Maxim Trankov: At the Olympics, all athletes rooted for Zhenya. No one rooted for Alina. But she won deservedly
Maxim Trankov, who we’ll comment Rostelecom Cup 2018 shared his opinion about ladie’s single skating.
Alina Zagitova wins, but she is still criticized for mistakes. Maybe we are too prejudiced to the Olympic champion?
– I treat Alina absolutely not biased. The main thing is to win and get to the Grand Prix finals. People forget the performences, but the result remains. Secondly, no one takes into account that last season was Olympic. Someone just participated, but someone fought for medals. Like Zagitova and Medvedeva. The fact that the current season is harder for them is absolutely normal and understandable. The main thing is to get the best shape for the World Championships.
Alina admitted that she was nervous during the Helsinki Grand Prix. Can’t it be a fear to let her coach Eteri Tutberidze down?
– Alina is growing up. Responsibility is growing. Attitude towards the result becomes more tangible for her. Of course, there will be more nerves. If she learns to cope with them, then she will skate normally. Alina doesn’t make any big mistakes. The transitional age at 17-18 years old is the most difficult for girls. Of course, this also affects. But she is not the first and not the last. I think that Alina will cope. Eteri Georgievna knows how to work with girls.
Yulia Lipnitskaya did not cope with this problem …
– She was coached by another coach then. There was also a story with Yulia’s mother. But even if Eteri Georgievna made a mistake, then she probably learned from it.
Where can Zagitova find a motivation after winning the Olympics? Seems that Adelina Sotnikova wasn’t able.
– Alina is not a world champion. The motivation is to win the last missing title. From my own experience, I can say that after winning the Olympics it is very hard to find motivation. Sometimes impossible. For example, I didn’t find it.
How do you think, how realistic is it for Zagitova to stay for the entire Olympic cycle?
– It will depend on how ambitious she is. You can become just an Olympic champion, or you can become a legend.
Irina Slutskaya recently complained that all the skaters are the same mow. She wants to see not jumping to the music, but beautiful skating with a soul. Do you agree with such a harsh opinion?
– I don’t think so. Maybe some insult speaks in Ira. I see development in complexity, spins, musical accompaniment. Zagitova this year has grown very much in terms of choreography, she began to ride feminine.
Zagitova continues to perform her free program to the music from “Carmen”. Maybe it was worth experimenting in the post-Olympic season?
– Why look for something new if there are eternal things that will never be forgotten and will always be used in ballet, figure skating and rhythmic gymnastics?!
This season, everyone was waiting for the continuation of the rivalry between Zagitova and Medvedeva. But Elizaveta Tuktamysheva appeared. In your opinion, can she really interfere in this fight?
– Liza has one of the most complex jumping content in the world. Whether she intervenes or not will depend on the judges’ attitude towards her. Liza lost three years. Now she is coming back very confidently. I’m so sick of commenting on every breath of Alina and Zhenya, that I’m very pleased that Liza appeared and at least someone is beginning to be distracted on her.
Now everyone has noticed that Tuktamysheva will comment Zagitova’s performance at the Grand prix in Moscow for the “Match TV”. How ethical is this, still they’re competitors?
– I know that the federation isn’t happey about that. Liza got to the Grand Prix finals, but she still needs to train. If she is on the commentary position, then we will be there together. I will help her. In principle, there’s nothing terrible about the fact that Liza will comment on Alina’s performance. She can be silent. Other commentators will say for her.
Liza can keep silent, or she can say something harsh.
– I think you mistaken the job of commentator and guest star. We will ask Liza questions, and she will answer.
The Japanese Grand Prix was won by 16-year-old Rika Kihira. The second was her compatriot Satoko Miyahara, who had previously won Skate America. Is it possible to say that Japanese women are serious competitors for Russians?
– Of course! Kihira can win the World championship. Two triple axel in the free program allow her to be 10 points ahead of any rival.
There’re talks again that the age for being senior should be increased in women’s skating. Ilia Averbukh believes that girls should start doing seniors from 17 years. Otherwise they will not have time to grow up as women in figure skating.
– This is absolutely not fair. Then you need to make another age category. In figure skating there are only juniors and seniors. In seniors you can skate up to one hundred years old if you want to, and in juniors – only up to 19. We don’t have youth teams, as in other sports. If they make this age requirement, girls who show results at the age of 15-16 will be eliminated and go nowhere. And we will lose more than one generation. It is necessary to make another age category. I see no other options.
Zagitova won the Olympics in 15 years. Do you agree that at the GP in Moscow she again will compete only with herself?
– This is the post-Olympic season. We don’t see the bright Grand Prix in all disciplines except for the women’s single skating. Yuzury Hanyu comes to Moscow and we know that he is likely to win.
Even the third place will allow Zagitova to get into the Grand Prix Final. Evgenia Medvedeva, on contrary, risks missing this competition. How important is it to be there? Or is Grand Prix just a warm-up competitions before the main starts of the season?
– Of course, it will be more difficult for Zhenyu. Young Japanese lady will compete with her in France. But she put herself into this situation after the third place at Skate Canada.
Do you see any progress after Evgenia moved to Brian Orcer?
– If we talk about new programs, artistic images, then she is now trying to show North American skating, which is considered to be the leading one.
Do you think Medvedeva is capable of taking convincing revenge this season?
– The ice is slippery. Alina can skate as she did at the last World Championships. The performance is influenced by thousands of factors: jumps, technique, ice, acclimatization …
Tuktamysheva said that Medvedeva was worthy of winning the Olympics more than anyone else. Is it possible to say such things? After all, figure skating is a sport. The stronger is the one who wins.
– At the Olympics, all athletes, of course, rooted for Zhenya. No one rooted for Alina. She was a junior who just came to senior skating. Zhenya was already a two-time world champion and carried the whole Russian team on her shoulders. Of course, everyone was rooting for her. She’s spent four years gradually going toward this gold. Athletes understand how hard it is to be in the top for four years. At the same time, Alina absolutely deserved to win the Olympics. Her program was much stronger technically than Evgenia’s. This season they expect Alina to prove that she really was worthy of becoming an Olympic champion. Personally, as a fan and former member of the national team, by and large I don’t care who will win. The main thing is Russian flag being raised.
Related topics: Alina Zagitova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Evgenia Medvedeva, interview, Tatiana Volosozhar Maxim Trankov
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