Alexei Mishin: There is nothing good in confrontation of Medvedeva and Zagitova
Alexei Mishin about results of European Championships 2018 and competition inside one group.
Let’s start with the most interesting, the results of the ladies’ competitions.
– Only three our girls: Zagitova, Medvedeva, Sotskova, Belgian Loena Hendrickx, which became the fifth, and Carolina Kostner skated decently, level of all the others leaves much to be desired.
With all respect to Kostner and the bronze she won, technically she skated very weakly in the free program. Did the end of your cooperation affected so?
– I don’t want to say negative things about her, maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe the real reason, but the rules say that with falls and technical mistakes the components can not be high.
What do you think about gold and silver medalists Zagitova and Medvedeva?
– I once went through the confrontation Yagudin – Plushenko and there is nothing good in this. And journalists who foment interest in this are, in fact, are their ill-wishers.
But isn’t it good for figure skating? Doesn’t it increase the general interest to the sport?
– The increase in interest doesn’t help your jumps and spins and doesn’t add grace.
But after all, they already skate in the same skating rink and understand everything perfectly even without the increased interest of the media …
– What do they understand? Competition is such a thing … After all at different times in my group skated Yagudin, Urmanov, Tataurov, Plushenko. There were also Gachinsky and Dmitriev, who competed among themselves, and this was good for them. But sometimes someone can no longer stand it. At some point, Dmitriev could not resist whispers: “You will die in the shadow of Gachinsky,” and previously Yagudin, who was told the same thing about competition with Plushenko. Only a very strong athlete can withstand such competition.
How a coach, who has two sportsmen fighting for the first place, moreover with each other, can divide his heart into two parts?
– I wanted everyone to show his maximum. I doubt that there are high class coaches who think: “You – fall, and you – stand.” I never had such feelings!
But it turns out that the coach in some way betrays his student, with whom he began to work earlier, by helping his opponent to improve.
– For the coach, the situation is really very difficult. At one time I insisted that Yagudin, not Plushenko, go to Nagano-1998, the Federation was insisting on the opposite.
If we talk about the history of the Olympic tournaments among women, it often happened that they were waiting for the fight between the two obvious leaders, but someone third jumped from the back.
– It happens, of course, but I hope that this will not happen to our girls. At the moment, someone third can interfere, only if Zagitova and Medvedev make too many mistakes in their programs.
Whose chances of winning in Pyeongchang seem higher to you?
– While everything seems to be in favor of Zagitova, but Medvedev’s chances by and large did not decrease.
At the European Championships Evgenia lost to her rival in technique. Is it risky to try to complicate the programs before the Olympics?
– I think that this is possible, but disputably and risky.
And what do you think about our guys: the bronze medalist of the National championships bypasses the national champion?
– Misha Kolyada, of course, shouldn’t make mistakes, although the potential is very high! Aliev became second due to wise tactics of his coaching staff not to risk with quadruple lutz, and to do in the free program a possible level of difficulty for him.
When Kolyada was jokingly asked about a similar path, he replied that it is necessary to keep pace with the times and complicate the programs.
– It is so, he can’t do without a quadruple lutz, but he also can’t make mistakes.
But the potential… Maybe, with a certain scenario, he can get on the pedestal?
– Gold, if the Japanese, Americans and Canadians get measles at the behest of old Hottabych (wizard from Russian movie). But silver and bronze are real for him!
by Ekaterina Bespalova for sport-express.ru
Related topics: Alexei Mishin, Alina Zagitova, European Championships, Evgenia Medvedeva, mikhail kolyada
Nice to hear comments from Mishin, and understand how he thinks. My favourite ever Russian male skater has always been Yagudin, who had something so special, and I would drink in his performances. With Plushenko I had to sometimes look away. Love FSG too!
Is Caro no longer his student?
Yes, they ended their cooperation. She said something about “hard to be far from home etc”, but I doubt it was a real reason.
and do you know who is her new coach?
Michael Huth
Thanks :)
That last comment is everything!
Thanks for this!