Aleksandra Boikova: “As I understand it – because there wasn’t much media coverage about Sasha’s (Galliamov) injury, the ISU decided there were some behind-the-scenes games with replacing the main entries. So they refused the substitution due to injury.”

Three-time Russian champion Aleksandra Boikova described feeling devastated after not being selected for the Olympic qualifier, reflecting on her disappointment, uncertainty about her future, and the importance of legacy and financial stability in sports.

original source: Okko / text version Sports

Aleksandra Boikova, who competes with Dmitri Kozlovskii, shared how she reacted to not being chosen for the Olympic qualifier. Here’s a translation of her comments.

“We found out we weren’t going to the Olympics while we were on vacation.

A document was sent out listing the main and alternate athletes. By May, we all knew that Sasha Galliamov had suffered a very serious injury and would most likely not recover by September – for the Beijing qualifier.

On May 13, I was having dinner. I wish I could say I was sitting by the pool, drinking juice, but no, it was just dinner. I got a call from Alexander Ilyich Kogan, and also on the line were Anton Tarielievich Sikharulidze, Elena Anatolyevna Chaikovskaya, and maybe someone else – I don’t remember. Dima and I were added to the call.

Then these lists appeared, and I immediately messaged Alexander Ilyich: will the pairs be announced later, or what’s going on? Right away, I got a call, and the first thing I heard was: guys, you’re not going anywhere.

And then silence. Honestly, at that moment, I really wanted to tell everyone off. To say: how is this possible? Why?

No one really explained the situation to us, but as I understand it – this is my assumption – because there wasn’t much media coverage about Sasha’s injury, the ISU decided there were some behind-the-scenes games with replacing the main entries. So they refused the substitution due to injury. It was possible, but for some reason, in the end…

Of course, the vacation was ruined. That evening I cried for sure, and the next day I felt completely empty. I thought: what am I even doing here? Why should I stay in sports? For what? I have no Olympics, no international competitions. For four years, I’ve been traveling around Russian cities -yes, it’s all great, making audiences happy. But sport isn’t fulfilling its most important function for me: I’m not winning titles, I’m not leaving my name in history. For me, sport is about the chance to leave my name in history. None of that is happening.

At that moment, I thought: well, okay, Sasha, if you quit now – what will you do?

Yes, I have a journalism degree, but who needs me without a world or Olympic champion title? I understand I’ll have to work very hard. Maybe I’m not so bad at journalism, I don’t know yet. But when you have a background – including a sports background – it’s a bit easier to build your future career.

At that time, I thought I’d like to study design at the Stieglitz Academy. But for that, I need money – I can’t pay for my studies out of thin air. To start my own business, I’d need money too. At that moment, I didn’t have the means, because I’d invested in a mortgage and was basically at zero.

You sit and think: well, it looks like I’ll have to keep skating. Because there’s no other way to make a living right now.

Still, I want to lay a foundation for my future life, so I have the chance to make mistakes and not lose everything. No, sport isn’t just about money for us. It’s about achieving goals, overcoming yourself, and making your name in history. But the financial aspect is an important part of our journey,” Boikova said in an interview with Okko.

Aleksandra also shared her approach to planning her career, explaining that she now only plans a month ahead due to the unpredictability of recent years.

“After the news about not being admitted, Dima and I called each other again the next day to discuss what to do, what he thought, and what I thought. I told him: if we’re going to keep skating, then let’s try the quad throw. Why not? If nothing is changing, I want to bring some variety into my routine. And maybe, in some way, be remembered differently.

We had tried it in practice before, and it worked. So we decided: this year, we’ll take the risk and try to perform this element in competition. I do want to leave my mark in history, and I found this way to do it.

But it’s not an obsession with figure skating. I have a life outside of the sport. My interests are completely different – journalism, design – maybe they’re a little connected, but those fields can exist outside of sports.

I landed the quad throw, and it brought us victory at the Russian Nationals. But honestly, I don’t feel at peace yet. So what now? We’ll see. I have ideas, but we’ll see if I have the strength to make them happen.

I don’t make big plans for another Olympic cycle. COVID taught me that, and then our suspension – life really knocked on my head. Now, I try to plan my life a month ahead – what’s the point in more? This change in mindset actually happened during COVID. I tried to get used to it because I like to act according to a clear plan. When chaos happens, it annoys me – I hate being in limbo. I was used to making plans—both short-term and long-term. So when the world turned upside down, my mindset changed too.”

Related topics: Alexandra Boikova Dmitri Kozlovski, Olympic Games