Alexei Mishin: Work with foreign athletes enriches coaches

Recently, Japanese media has published the news that Shoma Uno finished his cooperation with coach Mihoko Higuchi. There was also an information that Eteri Tutberidze or Alexei Mishin could become the new coach of the Japanese figure skater.

by Alexander Makarov for sportsdaily.ru

Alexei Mishin commented on this rumours.

Could you confirm the information of the Japanese media?

– I don’t know anything about it.

So it’s not true?

– Yes.

In that article, the commentator of the junior Grand Prix Ted Burton noted that an important aspect is the unwillingness of coaches to work with competitors for athletes from their countries. Would it be a problem for you to train a Japanese figure skater?

– Not. I see myself in two ways: as a former Soviet, Russian coach and as a world coach. I don’t divide the athletes on the nation. This is a wrong understanding of patriotism. The modern world in any sphere of human activity is an associative world, uniting various, in this case, sports schools of different countries. The solution of any problems – scientific, cultural, environmental – should be done by the whole world. It is right. Work with foreign athletes enriches coaches.

You already have experience working with foreigners.

– Yes. At various times these were Stephane Lambiel, Carolina Kostner, Javier Fernandez, Kiira Korpi, Sarah Meier. Now we are in Riga, from where we’ll fly to Geneva, and from there to the French city of Courchevel. We got a video from our camp, where American champion Bradie Tennell is already skating. She will train in our group, with our specialists – Mishina and Prokofieva.

How did that happen? Whose initiative was it?

– Hers.

Is she the only foreign skater or will there be someone else?

– There will be more, of course. Last year, for example, World silver medalist, the Japanese Wakaba Higuchi trained with us. Unfortunately, she won’t join us this year, she’s sick. Many foreigners have always trained with us. Now there’s a simplified understanding of patriotism. We have two hard weeks ahead in Courchevel, where we will work with our and foreign athletes.

Have you seen Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and Sofia Samodurova after rest? How did they spend their vacations?

– I will answer this question later when I see them in France on the ice.

During vacations, did you follow their Instagram accounts, controlled what they were doing?

– Neither I, nor Tatiana Prokofieva control our athletes. The time has passed when for example Soviet hockey players were locked up at the training camps, even on weekends, without being allowed to meet with their wives and families. Now freedom is a conscious necessity. Both we and our athletes profess this very principle. And at the training camps, both Liza and Sonya will receive a clear work plan: from 9 to 10 you have this, from 10 to 11 that and so on. It was necessary to rest during the vacations.

Related topics: Alexei Mishin, Bradie Tennell, Shoma Uno