something that’ll inevitably happen, so it’s important to have my own place.
Ideally, I’d like an apartment close to the rink — it’s really convenient and practical. During breaks, I could go home to relax, nap, or take care of my own things and then return to the second training session feeling refreshed. If I have to commute far or rest at the rink, it still gets tiring.”
On Favorite Books and Movies
“Alina Gorbacheva: I really like books about sports and autobiographies. I enjoyed Irina Viner’s I Am Nobody, Simone Biles’s book, and the movie about gymnast Gabrielle Douglas. I also love comedies, as well as books and movies about animals. Air Bud is an interesting series about a sports dog. Honestly, it’s hard to remember everything at once.
Books by figure skaters? I haven’t read full biographies — just excerpts. I don’t know why that is. I enjoy reading and watching stories about different sports.”
On Olympic Inspirations
“Alina Gorbacheva: At the 2014 Olympics, I wasn’t really following figure skating. I was six years old then and started skating when I was seven. I did watch some winter sports because my aunt lives in Sochi, and we even attended the Paralympics opening ceremony. I didn’t think about a skating career back then — I just liked skating for fun and enjoyed watching the competitions.
In 2018, I rooted for both Russian girls — Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva. I wanted whichever one had the strongest performance at the moment to win. They both showed their best and won two medals for their country.
Beijing 2022 was a tough Olympics. I wasn’t rooting for anyone in particular, but I was interested to see how Sasha Trusova would land her five quads. I also liked Anna Shcherbakova’s clean and winning performance. And, of course, Kamila Valieva’s team event skate was beautiful.”
On Working With a Psychologist
“Alina Gorbacheva: I work with a sports psychologist periodically. We discuss moments related to training, and it really helps. Everyone has things they want to improve to be more productive.”
On Representing St. Petersburg and Neutral Status
“Alina Gorbacheva: Why St. Petersburg? The funding there is excellent. Huge thanks to the St. Petersburg federation for accepting me. In Tver, it was tough in the last few years. We’re still waiting for reimbursement for travel expenses for several competitions last season. In sports, even if you’re on the Russian national team, part of the funding comes from your region, while the other part is covered by the Ministry of Sport or the Russian Federation of Figure Skating (FSFR). For example, FSFR covers hotels and meals, while your region is responsible for transportation.”
Q: How did you react to receiving neutral status? Does being the second-ranked Russian skater and an alternate for the Olympic qualification add pressure?
Alina Gorbacheva: I took it calmly. Overall, I’m a responsible person and get anxious when things don’t go as planned, so nothing has really changed. I’m just continuing to work hard to become the best version of myself.”
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