Alexandra Trusova: “I believe sports are not meant to be a source of earning money. At least, that’s how it is for me. For me, the main thing in sports is achieving results. Money is just a nice bonus.”
Interview with Alexandra Trusova for Forbes Russia.
original source: forbes.ru dd. 1st November 2024 by Sergei Pogrebnyak and Daria Syleimanova
Before the start of the official season, Alexandra Trusova became the most talked-about figure skater in Russia. She decided to take part in the test skates after a two-year absence in competitive sport, got married. In an interview with Forbes Sport, the Olympic silver medalist talked about her return to the ice, her decision to change her surname, and how one of the world’s most famous skaters is building her future. Here’s a translation of her comments.
“Q: How was the decision made to participate in the test skates?
Alexandra Trusova: I’ve had the idea to perform somewhere for a long time. To show that I can, if I want to, return to competitions. But I need motivation and an understanding of why I need this.
I was asked several times at the test skates: “Why are you going out to skate?” And I don’t even know myself why. But I can’t put a full stop yet. I won’t finish until I decide it myself. As soon as I decide, I’ll tell and I won’t just sit and think: “I finished, but I won’t tell anyone, no one will know.” Although that is popular now.
Q: Does your performance in the test skates mean a full return to competitions?
Alexandra Trusova: I can’t predict yet. I am already old by figure skating standards, and there could be any health issues. While I can, I skate. As soon as I can’t — I’ll stop. Everything will depend on my health condition. Last year, for example, I had a serious hip injury. It was even painful to walk, not to mention skating.
Q: Does returning to the sport right now make sense for a chance to compete at the 2026 Olympics in Milan? Is that your plan?
Alexandra Trusova: No one knows whether we will be admitted to the competition. It’s unclear if we will even have a single quota.
Q: But if allowed, by the start of the Games you will be the only figure skater from Russia known worldwide — including to judges and officials. That’s important in figure skating, isn’t it?
Alexandra Trusova: Past merits never help in sports. But if I’m told tomorrow to prepare for the Olympics, of course, I will prepare.
Q: Have you discussed the possible participation in the 2026 Games with Evgeni Plushenko?
Alexandra Trusova: When we train, Evgeni Viktorovich never rushes or convinces me to perform or not perform. He waits for what I will say. He understands that the most important thing is that I don’t get injured because health is most important.
Q: Are there any current health issues?
Alexandra Trusova: All athletes have some problems. Mostly they are chronic issues that sometimes bother me.
Q: How has your life changed in the last two years when you weren’t competing in official competitions?
Alexandra Trusova: It feels like it hasn’t been just two years, but much more because almost everything has changed. I’ve been living away from my parents for a long time now, leading an independent life. I’m studying at two universities simultaneously: Moscow State University and the Russian State University of Physical Education.
Q: What interests you more at the moment — sports or journalism?
Alexandra Trusova: Sports is easier for me. There, I understand, at least superficially, how everything works. But studying at Moscow State University is more interesting and challenging. They teach us how to ask questions and get answers. I remember how at 13 I was told, “You should only answer questions this way, no matter how they try to get another answer.” And now, they teach me to look at the situation from another angle.
Q: Famous athletes often don’t need a degree from Moscow State University to get invited to TV shows. Haven’t you received such offers?
Alexandra Trusova: There were various offers, especially a lot after the Olympics in Beijing. I even agreed to some, but then things fell through. But there hasn’t been an offer that particularly interested me.
For now, it’s better for me to finish my studies and then think about those offers. Besides, I have a blog on YouTube, and I have a book (in 2023, Trusova’s official fan book was released. — Forbes Sport).
Q: TV invitations can be considered an obvious marker of popularity and recognition. Another such marker is advertising offers. Did you get more offers after the Games in Beijing? Or were there proposals of a completely different level?
Alexandra Trusova: Before the Olympics, I definitely didn’t have such popularity. And the coolest thing in my career was supposed to be a new contract with Adidas. I participated in their advertising campaign in Russia, and after the Games in Beijing, I was supposed to have an international contract. We had already begun discussing this, but it all went quiet after the ban.
Q: The Beijing Games made you famous worldwide, but shortly after, Russian skaters were banned from international competitions, shows, and your masterclasses in Europe were canceled. In these conditions, did participation in ice shows become the main source of income for skaters?
Alexandra Trusova: Yes, that’s correct. One could probably make a living from advertising, but shows still remain the main part of income, though not the only one.
Q: There are three main producers of ice shows in the country: Ilia Averbukh, Tatiana Navka, and Evgeni Plushenko. You train with “Angels of Plushenko” and perform in his shows. Does this impose any restrictions on you? In Russian figure skating, can an athlete perform only for one producer?
Alexandra Trusova: I don’t have agreements that restrict me to only perform in Plushenko’s shows. I haven’t performed for Averbukh, but Navka made an offer, yet we couldn’t agree on the timing. In my opinion, the best conditions are with Evgeni Viktorovich, and I always choose the best for myself.
Q: During the New Year holidays, do you get a chance to rest, or is your schedule filled with show performances?
Alexandra Trusova: During the holidays, I manage to rest for a maximum of one and a half to two days. But I hope that this year we will have about five days off after the jumping championship. I always need a few days in the middle of the season to catch my breath.
Q: Have you considered creating your own ice show?
Alexandra Trusova: There was such an idea. We even discussed the roster and concept, but then I ran out of time, and it all reached a dead end.
