Anna Shcherbakova: “Before going to the start, I convince myself that this is my reward—to skate when hundreds of people are looking at me, and it helps me to show even more than in training.”
Anna Shcherbakova spoke about her emotions after winning the 2022 Games in Beijing and current activities.
source: Detskoe Radio / WomanHit
Anna Shcherbakova: Actually, since childhood, I never set myself the goal of winning the Olympics. Probably, I am such a realist in life, I had immediate goals. In childhood, it was to learn a new jump—to win the championship among kids my age, for example. Then I have been going very gradually, little by little. I saw the nearest goal and went to it.
The Olympics became my goal in the year they took place. It was then that I set it as my goal: first of all, to qualify and show my maximum there. Because my main goal in all competitions is to do my best and do everything that depends on me, in this case, I know that I will never regret some missed opportunities.
You know, whenever you think that some kind of incredible dream will come true, which you, perhaps, are sometimes even afraid to dream about, it seems to you that you will enjoy it every second of your life. It’s like you’ll wake up every morning and think, “Oh, how cool that I’m an Olympic champion!”
But in fact, before this there is such a peak of concentration, such excitement, the peak of all emotions—such an “overdose” of different emotions—when you are maximally focused and have maximum tension. And the first thing that happens after the free skate is that you feel relief, like a mountain has fallen off your shoulders.
You exhale, and at first, there’s still devastation. The realization of what actually happened comes later. Of course, at the awards ceremony, there is incredible joy and pride, and these are very pleasant emotions, but, probably, they are no longer so bright and stormy—they are calm and peaceful. Something like that.
About her current activities
Anna Shcherbakova: I am in a constant search. I experiment with new things, but I never lose sight of how much I adore figure skating. I try to be on time everywhere: I try to be a host, perform in ice shows, attend many different events, communicate with children and adults, talk about sports—this is also very interesting to me.
The athlete also told how she manages to be focused and not worry at important competitions.
Anna Shcherbakova: Before going to the start, I convince myself that this is exactly what I work so hard for; this is my reward—the opportunity to go on the ice, where hundreds of people are looking at me. I learned to enjoy these moments and not be afraid of them. And it helped me a lot. As a result, in competitions, I began to show even more than in training.
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Such a smart girl. I love that psychological technique for approaching competitions.