Anna Shcherbakova: “I sat in the green room during Kamila’s performance. It’s difficult to explain why, but I hadn’t felt anything at all. No joy, no frustration. It was an emotional burnout.”
Big interview with Anna Shcherbakova. Anna spoke about strange emotions from the Olympic victory, work with Tutberidze, the problem of weight and nutrition, money, experience in the Ice Age TV show and personal life.
source: FAMETIME TV youtube channel, text version sports.ru
You are now the host of “Ice Age”. How do you feel in a new role?
Anna Shcherbakova: Of course, the very first shooting was very exciting. I was asked, “What are your expectations from the project?” And I had no expectations at all, because I had nothing to compare.
Have you watched the project before?
Anna Shcherbakova: I watched, but when I was still very young. But I watched from the outside – of course, from the inside, everything is completely different. And being a TV host for the first time… At first I was nervous, but now I’m getting used to it a little, I’m working on the shortcomings, and there is progress.
Well, how did it happen? Were you invited or did you express your desire?
Anna Shcherbakova: Back in the summer, Ilia Averbukh invited me as a participant, but I’m not ready for this yet. Firstly, I’m afraid to skate in a pair. Even when I look at pair skaters, it takes my breath away. When they do a lift, I think, “Put her down, put her down faster!”
Therefore, I was not ready for such a role. But after a while they asked, “Maybe in some other role?” Well, I said, “If just to talk and not skate, then maybe I would try.” And just a few days before the project, they told me the final decision. I was surprised, but immediately began to review the episodes to prepare.
What if he invites you to join the number of participants next year?
Anna Shcherbakova: This year I already have experience, but for now I refuse. I’m not sure; let’s wait and see what happens. So far, I’m definitely not ready.
While it’s not your dream to skate in a pair.
Anna Shcherbakova: Absolutely not! It’s even more of my fear.
Did the project give you some additional popularity?
Anna Shcherbakova: Channel One has been cooperating with figure skating for a long time. Many thanks to Channel One for making figure skating such a popular sport. It has been broadcasting all our competitions for a long time. Not only does it broadcast, but it also brings in a lot of interesting ideas, invents a lot, develops skaters, and opens us up from a new angle.
As for me, after the project, many people whom I know but with whom I didn’t communicate much, began to message me: “Oh, we’re watching you in the Ice Age.” For many, this project is a favorite. Many people believe that hosting the Ice Age is more status than winning the Olympic Games. Sometimes I’m even congratulated on being a host rather than my Olympic medal: “Wow, you’ve become a TV host, wow.”
About the continuation of her career
You are on a break from competitions now. After the Olympics, you temporarily suspended your competitive activities.
Anna Shcherbakova: Probably not quite like that. After the Olympics, we had the middle of the season, and I skated to the end. We planned the World Championships, but there was the Channel One Cup. But I still skated until the end of the season.
Now I have such a forced pause because I had surgery on my knee. It bothered me, and we decided that now is the best time to deal with it. Before that, they always said, “Let’s wait until the Olympics, and then we’ll figure it out.” Well, the time has come after the Olympics to heal what has bothered me.
And if there were international competitions, would you find the time?
Anna Shcherbakova: I think I would anyway… It was a surgery that should not have been postponed any further. I think my schedule would be the same now.
But you don’t plan to end your career yet, right?
Anna Shcherbakova: I’m not planning yet. I am recovering now. I returned to training, but I don’t train at full strength because of two reasons. First of all, it is still impossible for health reasons. I follow the doctors’ recommendations and gradually return to the loads.
And secondly, I have a lot of projects now and a busy schedule. It turns out that three or four days are always busy for me; the rest of the time I come to training. Therefore, I rest from shooting on the rink, and I rest from training on the sets.
When will you fully return to the training process?
Anna Shcherbakova: Everything is individual there. I increase the load gradually; I try to go a little bit forward at each training session, not to stand still. Let’s see. For now, I can’t make predictions.
While you don’t compete, you can skate in shows.
Anna Shcherbakova: Yes, because for the competitions, the level of preparation should be much higher. This is physical preparation; these are new programs; these are complex combinations. From my training, it is clear that I am not ready for this yet. Even for the show, I need to get in shape.
For the first time, I will participate in a fairy tale (we are talking about Tatiana Navka’s Sleeping Beauty – Sports.ru). At first, I was worried that there would be pair elements because I am very afraid of this, but it turned out that there would not be many of them.
