Anastasiia Metelkina: “I tell everyone that my goal is to win Olympic gold. It doesn’t have to happen in Milan, but I won’t retire until I achieve it. Luka didn’t have much choice – he had to agree with this plan, haha.”
Anastasiia Metelkina: Psychological Preparation Played a Key Role in Seasonal Success
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
Georgian figure skaters Anastasia Metelkina and Luka Berulava celebrate their victory at the Trialeti Trophy and discuss their preparations for the Grand Prix in China and their Olympic goals, highlighting their teamwork, dedication, and focus on continuous improvement. Here’s a translation of their comments.
Metelkina emphasized how her primary focus this year is the Olympics:
“Of course, all my thoughts this year are on the Olympics – it’s the most important event of my career. But not just to participate: I tell everyone that my goal is to win Olympic gold. It doesn’t have to happen in Milan, but I won’t retire until I achieve it. Luka didn’t have much choice – he had to agree with this plan, haha.”
She revealed how psychological preparation has played a crucial role:
“I’ve really prepared myself for this season. I started working with a psychologist, and the fact that we’ve had two clean starts this year shows that the effort has paid off.”
Metelkina also reflected on the benefits of having a short break between competitions:
“Honestly, I’m glad that we now have a slight break between tournaments because, at the Olympics, there’s also very little time between the team event and the individual event. It gives us the opportunity to learn how to handle this kind of schedule. Nika [Egadze], Diana [Davis], and Gleb [Smolkin] already have their first Grand Prix event next week, so their schedule is even tighter. This kind of experience is incredibly valuable for all of us.”
Berulava expressed the significance of competing in both formats: “Honestly, I value the team and individual competitions equally. The team event carries the weight of responsibility for the entire national team, but in the individual event, you’re not just performing for yourself—you’re competing for your country. So we’re ready to fight in both.”
Related topics: Anastasiia Metelkina, Luka Berulava
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