Anna Shcherbakova: “It was such devastation and burnout after winning the Olympics! It took a year before I let go of this situation and managed to appreciate this medal calmly and consciously, even if not in an enthusiastic manner.”
Translation of Anna Shcherbakova’s comments about the Olympics, quad jump, friendship and 2024 Worlds.
original source: MatchTV
Here’s a translation of Anna Shcherbakova’s comments made on “All on Match!” show on “Match TV.”
About the Olympics
“Q: The brightest victory before the Olympics?
Anna Shcherbakova: The most important one, unquestionably, was the World Championships. That was the most significant victory for me back then. Speaking of the brightest, that would be one of the Russian Nationals, although all of them are special to me.
Q: What was the Olympics like?
Anna Shcherbakova: Even before the trip to the Olympics, I had heard that it was something incomparable, something that you would never have experienced before and that it could not be compared with any other competition. I can definitively say that I felt that. And it’s an incredibly huge celebration. At the same time, it combines an incredible amount of pressure because of the long buildup.
Speaking of the emotions after my victory, you would think that you will wake up every morning, remember that you are an Olympic champion and live your life happily. After the victory, I encountered the opposite emotions. It was such devastation and burnout! It took a year before I let go of this situation and managed to appreciate this medal calmly and consciously, even if not in an enthusiastic manner.
Then it “hit” me that we could not participate in the World Championships. After this news, it was tough to prepare. There was constant misunderstanding about where we were heading and what was happening.”
About quad jump
“Q: How and when did you decide to do quad jumps?
Anna Shcherbakova: I remember my very first attempt, it was a quadruple toe loop. When Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze saw this, she called me over and said, “For a quad jump, you have to push off as high as possible and start rotation sharply right away”. I was about 12 years old then. Apparently, fearlessness played its part. I intended to go into a triple jump, I just pushed off as high as possible, rotated, and didn’t open up at the landing. And that’s how, with my first attempt, completely unexpectedly, without even expecting it, I landed a quad jump.”
About the contribution of her parents to her professional development
“Q: Your parents. How big is their contribution?
Anna Shcherbakova: At home, it’s very important for parents to remain as parents. Not as your coaches who will teach you how to jump correctly and work, or how many times you need to run the program. Because it often happens when parents get involved in all of this. They want the best but put excessive pressure on the child.
I understood that no matter how my training was, home was the place where I could get away from figure skating, and they would always support me if something was not right. I’m incredibly grateful to my parents for this, I highly appreciate how they treated me during my sports career. I always ask their advice on any matter when I’m in doubt, but the decision is always mine.”
About recovery from surgery
“Anna Shcherbakova: I had ankle surgery a week ago. Recovery isn’t so quick, but I think everything is going according to plan. I’m slowly coming back to normal, everything is under the doctors’ control.”
About 2024 Worlds
“Anna Shcherbakova: I really enjoyed Kaori Sakamoto’s free skate. Both her program and the way she performed it.
I was rooting for Ilia Malinin, so I watched his performance with special attention. It would be hard to describe in words what I felt then.
I was very pleased that I watched it live, without knowing the result and performance. The quad axel is stunning.”
About friendship in figure skating
“Q: Does friendship exist between figure skaters?
Anna Shcherbakova: Alena Kostornaia and I have a great relationship, even though we’ve been direct competitors for many years. We still talk and support each other.
I’m very close with Alina Zagitova, and I talk a lot with the other girls.”
Related topics: Anna Shcherbakova
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