Alexandra Trusova: “I think I deserved Olympic gold with my performance.”
Interview with Alexandra Trusova. About Olympics, quads, popularity and relationship with Mark Kondratiuk.
source: sport24.ru dd. 16th June 2022, by Anastasia Skoptsova and Konstantin Lesik
The interview was in her hometown at the Olimpiysky skating rink, where the first 5 years of the career of the future figure skating superstar passed. The interview was recorded in the choreography class.
Sasha, how often do you manage to come to your hometown?
Alexandra Trusova: When I first moved to Moscow, I rarely came to Ryazan – there was no time. But after the Olympics, I’m here for the second time.
Do you have any memories when you walk through the ice arena where you spent your childhood?
Alexandra Trusova: Recently I have come to the master class. And I can’t say that while working with children I imagined a little myself. When I go, I imagine, yes. I imagine how I was skating on the public skating. I remember this well.
I lived on the other side of the city. My mother or grandmother used to take me to trainings. And once, my grandfather took me. We came at the rink, he prepared me for going on the ice, and I got up and said: “You did the laces wrong.” He said: “Well, then we’ll go home?” I answered yes. And we went home (laughs).
What did you think about when you worked with small children at the master class?
Alexandra Trusova: I enjoyed helping them. At first, I didn’t quite succeed, because there were a lot of them. I didn’t know who to look at. In addition, there were coaches. I believe that I cannot give hints when there are coaches of these children on the ice. Then the coaches moved away a bit, and the guys began to turn to me with advice. And only then I started to train them, it was very interesting.
Your first coach Olga Shevtsova said that if we go out into the street with your portrait, then everyone here will recognize you. Do you feel special attention in your hometown?
Alexandra Trusova: I can bring our current trip as an example. We have been in Ryazan for a short time, and I have hardly been on the street – I literally just got out of the car, went to the skating rink, but three people on the street managed to recognize me, then two more girls here.
But I get recognized a lot in other places too. Recently I was in St. Petersburg, and people walking towards me said: “Oh, hello!” And in Moscow too. So I can’t even say where more.
Was there some strange request from the fans that you thought “this is too much”?
Alexandra Trusova: In general, I really like it when they recognize me, I like this popularity. But there are some moments when it is shown too strongly. For example, I don’t like being approached on planes or airports. It happens that you fly for a very long time, it’s already night, and then this (attention of the fans) is strange.
I still don’t like it when they just take pictures of me or shoot me on the sly, as I walk somewhere.
Is it better to come up and ask for a photo?
Alexandra Trusova: Yes. I don’t refuse. Only if this is not some kind of event where there are a lot of people, and I just physically do not have time to take a picture with everyone.
What do fans usually say to you?
Alexandra Trusova: Most often, “can we take a picture” or “I recognized you.” Recently there was a funny story with a taxi driver. He did not recognize me, but asked some leading questions about me. Asked, asked. And then we passed a big banner with an ice show poster, and he was like: “Oh, I saw you on the poster just now!”
What is the most unusual place where you were recognized?
Alexandra Trusova: Hmm, I don’t know… The Tretyakov Gallery!
Does great popularity discourage or vice versa gives additional motivation?
Alexandra Trusova: It’s different for everyone. For me, when I was little, in my first international junior season, maybe that got in the way. Now I don’t feel like that anymore.
Do you read news about yourself?
Alexandra Trusova: After the Olympics, I sometimes read (smiles). But I don’t pay attention to some things.
In the comments of experts, you can see the opinion that you are focused on jumps and do not pay enough attention to choreography …
Alexandra Trusova: This is their opinion. I work a lot not only on jumps, but also on skating. Last season I spent nights at the rink to improve my skating skills. This season I also worked a lot – I tried to invest as much as possible in the second mark in my Olympic programs. Especially in the short one.
Nightly workout – wow!
Alexandra Trusova: Yes, we skated with Dmitri Sergeevich Mikhailov. We started at 9 pm and finished when we wanted. We skated as much as we could.
One of your latest show programs is to a song “I won’t quit halfway.” Can you tell its story?
Alexandra Trusova: The program was choreographed by Daniil Markovich Gleikhengauz and Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze. There were a lot of tiktoks to this music. I liked it, and I asked the coaches to make a programs to this track.
Which of your latest programs for shows do you like the most?
Alexandra Trusova: “I won’t quit halfway”, as well as our duet program with Dmitri Mikhailov. It `s very unusual. It’s always a pleasure to skate it. I like it when there are many different programs and there are plenty to choose from.
At the Olympics, you did five quads in a free program. Which one was the hardest one for you to stabilize?
Alexandra Trusova: Can I answer “axel”? Haha! Okay, let’s choose from quads. The most difficult are flip and salchow. The most important thing is not to fall on the flip at the beginning of the program, which is the first jump. If I fall, more strength is spent, and salchow definitely won’t work out in this case.