Do I understand correctly that you usually wear some kind of shorts with foam? Did you also put them on today (this part of the interview was recorded at the skating rink – Sports.ru)?
Anna Shcherbakova: No, I didn’t wear it today. I decided that I would not wear such ugly shorts on camera and that I would fall without them.
The recovery process always goes with such falls. It’s always like that. There will be a number of falls before a successful attempt.
Do you already know how to group in the fall so that it doesn’t hurt?
Anna Shcherbakova: Well, not really… You just get used to it. Well, no, there are some skills; when you fall, you already understand how you will fall. In fact, it rarely hurts a lot. This is such an unfortunate occurrence. You can fall 100 times in a workout and not beat yourself up.
Do you also have gloves?
Anna Shcherbakova: Yes, because we often take the blades by hand, so as not to cut ourselves. And you can also hit the ice, and there can be a rough surface. This is such an important moment for skaters. For some, it is easy to skate without gloves; for others it is not. At competitions, many people skate without gloves.
I had only one program where I skated without gloves – “Firebird”. Because I was changing my dress and I had to hit the button, and so that nothing would come off anywhere, I had to be without gloves. It was so stressful for me! I skated without glows in training and got lost in the air because I didn’t know how to group myself. Little things like that make a big difference.
It was very impressive, and I am very glad that it was, but to be honest, in the middle of the season, I begged the coaches to change my dress to a regular one. Well, everyone has already remembered that I have a dress change; this is not a secret for anyone and is not a surprise, so let’s change it to the usual one!
However, we kept it until the end of all competitions. I am glad that, nevertheless, at all competitions, this did not cause me any big inconvenience; everything worked out.
About the suspension of Russian skaters, the age minimum and the ISU post where Anna wasn’t mentioned
Does suspension from competitions demotivate our skaters?
Anna Shcherbakova: It’s difficult to say that this has no impact. I can say about myself that after the Olympics, the World Championships were to be held. And when it became known that we would not go there, it was very difficult to train. It was necessary to force yourself every day; there was no such enthusiasm that helped you to work hard in training.
Of course, you get used to everything, but all athletes want to compete at the World and European Championships. This is what we are moving towards. If we talk about the situation in Russia, then we can say a huge thank you to our federation for helping us stay motivated, keeping the whole competitive season for us, and also providing prize money. They try to create the same conditions. The Federation is doing everything possible.
But you compete against each other.
Anna Shcherbakova: But there is still competition.
But still, it’s different.
Anna Shcherbakova: There are many strong skaters in Russia. Among girls, the competition remained at the highest level. I can’t speak for sure because I’m not competing, but I’m sure that it’s not easy. But everyone copes; the motivation is different, but it is there.
Have you discussed this with foreigners? They also don’t like to compete like that.
Anna Shcherbakova: We did not discuss this topic directly, but sometimes it happens that we exchange a few words with the girls with whom we competed or met at competitions, wish each other good luck, and congratulate each other on holidays. We just keep in touch and let each other know that we are on good terms and will be glad to see each other at the competitions.
Well, now they are competing without you, and I think they must feel that this is not fair.
Anna Shcherbakova: It’s hard for me to say how they feel. We don’t make any decisions, we follow the rules. There are no claims, either to us or to them.
In the summer, the ISU account published a post that should have included all the Olympic winners, but you were not among them. Did it hurt you?
Anna Shcherbakova: I learned about this situation a little later. All my personal messages were filled with support; fans from different countries texted me. At first, I didn’t even understand why there was such a surge of support. But then I figured out that it was an ISU post.
My Instagram story on Instagram about this was just to thank people for their support. I can’t say that a social media post can really hurt me…
But it’s not just a post, it’s an international federation.
Anna Shcherbakova: The main medal is so much more valuable than a post on social networks that it didn’t hurt me at all. I never resented that I was not there. I just thanked people for their support. I have more pleasant emotions from that situation.
In the summer, they announced that they had changed the rules: about age and about scores.
Anna Shcherbakova: The age minimum has been discussed for many years. It was inevitable that this would happen at some point. As an athlete, I can say that I do not discuss the current rules; I adapt to them. If you think about this topic, it is more interesting to compete with the strongest.
No matter whether someone reaches their peak shape at the age of 15 or at 20, it’s more interesting that those who are now at the top of their shape competed. So that the World Championships be the strongest competition, and also the Olympics. It would be more interesting for me to watch if there were the strongest skaters at the Olympics.
Or maybe it was done against the athletes of Eteri Tutberidze?
