Mikhail Kolyada: The season of “Carmen” is open

Short interview with Mikhail Kolyada after his victory at Ondrej Nepela Trophy.

Misha, the first competition, the first victory. What do you think of your performance?

– In my opinion, my performance turned out quite vivid. Still, this is the beginning of the season. Of course you need to get into shape. Not everything turned out, not everything is so smooth, but there is always something to work on. I think that at the next competitions I will look different, I will skate more confidently and there will be no problems with jumps.

This time you and your coach changed the jumps content. Why?

– We decided to try the program with two toe loops. It is clear that program needs more run-throughs. After the test skates in Moscow, there was only one full training week before the competition in Bratislava. I did not have time to make enough run-throughs of the programs. But at this competitions I did everything I could. I tried to control how many combinations I need to do, how many turns to rotate, everything was calculated. So there couldn’t be any trouble.

You removed the triple axel from the program, replacing it with a toe loop. Why? After all, you have a good axel.

– Axel is good, beautiful, but we decided to try this way.

The next competitions is Finlandia Trophy, will you try something new there?

– Yes. We will come to St.Petersburg, we will analyze, calculate everything. Perhaps, we will try another version of the program, and till the main competitions we will determine more or less which one to skate.

Your free program is “Carmen”. When you told me about it in the summer, then I frankly was not sure that it would suit you. But you look good. You’ve been wanting to skate to this music for a long time. Why?

– I was 9-10 years old when I said that I really like this music, I would like to try it, because it pushes me. But then this idea was swept “under the carpet” and only recently I recall it. And not only me. Three figure skaters of our team have the program to “Carmen”. So the season of “Carmen” is open.

I’ve already told Alina Zagitova that you, she and Maxim Kovtun need to do a gala program to “Carmen”.

– Well, I do not know, but the idea is good.

What are the comments about your program?

– Positive. Both from the judges and specialists we heard good feedback. In Novogorsk and here in Bratislava. Judging by the scores, they liked the program. But it is clear that it still needs polishing. I’ll go home, we’ll watch video with a choreographer. Maybe we’ll add something. Now there is a process of “molding”, like the masters who make pots or something like that. It is clear that the main work we did in the summer, now we make minor adjustments, which relate to the presentation, interpretation and everything else.

by Tatjana Flade for fsrussia.ru

Related topics: interview, mikhail kolyada, Ondrej Nepela Trophy