A triple axel is half a turn less than a quadruple, but quads are much easier for you. What’s the catch here?
Alexandra Trusova: For someone lutz is difficult. But for me on the contrary – I can jump it at any time without problems, because it’s convenient for me. I don’t have such with my axel. It is difficult for me, because you need to control the body very much in order to do it right. I worry in competitions and because of that I can’t achieve the necessary control. This is at other competitions, I can’t say anything about the Olympics, because I didn’t worry there.
Recently, the American figure skater Ilia Malinin has peformed quad axel for the first time in history. Did you see?
Alexandra Trusova: Of course I saw it! It’s very cool, he’s great. I thought that the quadruple axel would not be jumped so fast. But I hope he won’t jump a quintuple (smiles).
In social networks Ilia calls himself the Quad god. Wouldn’t you like to be called “queen” or “goddess” too?
Alexandra Trusova: No (smiles). I’m not so sure of myself.
Should we expect a joint show number with Mark Kondratiuk?
Alexandra Trusova: I don’t know (laughs). We haven’t thought about this yet.
Why did you decide to post joint photos and confirm your relationship?
Alexandra Trusova: First, we were photographed. Of course, we were not going to hide it, but we were photographed every time we walked together. Then they posted our pictures. It wasn’t great. I don’t like that. It turns out that we can’t normally walk because of the constant photos. It is very strange.
So we decided to post it. What’s more, the photos are beautiful.
So you’ve seen all this news about your romance?
Alexandra Trusova: Of course I saw it all. It all was on social media right away. Weird and not very nice. But when people ask for a photo with me and Mark together, we don’t say no. Even on vacation. We are approached in other countries as well. I think my hair plays a role here.
Can I ask you how long you’ve been together. Or are you avoiding this topic for now?
Alexandra Trusova: Everyone knows we’re dating. And this information is enough (smiles).
Do you have a habit of re-watching your performances?
Alexandra Trusova: Successful – yes, of course. Sometimes I just want to watch a video from some competitions, but sometimes I watch my performances from start to finish. Starting with the video where I am small, and ending with the last performance. I’m not doing this for some purpose, just for myself.
What performance do you watch most often?
Alexandra Trusova: From my first World Championships among juniors. (In the free program, Sasha was the first in history among girls to cleanly jump two quads and win a gold medal. The tournament was held in 2018 in Sofia, – Sport24).
Did you re-watch the free program from the Olympics?
Alexandra Trusova: Oh sure. I did everything I could there. This is a very good performance.
What are you thinking about at this moment?
Alexandra Trusova: I think about what I had in my mind before that performance. I remember that I was not worried. At least not as much as usual. I don’t know how I managed to set myself up. Now I can’t imagine how I did it then. How did I manage to do everything at the right time.
Before that, at every competitions I used to say to myself: “This is not the Olympics. These competitions happen every year. Nothing bad is happening right now.” And then the Olympics itself happened … And everything is different.
What are your memories of Beijing?
Alexandra Trusova: Not quite what I expected. We were only in the Olympic village and on the ice. Because of this bubble, I can’t even say that I was in China. But the Olympic ice is not comparable to anything. The village was interesting. We walked there, took pictures on the rings. It was nice.
Can we say that you are satisfied with how the Olympics went?
Alexandra Trusova: Yes.
And the result in the form of a silver medal?
Alexandra Trusova: I am 100% satisfied with myself. Without any doubt, I wouldn’t change anything.
Sorry for this question, but many people remember your emotional outbreak after the free skate. Don’t you regret it?
Alexandra Trusova: Expressing my emotions in such a way?
Yes.
Alexandra Trusova: I don’t regret it. Once I cried at the Russian Nationals. After that, the fans asked me not to cry anymore, because they are crying also. Since then, regardless of the performances, I tried to hide my emotions, keep smiling, not showing anything. But at the Olympics it was beyond my capabilities. And I couldn’t help it.
Do you hold a grudge against those journalists who filmed you at such a moment?
Alexandra Trusova: I asked not to shoot me, I wanted to leave from there and asked about it. But I was not allowed out of this room even into the locker room. Only on the ice, for the awards. And that’s it. But the cameras were everywhere. I tried to leave this room, to leave anywhere. I tried to leave when other skaters were skating, when they asked me to give an interview. But I had nowhere to go. I just couldn’t leave.
Of course, I wasn’t going to cry in public. It happened because there was nowhere to go. I didn’t want it to be filmed and I asked them not to. But happened what happened.
Five quads this is a record. And you wrote your name in history. What is more important in this case – medals or records?
