Rafael Arutyunyan: “Malinin is a product of Russian-Soviet school of figure skating, not American system, there’s no system in the USA.”
Rafael Arutyunyan on the air of the program on Match TV called the American Ilia Malinin, who got into the Guinness Book of Records for performing the quadruple axel in competitions, a skater of the Russian school.
source: matchtv.ru
Rafael Arutyunyan: This young man is quite self-confident. He knows what he is doing and has been working towards it for a long time. Last year, he was second at the US Nationals, behind Nathan Chen, who has dominated the world for the past four years. The guy is very good, smart. I hope he puts his fame to good use.
This is a skater of the Russian-Soviet school of figure skating. Let’s start with the fact that his parents are athletes of the Soviet school. They raised him. I help him, being also of the Russian-Soviet school. Malinin is not a product of the American system. At the Tutberidze’s rink, everything is systemic, but in the USA there is no system. In America, this boy was brought up by Russian coaches, and the country gave him the opportunity to realize himself. It’s also worth a lot.
Related topics: Ilia Malinin, Rafael Arutyunyan
His parents are Russian with Uzbek citizenship. Many skaters after the Soviet Union breakup despite not being from those former Soviet republics represented them. Skorniakov and Malinina represented Uzbekistan despite being born and raised in Russia, Berezhnaya represented Latvia in 94, Navka represented Belarus and Russia despite being from Ukraine, Morozov represented Azerbaijan and Belarus despite being Russian and the list goes on. That being said his parents are Russian.
We don’t have a training system in the US like there is Russia. Here in America, it’s the parents who must find and pay for coaching, ice time, costumes, etc. In Russia, there is more support from the state. I think that is what Rafael meant when he said there is no “system” in America. In addition to being extremely talented, I believe one reason Nathan Chen was so successful is because from a young age, he had Russian coaches and took extensive ballet and dance lesson like Russian kids do. America may not have a training system like Russia’s but the country is home to many, many, many talented Russian skating specialists.
Well fact that Nathan dominated when there is no system in US is remarkable testimony to his talent and tenacity. Russian system has produced top women skaters but failed dismally to produce any top male skaters in last decade. Which means top male skaters do not depend on any system per se.
Ilia is first of all son of his two parents, who were both exquisite Soviet skaters, and at some point trained each other, in the absence of coaches. Brilliance looks for its own pioneer ways, instead of following whatever roots. Ilia trains where he trains, has no memories of the Soviet era. Peace to him, please spare him all the boxes.
Dude, he was born and raised in the US, and his parents are Uzbeks, not Russian. Russia has zip to do with his talent and his success.
There is one person on his team that is Russian–all the others are Uzbek, Ukrainian or Austrian.