Alexandra Trusova: “Is there something left unachieved, unfulfilled in sports? No, I have accepted everything that is in my life. I really appreciate my sports achievements – I have achieved a lot. Now I just want to try.”

Alexandra Trusova on her participation in the test skates and her programs.

original source: fsrussia.ru dd. 14th September 2024 by Olga Ermolina

In the interview, Alexandra discussed her return, her program preparations, and her plans. Here’s a translation of her comments.

“Q: Sasha, congratulations to you and Makar on your wedding, and I would like to clarify how we should write your name now – Trusova or Ignatova?

Alexandra Trusova: Thank you for the congratulations. Officially, I am Ignatova, but as far as the press is concerned, you can write Trusova or Ignatova – it doesn’t matter to me.

Q: A lot has happened in your life recently. What prompted the decision to return to competitive skating?

Alexandra Trusova: Quite a lot has changed in my life lately. There were various moments, both good and bad, and these were not related to sports since I wasn’t competing. I guess I realized certain things. Right now, I really enjoy skating.

Q: Do you feel that there’s something left unachieved, unfulfilled in sports?

Alexandra Trusova: No, on the contrary, I have accepted everything that is in my life. I really appreciate my sports achievements – I have achieved a lot in sports. I reached the goals I set for myself. At the moment, I just want to try. I am interested to see how everything will go now.

Q: For a high-level athlete like yourself, it’s probably not enough just to have spectators watch you. Isn’t that right?

Alexandra Trusova: I don’t know. I think something has changed now. Yes, I’m an athlete and, of course, I will try to do everything to the maximum of my current capabilities. But there won’t be such pressure that I need to perform right now. Something has changed inside me, including my way of thinking.

Q: How long did you contemplate your decision before announcing that you are returning to the ice?

Alexandra Trusova: I never really left. If we don’t count the quadruple jumps, I never really fell out of shape, except when I had injuries. I’ve had many injuries – back, hip, some health issues occasionally came up. Because of this, I sometimes missed some training. But since I stopped competing, there wasn’t a time when I didn’t train for more than 5 days. I was on the ice every day, and I never had a training break longer than five days. There was also vacation – 3 weeks, like all athletes. But I never rested longer than that.

Q: So, thoughts of continuing your career were on your mind?

Alexandra Trusova: Even in shows, I felt I had to jump and jump well. Maybe not quads, because sometimes there isn’t enough space or I’m not in the right shape, but I always try to do triple jumps, 3-3 combinations.

Q: What programs will you show at the test skates?

Alexandra Trusova: Both programs were choreographed by Nikita Mikhailov. They weren’t created just now. The short program was made in May last year. We prepared it for that season. But in the previous test skates, I didn’t perform due to a severe hip injury. This program had never been fully shown anywhere, although it is more than a year old.

The free program was created in November. We made it then, but not completely – there were certain circumstances. And before this season, we finished, refined it, and changed the music slightly. The program was ready for the test skates.

Q: Your new short program is “Besame Mucho,” and the free program is “We are beaten, we fly.” They are very different in style.

Alexandra Trusova: I like both programs. When Nikita brought the music for the short program and said, “This is you and I want us to create the program to this music,” I initially doubted because it was unusual for me. But Nikita convinced me it would work, and now I understand that Spain is definitely for me.

As for the free program… When we were working on this program, I was going through a difficult period in my life. Nikita suggested this music, “We are beaten, we fly,” and I realized how well he understands me as a choreographer, as a person, as a friend. He took all the personal experiences, everything that worried me, everything I shared with Nikita and he expressed it all in this program.

Q: I saw both programs during training in July, and the way you performed them was captivating with energy and emotions that you showed on the ice.

Alexandra Trusova: During this period of life, I experienced different emotions, so what I went through, I can express and show. When I was a child, I was good at performing cheerful, spirited programs. Everyone liked them. That was age-appropriate. Then, I skated like that, but now it’s different because over the years we change, we mature. I got married. All these changes in life influence my skating. I think it’s the same for everyone.

Q: Now you and Makar are training in the same group at Evgeni Plushenko’s Academy. Was this planned?

Alexandra Trusova: You would have to ask him about Makar’s transition to the Angels of Plushenko Academy. I would like to believe that Makar made this decision because of me. (laughs).

Q: What are your plans for the future?

Alexandra Trusova: Big plans. I won’t reveal them yet; I want everything to come true.”

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