Alexandra Trusova: Records are always important to me. But this medal, the one that I think I deserved with my performance, was important to me. Exactly this medal. I don’t regret other medals that I didn’t get because of my skating. And in Beijing, I tried, I achieved my goal. And only this medal was important to me.
Olympic gold?
Alexandra Trusova: Yes.
Did you keep the silver one?
Alexandra Trusova: Of course, it is at home, in the corner where all the medals are. At home there is a separate place for the Olympics – there is a bouquet, Bing Dwen Dwen Dun, my brother put together Lego – I brought him from Beijing. It turned out such an Olympic corner.
One of the journalists said that you came to the reception in the Kremlin without your medal, and you also took Evgenia Tarasova’s medal for the award ceremony. This is true?
Alexandra Trusova: Yes, I took Zhenya’s. I just forgot my medal (laughs).
So it’s not principal?
Alexandra Trusova: At the Olympics, I took off silver, yes. But there I was not going to show it, I was not going to go anywhere with it. Well, in general, I take it everywhere on minimum. As for that meeting, we were told to take medals there, but I just forgot. But I don’t wear a medal on purpose to show it to someone.
Fans write all sorts of things, so let me just clarify. Do you communicate with Anya Shcherbakova after the Olympics, is everything all right?
Alexandra Trusova: Yes.
Do your parents watch your performances?
Alexandra Trusova: Mom always watches. Worries, but watches.
Did her absence at the Olympics somehow affect you there?
Alexandra Trusova: Probably it didn’t affect my result and emotions. It’s just that I have not been without parents, without dogs for such a long time. Before I haven’t gone somewhere alone for more than three weeks. Before that, this happened at the World Championships in Stockholm, but there was only one week.
When was the first time you got to talk to your mom after the free skate?
Alexandra Trusova: I talked to her when Kamila was skating.
What did she tell you?
Alexandra Trusova: Basically, I spoke, and she listened to me (laughs). But my mother said that I did well, jumped. We’ve spoken many times.
Your dance in high heels was a hit on social media. How did you get started doing this?
Alexandra Trusova: I always wanted to try frame up strip. I watched the new “New Dances” and there was the Agny team. I really liked the guys, I rooted for them. It’s a shame they lost.
Once I watched them at a massage. The team comes, they announces its creator Nastya Yurasova, and the masseuse says: “I know her, I knew her.” They were together in some camps. I asked if she could work with me. It turned out that Nastya created this style. She does not give individual lessons, but she agreed to work out with me as an exception.
For a month, 2-3 times a week, I practiced, and then posted this video. But she says that it’s not really choreography yet, but a set of basic elements that we put on music.
Do you keep practicing?
Alexandra Trusova: I didn’t practice on vacation, but now I will continue.
What are your plans for the near future?
Alexandra Trusova: Now we are having training camp in Novogorsk. From there I will go to the show, then I will return and train. I work like everyone else.
Are there any ideas for programs?
Alexandra Trusova: Not yet (smiles). (The interview was recorded on June 8, – Sport24).
Why did you decide to compete in the athletics event?
Alexandra Trusova: In some interview, I said that I want to try, and I was invited to the competitions. I don’t know why it caused such a resonance. Everyone writes something… I didn’t understand why it happened like that.
Earlier you said that you plan to skate until the 2026 Olympics. Is there some understanding of long-term plans?
Alexandra Trusova: No. I don’t know how things will turn out. I haven’t competed since the Olympics, so I can’t say anything.
Are you considering a change of sports citizenship?
Alexandra Trusova: No, I don’t.
What quality do you consider the most important in people?
Alexandra Trusova: Patience. This quality seems to me very important.
Are Sasha Trusova on the ice and Sasha Trusova off the ice two different people?
Alexandra Trusova: Probably not. I try to be sincere always. I always try to be the same, I don’t try to play someone. I am always very sincere. Perhaps that is why they tell me that in some programs I am not artistic. But I believe that everything should be sincere, and if I show some emotions, they should not be feigned. Maybe it’s not as visible as when people play on purpose. But I think that on purpose is not always beautiful. I do as I feel.
What will Sasha Trusova do in 10 years?
Alexandra Trusova: I will be 27 years old … Most likely, I will already have a child. Because I want it. And what I will do – I do not know. Too much time will pass.
Related topics: Alexandra Trusova
SASHA TRUSOVA IS THE BEST!!! I ❤️U!!! You did ur best, and that’s what matters.
She is extremely good at athletic things. And she is both cute and charismatic. I admire her strong will and character;)
she didn’t really say things she should’ve won in the interview tho – i find the title kinda misleading ngl
Anna Shcherbakova is the Olympic champion, eat it jumping jack! :)
In all honesty, she’s neither beautiful nor has any class… Sge’s simply good at athletic things. That’s it
Beautiful girl! Hope everything goes well with her plans. She was a victim too at those horrific Olympic ladies event.