Alina Zagitova: “I always wanted to be friends with Zhenya. But we don’t communicate. Maybe I just remind her of something bad…”
Alina Zagitova about relations with Evgenia Medvedeva.
original source: Nadezhda Strelets Youtube Channel
In the interview with Nadezhda Strelets, Alina Zagitova shared why she stopped communicating with Evgenia Medvedeva. Here’s a translation of her comment.
“Q: What is your current relationship with Evgenia Medvedeva?
Alina Zagitova: None.
Q: Do you greet each other when you meet?
Alina Zagitova: No. Well, I greet her.
Q: So she doesn’t greet you back?
Alina Zagitova: (nods her head) It’s hurtful. But, I’ve gotten used to it.”
At the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Zagitova won the gold in women’s singles, while Medvedeva was the silver medalist.
“Alina Zagitova: We have had our emotional ups and downs, to use a modern term. I can tell this story: Rita Mamun actually brought us together. After the Olympics, we didn’t communicate for a long time, and at the Olympic Games in Beijing, which took place in 2022, we couldn’t leave the hotel due to the rules. And if we drove somewhere, even the car windows couldn’t be opened. We just went to the arena, did our work, and returned.
We were there for almost two weeks, and we were so bored. Rita Mamun said: “Let’s sit down and have a chat.” And it seemed like our relationship was getting better. Then, at some point in Moscow, we talked again, and then it ended all of a sudden – and it’s unclear why. There wasn’t any fight or anything.
Maybe I just remind her of something bad… I don’t understand why – my parents always taught me this: treat others…
Q: …the way you want to be treated.
Alina Zagitova: Yes. Like that. But this doesn’t always happen in life, I’ve come to understand that now, from interacting with people.
Q: Are you concerned about this situation?
Alina Zagitova: I used to be, but not anymore. Now I’m used to it.
Q: So, you wanted this interaction, but it didn’t happen on your initiative?
Alina Zagitova: I always wanted to be friends with Zhenya. Even in interviews where I said that we were friends, I spoke sincerely. I always speak sincerely, I will never equivocate, I’d rather stay silent. I always wanted to be friends with her.”
Related topics: Alina Zagitova, Evgenia Medvedeva
Although she was 18, I still believe, because of the nature of the sport and training, she lagged in some ways, in regards to emotional maturity, as she was driven hard to succeed. This isn’t bad, for some this is normal, to experience emotional jet lag, especially after something so big. She went through a lot before and after
To casual observer: Medvedeva was 18 years old at the 2018 Olympics. But I think it’s perfectly normal even for an adult to be deeply affected by missing out on an Olympic gold. As to moving on from it, I imagine doing so is rather difficult when sports journalists constantly keep asking about it.
I’m genuinely sad for her. I don’t think Zhenya ever got over Olympic Silver, though it was so close. They were children in an adult’s sport