Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin: “As always, Benoit created a program with a story. Out FP beautifully illustrates our real-life story as a pair. I feel like we’ve saved each other and found new meaning together.”
Hase and Volodin Reflect on Their Nebelhorn Trophy Victory
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
German pair skaters Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin reflected on their victory at the Nebelhorn Trophy, discussing new technical achievements, emotional execution challenges, and the deeper meaning behind their free skate program. Here’s a translation of their comments given to Sports correspondent Maya Bagriantseva.
“I didn’t even notice during the skate that Minerva did a single jump instead of a planned one, so I was blissfully unaware until the end,” Volodin admitted.
Reflecting on the difficulty of their performance, he added, “I think it came down to fatigue – it felt oddly challenging today, for reasons I can’t quite explain. But I won’t blame external factors – we need to execute well under any circumstances. I’m also not entirely satisfied that we couldn’t fully convey the emotions of the program as originally envisioned by Benoit Richaud. However, this was just the first competition of the season, so we know everything will come together as we go.”
Despite the hurdles, Volodin expressed excitement about their progress:
“What we’re most happy about is accomplishing our main task here: for the first time, we earned a Level 4 on our twist. We also landed the throw flip for the first time. We’ve been working to increase our difficulty for this season, and it’s rewarding to see those efforts paying off. As Tatiana Anatolievna Tarasova says, “Sdelano!” (‘It’s done!’)”
He praised Hase for her performance: “Minerva was fantastic. That was a solid throw, and I think this success will boost her confidence with this jump. That’s important because every point matters – add one point here, half a point there – and it all builds up. It definitely boosts our confidence knowing we’re technically competitive. At the Olympics, results often come down to fractions of a point, so we need to be prepared.”
Hase shared insights into the concept behind their free skate, choreographed by Benoit Richaud: “As always, Benoit created a program with a story. It starts dark: we’ve lost hope, there’s chaos all around us, and we don’t know how to keep going. But Nikita guides me through this difficult period, showing me that there’s hope. He teaches me how to find happiness. In the end, we reach a happy ending.”
For Hase, the program reflects not only their partnership on the ice but also their personal journey: “It beautifully illustrates our real-life story as a pair. I feel like we’ve saved each other and found new meaning together.”
Related topics: Minerva Fabienne Hase, Nebelhorn Trophy
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