Anna Shcherbakova: I think this is not a conspiracy against us but rather a desire… Maybe they really think that this will be better for the athletes’ health. I look at this situation from different angles. Perhaps they want those who are responsible for themselves to be at the competitions. I don’t see any conspiracy here.
Has your peak already happened?
Anna Shcherbakova: It’s no secret that all girls have this transitional age, and when you change, it becomes harder. Let’s see. There is a wonderful example of Liza Tuktamysheva, so everyone has their own destiny. Now it’s hard to say.
About the Olympics
They say that the Olympics are the main competition in the life of an athlete.
Anna Shcherbakova: Well, that’s probably true. Despite the fact that I never liked to think – to say “This is the Olympics,” “The Olympics” — I always had a more realistic approach in my head. I am entering the season; I know what shape I am in and what my chances are. I’m already setting goals for it.
But already two years before the Olympics, I tried not to think about it. I believe that it is possible to reach the goal even without these thoughts, so that later there will be no unfulfilled ambitions, worries, or disappointments.
What happened in Beijing is a separate little life for me. You experience as many emotions in a minute in the Olympic Village as you do in a week in ordinary life. All emotions at the Olympics can be multiplied by 10, by 20. Every day had the same meaning for my life as a month in ordinary life. That’s where you already understand why everyone is talking so much about the Olympics. It can’t be compared with other competitions.
You did not go to the Olympics as a favorite. Everyone was talking about Kamila Valieva and how she would take the gold. Have you read what they write?
Anna Shcherbakova: I read everything. I always read any news, even before programs. So I lived my day, and now I’ll see what they write about this day on the Internet. Sometimes it so, but sometimes it’s something completely different. But it has never seriously affected me; I take it calmly.
Didn’t it offend you that another skater was singled out instead of you?
Anna Shcherbakova: No, it did not offend at all, did not hurt. I soberly assessed my strength. I knew that I was going to the Olympics in very good shape. From the very first days, my training went very well there. I knew that it was important for me to do my best and that I had good chances. I didn’t think about places; I knew that this was the main competition in my life, and there was a chance to do everything to the max there. This thought cheered me very much.
When you skated the free program, did you understand that this was the performance of a champion?
Anna Shcherbakova: No, I didn’t understand. I knew that I was my own champion. I had a challenge to cope with my program. Later, I realized that I had never skated this program like that, even in training.
What did the coaches tell you?
Anna Shcherbakova: I think we were not very sociable at that moment. I just silently left the ice. I don’t know, just you coped, well done. Right before the scores appeared, we discussed, and I said how many points I thought I’d get.
Did it match?
Anna Shcherbakova: Yes, it did. About as much as I expected.
You saw the programs of Trusova and Valieva. If you all had skated clean, who would have taken the gold?
Anna Shcherbakova: If Sasha Trusova had done her content clean, then she would have surpassed me in points. But the essence of the competition is that someone takes a risk that does not work out. I also had a difficult task. Going on the ice, I knew that I had no right to make the smallest mistake. This is also difficult, when you know – you stumble once and that’s it. You have not completed the task.
Despite the fact that I also had the maximum content. Two quads. During the season, I skated with only one. Although there were thoughts of putting three, and such content was even successful during training but at the time of the start, I realized that it would be unjustified and that I was not completely confident in this content. If I make a mistake, I can’t even blame myself for it, because I took an unjustified risk.
When you saw how Valieva performed and realized that the gold was yours, how did you feel?
Anna Shcherbakova: This is probably one of the strangest moments in my life. I sat in the green room, and there was Kamila’s performance. It is difficult to explain why, but I have not felt anything at all. No joy, no frustration.
I didn’t realize what I was seeing. Just empty eyes. I was sitting there and thinking, “So, the Olympic Games are over, I performed well. Is this not a dream? Is it possible to relax? Why is there no crazy joy.”
I sat through the entire skate with a blank look. The results are announced, and they show me. I understand it, but there are no emotions. I think, “Should I show them?” In the end, I didn’t have time to decide. They showed me like that: I’m sitting, looking at one point, trying to realize who I am, where I am, and what is happening. Now I can say that it was an emotional burnout. For a long time, there were practically no emotions. Then I was in an affective state for another six months.
Did the emotions of Trusova and Valieva affect you?
Anna Shcherbakova: At that point, each of us was immersed in our own story, our own drama. It’s just that we’re all different, and we all lived it differently. I completely understand the girls’ emotions; my emotions. I am a person who is not prone to making impulsive decisions. That’s why I don’t show my emotions so clearly. I was having my own experiences at the time.