Q: Do you have a team of assistants? How much do you have to delegate?
Alexandra Trusova: For instance, I don’t have my own accountant. My father’s helps out, but I need to take care of this issue to have my own. I also don’t have a separate stylist.
Q: Due to the suspension, you lost the opportunity to earn prize money at ISU tournaments. Has this significantly affected your income?
Alexandra Trusova: I believe sports are not meant to be a source of earning money. At least, that’s how it is for me. For me, the main thing in sports is achieving results. Money is just a nice bonus.
When we were suspended, it was financially noticeable. But it wasn’t like I was ever short of money for a new costume. While I was in sports, I always had enough because I lived with my parents and didn’t spend on anything except some of my own desires. The money just accumulated. Now, everything is different. I know how much I earn and how much I need.
Q: Figure skating is a fairly expensive sport; have you ever calculated how much personal money has been invested in your training since you first stepped onto the rink?
Alexandra Trusova: Certainly, a lot of money has been spent, but since I was 12, I’ve been receiving a salary, skates are provided by the federation, and so on.
Q: When you were part of the national team, the federation covered not only skates but also costumes and choreography. What’s the situation like now?
Alexandra Trusova: If I need to choreograph a program now, I pay for it myself, as well as for dresses. I have skates, but the blades come from abroad. And when I need to choreograph a program for a show, the organizers fund it.
Q: Even with the new realities, you managed to have masterclasses in China and Mexico. Are these personal arrangements or just connections with these countries?
Alexandra Trusova: Sometimes contacts come from China to my father, but generally, China contacts everyone. In Mexico, we have personal managers and arrangements with the rink and organizers of the masterclasses. Figure skating is very popular in Mexico, not the same as in Russia — there’s no state support at all. Underprivileged people there can’t just get into figure skating. It’s amazing to see how some children try to grasp everything in three days, how they watch and strive. Some really surprise you.
Q: Did the popularity that came after the Games significantly change your life?
Alexandra Trusova: I don’t really know; I’ve gotten used to it. If I fly to Thailand, they recognize me there, fly to China — they recognize me in China. But I didn’t become recognized overnight; it gradually built up. I remember, even before Beijing during the Olympic season, I wanted to withdraw from a Grand Prix stage due to a leg injury. But the evening before the start, I realized I could perform. However, the news had already hit the media. It turned out that I was the last to enter the ice for the warm-up, running a couple of minutes late, and by then they had started letting spectators in. The crowd just exploded when I came onto the ice. Girls from other countries who were warming up with me started saying, “Wow, Sasha, that’s so cool!”
Q: But your recognition will decrease if you don’t maintain it with constant news. You’re not competing, you’re not working on television, and you don’t run a regular show. However, you are present in other formats — for example, it was reported that you appeared in a movie with your husband.
Alexandra Trusova: Makar and I had a cameo role in the movie “Neurobatya.” It was fun but very scary. There was a funny situation: we were on set, heard “camera, action” and started saying our lines. Then everyone around started laughing. It turned out it wasn’t the cue for shooting! We had to wait for something else. But how were we to know? We came, they said, “All set, let’s shoot.” We stood up, waited for the phrase, and started speaking our lines. It was funny.
Q: Do you monitor how your image is portrayed in the media?
Alexandra Trusova: I don’t do anything special to create an image, but the media constantly write something. Recently, I came across a news piece from the test skates: “Ignatova kissed her husband.” I laughed: they made a whole article out of it! Am I not supposed to kiss my own husband?
Q: Your wedding became one of the most media-covered events of the year, with photos and videos flooding social networks. Whose idea was it to have a dress with a five-meter-long veil to honor the five quadruple jumps at the Olympics?
Alexandra Trusova: It was, of course, Yana Alexandrovna (Rudkovskaya — Forbes Sport). All cool ideas come from her. She helped me with everything — both the wedding planning and choosing the dress.
Q: Many were surprised that you decided to change your surname, moving away from the globally known brand “Trusova.” Why did you make this decision?
Alexandra Trusova: I never even thought there was another way. That’s how I was raised. It doesn’t matter to me how well-known my surname is or how suitable my husband’s surname is. It has never bothered me. I want everyone in the family to have the same surname, for example, to pass through passport control at the airport smoothly and for no one to question my relation.
Q: Didn’t anyone try to dissuade you?
Alexandra Trusova: No one was against it. But then again, no one could forbid me either; I’m not held hostage, I don’t report to anyone. It was my personal choice, although everyone was surprised — many thought I would take a double surname. At test skates, people even asked me how to announce it. I responded — as per my passport. But if someone records or announces me as Trusova, there’s no problem. The main thing is that I have my documents, and I know what my surname is.
Q: How has life changed after marriage?
Alexandra Trusova: Almost nothing has changed. The only thing is we jokingly say to each other: “Hello, wife” and “Hello, husband.”
Q: What does your daily schedule look like now?
Alexandra Trusova: We arrive at the academy in the morning, train and leave in the evening. During the day, we usually have two ice training sessions, gym, choreography, and dance. It’s all as usual for everyone. In the evening, we go home — we recently moved into a new apartment, finished the renovation. We brought almost all the dogs. Five out of seven will live with us in the apartment.
Q: What size apartment is needed to accommodate five dogs?
Alexandra Trusova: In fact, they fit in any apartment. I’ve lived in various ones with them. Therefore, no matter how many dogs we have, they all will fit.
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