Ivan Bukin: “We didn’t leave! We will try to make it possible to compete next season.”
Interview with Ivan Bukin. About the current season and the desire to return to competitive activities in the future.
source: MatchTV dd 6 February by Artem Andriyanov
Are you following the current season in figure skating?
Ivan Bukin: I watch all the competitions.
Is there a performance that you liked the most?
Ivan Bukin: I probably can’t single out anything. I watched all the skates from a professional point of view. I have recently watched the European Championships.
What do you think?
Ivan Bukin: Well, in ice dancing, everyone was great. Everyone tried and fought. It’s a pity that the Italians (Charlene Guignard / Marco Fabbri) did not have entirely clean skating, but they still did great. They continue to work.
Now I’ll watch the Russian Grand Prix Final. I really look forward to it to see how all the guys prepared and improved after the Nationals.
Before this season, many were worried about what would happen to ice dance due to the lack of top pairs, including you and Aleksandra Stepanova … What do you think about the performances of young duets?
Ivan Bukin: The guys are still young; they have everything ahead of them. So even if there were some failures that, for example, pursued our first pair (Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Egor Bazin) during the season, I’m sure they will cope in the future. I hope they will come out of these situations with a plus for themselves and with great experience to grow further. They are young and beautiful. I think they will succeed.
Are you and Aleksandra going to return?
Ivan Bukin: And we didn’t leave!
Nevertheless, you are not competing this season.
Ivan Bukin: Yes, this is true. But we will try to make it possible in the next season.
That is, you are ready to compete with the youth.
Ivan Bukin: I think yes. We will try, we will work. Honestly, looking at the competitions, I understand that I missed them very much. I would love to take part in competitions of this level. Everywhere in Russia, they held wonderful competitions. Everywhere there was a wonderful organization, and I want to say thanks to everyone who organized and held these events as well as participated in them. All competitions were top-notch. I think it was worthy. Thanks to the Figure Skating Federation.
Did sports excitement return from watching?
Ivan Bukin: Yes, yes. I really liked everything. Well done.
Since we touched on the European Championships, how would Russian skaters perform there?
Ivan Bukin: Still, the European Championships are a very serious competition. Of course, you approach it with a different internal preparation and nerves. You are usually more focused. I think the guys could have competed and performed no worse than many, for sure. Of course, these are international competitions, and everything can be different there, but in general, our athletes would have good chances to show themselves well. Moreover, many of the Russians have already been to the European Championships. Everything is possible.
The topic of citizenship of Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin was discussed a lot this season. How did you react to such news?
Ivan Bukin: Actually, it’s just the choice of the guys. This is their life, this is their sporting career.What exactly happened and for what reason is a question primarily for them, of course. At the same time, I think that this is a very promising pair; they work. I hope they succeed. I want them to show themselves worthy.
What do you think about the prospect of Russian participation in the 2026 Winter Games?
Ivan Bukin: There are internal feelings on this subject, but this is my personal. I hope that sports will remain a sport and that all athletes, no matter where, will be able to take part and compete. To have an honest Olympic spirit. Still, I can say that I will never forget what it is. The Olympic spirit at international competitions like the Olympics is a wonderful feeling. I hope that the next Winter Games will be held in the same good atmosphere and that everything will be holistic, as it should be. So that everything is like at the usual Olympic Games and all the hardships and misunderstandings are gone. Sport is a holiday, everyone should be happy! Therefore, I do not want to discuss any topics that are not directly related to the sport itself.
Related topics: Alexandra Stepanova Ivan Bukin
Leave a Reply