Well, then you met, and no one was offended by each other?
Anna Shcherbakova: Now, absolutely, we have …
Well, that’s now, I’m talking about that moment. Did Sasha not turn away from you? Did she not say that we would not stand together?
Anna Shcherbakova: Then we didn’t touch each other. There was no such thing that the first thing we wanted to do was sit down all together and discuss. Everyone had to experience the situation in their own way. Everything is fine with us, no one holds any grudges against anyone.
But how did the coaches react?
Anna Shcherbakova: I don’t know what the coaches felt at that moment. Most likely, they also have all the emotions multiplied several times. They experienced several stories at once, in parallel. But I don’t know; we somehow didn’t discuss this topic.
Well, were you generally praised for this medal?
Anna Shcherbakova: Well… As much as possible, as much as is customary for us.
And how is it customary?
Anna Shcherbakova: Such stormy joy is generally not customary in our group.
We are now discussing this topic, and all my muscles have tightened up; I even still shake a little. Although I have already lived through all those emotions several times and everything has subsided in my head, it’s still hard to choose the right words. It often happens that it’s hard to express emotions in words. I think the first thing that Daniil Markovich (Gleikhengauz – Sports.ru) said was, “Why aren’t you happy?”
I’m sitting, and I have some kind of loading going on in my head. He came to congratulate me, and the first phrase was, “Why are you so joyless?” I’m trying to remember those moments: “Well, congratulations,” “You did it,” “Well, Olympic champion?” Probably, even these words already mean a lot.
Usually they don’t praise; isn’t that customary in your group?
Anna Shcherbakova: In general, not very customary. I wouldn’t say it’s important to me. There is a feeling that I do not quite know how to accept praise. If they praise me, then think, “Okay, okay, that’s enough.” And if a third party praises, it appears to me that they do not understand anything.
It’s hard to take praise seriously. I take criticism very calmly; I never get offended by it. I can’t say that it was ever difficult for me because they didn’t praise me. I guess I never really expected praise.
About why Shcherbakova never intended to leave Tutberidze
Only you, so loyal and consistent, have remained with Eteri all these years. Why?
Anna Shcherbakova: It’s in my character that I am not an impulsive person at all. To make a decision, I can think it over for a very long time. I won’t tell anyone at all, but every day I will think about all the options for the outcome: what is needed, what is not needed, what is good, what is not. Therefore, in my life, there were no quick, impulsive decisions. Like we had a fight, I didn’t like it, I left, I came back … This is not in my character.
With coaches… I can’t say that we have a good dialogue, rather, I listen to them and go and do what they say.
So you don’t argue?
Anna Shcherbakova: I don’t argue at all. I can always have an opinion on everything, but I do not consider it necessary to express it.
That is, there’s no conflicts because you do not agree and have a different point of view …
Anna Shcherbakova: We cannot have conflicts because I am silent all the time. I will listen to everything. It is difficult to imagine our conflict because I can rarely say something or discuss it.
What if you don’t like the program?
Anna Shcherbakova: No, I can enter into a calm discussion. But basically, it’s not in my nature. Even if there were situations, not even conflicts, but simply difficult moments, I calmly experienced them in myself.
There can be no conflicts because of me; I have everything inside. I will worry myself; I’ll scroll it in my head, throw it away, forget it, and with renewed vigor, I will go to training.
The hard moment was in the first six months after the Olympics. I used to experience everything in myself, but here emotions were multiplied. And any situation got much deeper. There was some misunderstanding. There should be unconditional trust between the coach and the athlete, which was a little lost because I was in my thoughts.
I did not voice anything; we had no conflicts or quarrels. But it was probably obvious that I was thinking about something. My forced pause due to injury was beneficial because I was able to overcome and let go of my misunderstandings and resentments. Now I don’t see the point in dragging them along.
What is so special about Tutberidze that makes her athletes champions?
Anna Shcherbakova: Full dedication on the part of the coaches, which they demand in return from the skaters. And when there’s a full mutual return from both sides, you get a tandem that brings results.
In general, the position of the coaches is that it is impossible to always force an athlete. You cannot take a child who does not want to and suffer with him all the way. There will be times when the hardest-working athlete will have to be pushed somewhere. There are days when you don’t believe in yourself, but there must be a coach who knows that you can still do it.
Any athlete has those days when you need to be cheered up and set up for training.
From the outside, it seems that you yourself are so motivated, like a soldier who does everything himself.
Anna Shcherbakova: I think we have only such people in the group.
