“Objectively, a coach always pays more attention to one athlete than another.” Alexei Mishin discusses the dynamics between Yagudin and Plushenko

Alexei Mishin Reflects on the Competition Between Yagudin and Plushenko

original source: RTVI

Alexei Mishin discusses the dynamics between Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko during their time as training partners, disputes claims of favoritism, and reflects on Yagudin’s departure and ultimate Olympic triumph. Here’s a translation of hic comments.

Alexei Mishin has shared his thoughts on the rivalry between Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko during their time in his training group. According to Yagudin, he felt that Mishin paid more attention to Plushenko during training sessions, a claim that Mishin recently addressed in an interview with RTVI.

“Objectively, a coach always pays more attention to one athlete than another. In Yagudin’s case, I never anticipated that such a conflict could arise,” Mishin stated.

The coach emphasized that he always acted fairly, recalling how he advocated for Yagudin to compete at the 1998 Olympics in Japan after Yagudin’s victory at the European Championships. Mishin revealed that the Russian Figure Skating Federation’s leadership, including Valentin Piseyev, its then unquestionable president, had favored Plushenko for the Olympic spot.

“I said, ‘He won, so he goes.’ It was my voice that secured Alexei Yagudin’s participation in those Olympics. So, to say that I was biased or that I loved someone more is simply not true. However, I understand how minor circumstances may give that impression.”

Mishin recounted another incident involving Yagudin at a European Championships. “At one championship, Alexei Urmanov lost to Yagudin in both the short and free programs. Yet, due to judging irregularities, Urmanov was crowned champion. Yagudin thought, ‘Well, damn it, what kind of injustice is this? Maybe Mishin betrayed me.’ But that wasn’t the case at all,” Mishin explained.

Mishin also reflected on Yagudin’s decision to leave his coaching team in 1998 to train under Tatiana Tarasova, a move that eventually led to Yagudin becoming Olympic champion at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

“Philosophically speaking, perhaps his departure wasn’t entirely bad; maybe it was even good in some ways. Yagudin became an Olympic champion. His departure also paved the way for Evgeni Plushenko to reign as the top skater for the next four years. Whether it was good or bad – these are complex philosophical categories that must be considered carefully and through the lens of hindsight,” Mishin mused.

Related topics: Alexei Mishin, Alexei Yagudin, Evgeni Plushenko