Ekaterina Kurakova: “I would like to do more than I can do now, show that I’m not just a smiling, cheerful girl, but I can also be serious, maybe dramatic or sad.”
Translation of an article and interview with Ekaterina Kurakova.
source: sport.poinformowani.pl dd. 20th April 2023 by Emilia Sokolik
Polish figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova, representing Poland, has had a successful season. When asked about the Olympics in Milan-Cortina, she talked about her plans and commented on the changes in the coaching staff during a live interview.
In this season, Katia achieved her best score in the short program at the World Championships in Saitama, Japan, with 65.69 points, which gave her an excellent 9th place after that segment of the competitions. After a less successful free program, she ultimately finished in 16th place, but won the hearts of tens of thousands of fans gathered at the Saitama Super Arena. “It was great fun. I wanted to put on a good show for the fans. I think that was the best motivation. I was really happy with that performance, I wasn’t stressed, I didn’t think too much,” she commented on the short program in an interview on Dawid Gadula’s vlog.
When asked about her expectations for the future, she referred to that moment: “I want to feel what I felt today at every competitions. I think that will help me because I am much stronger when I am like I was today. At every competition, I have to gain more experience and just compete with myself because every day is different. Sometimes you feel better, sometimes worse, but that’s okay. We are only human.”
It was clearly visible in the results of the 2022/2023 season. Her free skate was weaker at the World Championships and Grand Prix in the USA, but stronger at the Lombardia Trophy and Grand Prix in Sheffield, where she also achieved her highest overall score of the season (190.44 points). As for medals, she won gold at the Warsaw Cup and Four Continents Championships, and bronze at the Lombardia Trophy. She finished fourth at the European Championships. As the best Polish representative, Kurakova is increasingly being asked about the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
“Of course, it’s my motivation, maybe my goal, but I live in the present moment, and every day I live for the moment,” she replied. “I don’t think so far ahead because our sport is not like that. We can plan, and then plans change.”
Despite such cautious declarations, Katia talked about her preparations during a live stream on her sponsor’s Chique Sport channel in March. She revealed that in addition to polishing combinations of various types of triple jumps, she is also training… the triple axel. We saw the first attempt at this difficult element in her free skate at the Four Continents Championships. At that time, the she was significantly lacking the rotation, but if executed successfully, it could become a strong asset for the skater.”
Kurakova is planning new programs for the next season, in which she intends to try a different style than before. Although fans love her for her light skating with an ever-present smile on her face, Katia wants to develop in other directions: “I really appreciate skaters who sometimes try to change something, show themselves in a different style. I would like to be a skater who does more, I would like to do more than I can do now, try myself in other ways, show that I am not just a smiling, cheerful girl, but I can also be serious, maybe dramatic or sad,” she says. And in another place she adds: “I feel like I should show myself now from a more mature side.”
She already showed a sample of such a more serious choreography in February on her Instagram account. A moodily filmed clip by Jeremie Flemin garnered positive feedback from fans. However, fans have recently been concerned about Katia’s coaching situation. At the end of March, her longtime Italian coach Lorenzo Magri ended his cooperation with the Young Goose Academy, where the skater trains on a daily basis. He announced that he would be working on other new projects. So the question is, who will lead Katia Kurakova on her path to Milan-Cortina: the remaining coaches from her current center, Angelina Turenko and Alisa Mikonsaari, or a completely new team?
“Current information about my coaches will be available soon. It’s a difficult topic. I don’t think it’s time to answer these questions yet, but I love all my coaches,” commented the skater.
Related topics: Ekaterina Kurakova
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