So they take only such athletes?
Anna Shcherbakova: I think so.
About weight and nutrition
Anna Shcherbakova: In our group, they monitor not the nutrition but the weight. We weigh ourselves every day before the second workout. We adjust to competitions. It’s like a competitive skating, and it is desirable to be the same weight all the time.
I probably don’t have a tendency to be overweight. Until a certain age, I was the happiest in the group; I was the last one to start being weighed. The whole group was weighed, but I was not. What is the point of weighing her? They started weighing me in my first senior season, and usually they start at 10-12 years old.
I jumped the first quadruple when I weighed 25-26 kg. I remember that I read some article then, and it was written there that girls can jump quads only with weight up to 25 kg. I read this, and when I had 26 kg, I thought, “What, now I can’t do a quadruple?”
When I was weighed, it did not bother me, and I could eat whatever I wanted. My body structure, my genetics, and my daily workouts from morning to evening allowed me to eat as much as I wanted.
You said you can lose up to a kilogram in training.
Anna Shcherbakova: Yes, I had such a thing that I could lose 800 grams after training on ice. But on average, in the gym – 200 grams, on ice – 300-400, and with quite a lot of such training per day, everything burns out. Plus, it was such an age.
In the first senior season, I didn’t bother at all. I could fly to competitions and bring a lot of junk food with me to the plane. I did not take the scales with me to the competitions.
Now I can only recall those times when I didn’t bother how much I ate, drank … Now there will be so many worries: you can’t drink a lot, and if you also eat salty food …
In the second senior season, I changed, matured, and began to monitor nutrition. Then it was no longer possible to eat as much as I wanted because it was reflected on the scales. I just had to follow the diet. Quite adequately, I could afford something, but not in huge quantities. It happened that I gained a little after the weekend, which means you need to come early, dress warmly, and lose weight somewhere on the simulator.
And during the Olympic season, I had to keep a close eye on my weight because the process of maturing began. I understood that this was not the year to experiment. Perhaps it was possible to gain a little and I would still have my content. But I didn’t want to check if I could handle the increased weight.
It seemed to me that you weighed 30 kg at the Olympics.
Anna Shcherbakova: Of course not. But I set a goal for myself: six months before the Olympics, be patient, and maintain control. In the Olympic season, I had maximum control over my weight. I weighed myself a hundred times a day; I watched every gram. But I have no regrets – there was a result. I don’t know if it would have been if I hadn’t treated training so responsibly and hadn’t followed my diet so much. Such an adult attitude, at the Olympics too.
There were workouts for half an hour a day. If we weren’t so responsible, we could rest for days, eat in a 24-hour canteen … Therefore, self-control was very important. During the Olympic season, I tortured myself a bit with some diets and restrictions. I read a lot of books on proper nutrition – what you need to eat in order to have energy.
I think it’s the same for everyone who has never bothered about it in their life but suddenly started. You do it incorrectly somewhere; you make a mistake somewhere.I managed to keep this weight somehow.
And it is logical that after the season, when for the first time I wasn’t very strict about food, without training and great motivation, all this was let go. Now I am gradually looking for a comfortable diet in order to combine nutrition and training so that it does not bother me and does not go to excess.
About character, friendship, and everyday life
Anna Shcherbakova: I always wondered what kind of character I have had since childhood, and what sports have instilled.
I thought that I was always focused; in myself, I analyze everything; I don’t like to show what I have inside; I always had a rational approach. And most recently, I learned from my mother that, as a child, I loved to be in the center of attention, to attract people to me and now it’s not close for me. And she says that figure skating and the competitive environment, where everything is according to schedule. changed me a lot.
It was as if I directed this energy in the right direction, and this desire to attract attention to myself shows up only when I go on the ice at competitions. Sport has changed me a lot, rationalized.
Which skaters are you friends with?
Anna Shcherbakova: We often met with Dasha Usacheva outside the rink. With Alina Zagitova, especially the last year or two, we understand each other very well. We went through lots of similar moments.
I will never forget how she supported me at the Olympics. At that moment, it was emotions over the edge, and it helped me a lot. There was a difficult moment with team competitions.
When they didn’t take you.
Anna Shcherbakova: Yes. Not only me. I do not discuss decisions and do not condemn the federation for making decisions in its own interests. But this does not negate the fact that it was very difficult for me personally to go through that period. At that moment, Alina was very supportive. At that moment, when few people spoke out on this topic, it was very important for me to feel this support.
