Gleb Smolkin: “At this competitions we don’t look at the scores. There’re judges, they change, there will be new judges for the free dance.”
Diana Davis – Gleb Smolkin and their coach Igor Shpilband about the results in the short dance at the European Championships 2022 and preparation for it.
Davis/Smolkin (73,32) palces 8th after the sortd dance
Gleb Smolkin: The feelings are not bad, but we can do better, we know where we could be more powerful – everywhere. Not bad for a start, but you always want more. I wouldn’t compare scores with previous international event, in Warsaw it was a series B competition, and here is the pre-Olympic European Championships. Different things.
Let’s see what the rest will show, at this competitions we don’t look at the scores. There are judges, they change, there will be new judges for the free dance, many of them have not seen us yet, many remember us as juniors. Now, we hope it’s a different pair in front of them, improved, more matured.
The task is to show ourselves in the best possible way, so that we are remembered, that we are known, that they keep us in mind. We were a little more nervous than at the Russian Nationals, but the feelings are different, to be honest. Here we felt that our last competitions were too close to each other, it was a break only of two weeks, it’s unusually little for us.
source: sports.ru by Maia Bagryantseva
About preparation
Gleb Smolkin: Where did we spend these two weeks between the Nationals and Europeans? In Moscow, we trained at Eteri Georgievna’s rink, together with our pair skaters and with the whole team of Eteri Georgievna’s coaches. Igor Shpilband was constantly in touch online, he kept track of everything, we filmed everything and sent it to him, and in the evening we discussed it in detail.
There was not much time, we understood that we wouldn’t have time to change anything much. We also managed to rest on holidays – less than three days, though.
Eteri Georgievna is here with us, yes, she went out, she usually doesn’t watch our performances, and my parents stayed in St. Petersburg – now is not the safest time to travel.
How do we feel about being called “Diana and Davis”? Absolutely fine, with irony, no offense there. If doping control allows, we will try to stay and watch other duets – we will cheer for our guys, we believe in them, we support them. We also communicate well with many foreigners – met at different competitions.
source: sports.ru by Maia Bagryantseva
Igor Shpilband: I think the guys performed well for their debut at the European Championships. It seems to me that the scores correspond to the performance.
Diana and Gleb skated well, but understand, we did not have and do not have plans or tasks to fight for medals here.
Now our task is to show ourselves. To tell the whole world that we are exist and we can fight. To be remembered and get paid attention.
source: matchtv.ru
Related topics: Diana Davis Gleb Smolkin, Igor Shpilband
Gleb, I hope you realize the gift you’ve been given. I hope you are educated enough to see that your performance didn’t bear out the scores you were given. Not your fault at all! When you don’t make the top 10 at the Olympics, you will be given a more realistic assessment of your quality right now.