About money
Anna Shcherbakova: I got my first salary at the age of 13. Something about 13 thousand rubles. We signed all the papers, and then the whole season went to a special account since I was not 18 years old. I forgot about it, and only at the end of the season did I remember, I checked the account, and there was a salary for the whole year. That’s when I felt like I was making money!
Do you or your parents manage the money?
Anna Shcherbakova: We have always had a position: while my parents provided for me and I earned, then it was put off for something. That is, we saved up for my future life. Now I provide for myself and manage money myself. Of course, I will not make big expenses myself; I discuss everything with my parents.
But do you live with your parents?
Anna Shcherbakova: Yes. But I feel independent.
Why don’t you want to live separately?
Anna Shcherbakova: It’s not that I don’t want to; I thought about it. But for now, I am absolutely comfortable living with my parents and my sister. Probably soon, in a year or two… We’ll see.
I can be an adult and independent on the ice, but in ordinary life, I may not know at all what’s what. The fact that I earn money myself does not mean that I do everything myself. Mom manages all the little things, documents – I don’t understand anything.
About plans for the future
Anna Shcherbakova: I tried a lot of things, but there is no clear understanding yet. When you are on the ice all the time in your profession, you already feel like a fish in water, and communication is established there.
Then you find yourself in an ordinary world where people are not athletes, you should talk not about figure skating and figure skating skills will not help. I am new to this life. If on the ice I seem older than my years, then in life it’s the opposite. Many people understand more than me, but everything is new to me. I’m looking for confidence in myself and in what I do. For now, I’m trying everything.
Do you have a rough plan? You said you wanted to coach…
Anna Shcherbakova: I’m not sure about coaching at all. Figure skating is something that cannot be taken away from me; I understand this and I have experience. It will probably be interesting for me to work with children, but I’m not sure that I want to be a full-fledged coach. I don’t know, but let there be such an opportunity. I don’t know if I will connect my life with TV. But I have this experience and let it be.
Blitz: personal life, main dream and main fears
Do you have a personal life at all?
Anna Shcherbakova: It’s appearing now; for the first time, there is time to go somewhere with friends and not just to see each other at training. Of course, when I was all in sports, there were no such things.
Zhenya Medvedeva also told me, “What kind of dates, what boys …”
Anna Shcherbakova: I never thought about it in sports. Didn’t care at all.
So you didn’t even talk about boys with girls? You see some young figure skaters competing.
Anna Shcherbakova: Well, it’s one thing to discuss, ha ha.
For me, personal is always personal; I don’t want to flaunt it or discuss it. But I can honestly say that, being in sports and competitions, I didn’t have time for that. I am a person who thought about figure skating 24 hours a day.
What are my thoughts now? I will not tell. But personal life is like some kind of banal pastime with friends – there is time for this, we get together more often, we communicate.
Are you single or in a relationship now?
Anna Shcherbakova: Single.
But someone writes to you, asks for a date?
Anna Shcherbakova: Let’s have the next question.
What do you dream about?
Anna Shcherbakova: Doing what I love to do, which will bring me pleasure. And feel like I’m getting better at it. And, if it’s about peace of mind, then so that loved ones are always nearby, so that everything is fine for everyone and all problems are avoided.
Do you have an unrealized career goal?
Anna Shcherbakova: I am sure that I will have many goals that I will definitely realize. But they appear gradually. At the moment, I have implemented my main one, and I still need to move away from it.
Now I am a little calmer with myself and less demanding. After the sport, I want to misbehave a little. There has always been a regime, and I am against the regime. I always held on, but now I can relax a little. Now is the time for such a search, where I don’t demand much from myself. But whatever I undertake, I try to do 100%.
What are you afraid of?
Anna Shcherbakova: The first thought is about the family, about relatives. But I realized that I’m not even afraid of losing their support. This is something that will help me with any of my fears. That is, they are always close.
And if the answer is not serious, then I am very afraid of the depths of the sea – I can’t dive at all. All these living creatures, fish … And I’m not afraid of heights.
What do you believe in?
Anna Shcherbakova: Everything is in our hands. Not exactly “if you really want something, then it will definitely come true,” but “if you do everything for this, then everything will be as it should be.”
What would you say to little Anya?
Anna Shcherbakova: You will cope; you can do it.
Related topics: Anna Shcherbakova
Disciplined, hard-working, matured and wise beyond age. I see a Nathan Chen in a girl’s form. No wonder she has succeeded, and will continue to be successful. Respect.
What an intelligent and strong girl!
Wow, long interview but an interesting one.