Anastasiia Metelkina: “Everyone has almost the same content, and it’s well understood: whoever skates cleaner will rank higher.”
Interview Georgian pair skater Anastasiia Metelkina.
original source: MatchTV by Veronika Gibadieva
In the interview with MatchTV, Anastasiia Metelkina, who competes in pair skating with Luka Berulava and brought Georgia its first-ever ISU Grand Prix Final medal, speaks about the pre-Olympic season, their short program, and the best way to spend her free time. Here’s a translation.
“Q: You had a medal at the Grand Prix Final, but you looked disappointed. Did the mistake in your skate outweigh the significance of the medal?
Anastasiia Metelkina: We are glad that we won a significant medal for Georgia. Huge thanks to our federation for the support! They help us, create conditions for training, and we try not to let them down and perform at the highest level possible.
But we know we can do more. I was upset about the mistake because everything was going well in training, all our runs were clean. Lately, there had been no mistakes in our combination jumps. This was a new experience for me.
But we’ve been working toward this medal since the beginning of the season. Everyone has almost the same content, and it’s well understood: whoever skates cleaner will rank higher. We’re working on all components.
Q: Nikita Volodin (a German skater, skates with Minerva Hase — ed.) said that before this season, there was more focus on choreography. What has increased in your training sessions?
Anastasiia Metelkina: We generally have three choreography classes per week, including ballet, jazz, or stretching. Everything is planned. Plus, of course, general physical preparation.
But it’s also important to prepare oneself mentally because clean skates all come from the mind. You can do everything right in training, but it’s crucial to gather yourself psychologically before competitions.
Q: Do you have a psychologist?
Anastasiia Metelkina: Last year, we did. He’s a professor. Ksenia Stolbova gave me his contacts. He’s a great specialist. He could make sure there was no anxiety before the start and knew how to set the right mindset. I worked with him before the last senior World Championships, but I think I will continue to work with a psychologist because it’s a very important aspect for an athlete.
Q: Who is more calm — you or Luka?
Anastasiia Metelkina: Luka is temperamental! He’s a perfectionist; everything has to be perfect in training.
I’m as calm as possible, trying not to show any negative emotions. There are days when everything annoys and irritates, but I try to react in a balanced way.
Q: Do you read comments on social media? That’s a source of anxiety.
Anastasiia Metelkina: I follow many groups on social media. I can’t say that there’s much written about us. In the groups I follow, there’s less written about pair skating than singles. So even if there’s some negativity, it’s minimal and doesn’t affect me simply because they write untruths.
Q: Your short program, for example, was a subject of discussion in the comments. How do you feel about that?
Anastasiia Metelkina: We didn’t tailor the program to anyone when we choreographed it. We had a clear understanding that we needed to put together a dynamic program, as in the previous season. Everyone liked it; we won all our competitions and realized that this is our forte. We need a fast program!
We even thought about keeping the previous one, but then decided to create something even brighter, something that could play even better. At one point, Sergei Plishkin suggested this music to us. Initially, we declined because the tempo was very fast, and we thought we wouldn’t be able to pull it off. We looked for other options but returned to the old one — tried it, liked it.
When choosing costumes, we wanted to reflect the 1980s aesthetic, and of course, we chose an aerobics theme. So those costumes. We understood that we would be compared [with Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron].
Q: How do you relax?
Anastasiia Metelkina: For me, the best relaxation is with family. I’m a homebody, and I try to spend my free time with my parents and brother. I live in Perm, my parents are in Moscow. We don’t see each other very often. If it’s not possible to be with my family, I just stay at home and relax. I can go shopping, but partying and going wild isn’t my thing. I’d rather watch movies at home, read a book.
Q: Where will you celebrate New Year’s Eve?
Anastasiia Metelkina: With my parents, in Moscow. I wanted to spend the holidays at home.
Q: You have the European Championships coming up. Are salads with mayonnaise out of the question?
Anastasiia Metelkina: Last year the European Championships started on January 6th, and it was…
Q: Inhumane?
Anastasiia Metelkina: Not fun, that’s for sure! We left on December 31st and came back on January 2nd. This year it’s more relaxed. And you can eat salads, but then you’ll need to take a fasting day, then everything will be fine.”
Related topics: Anastasiia Metelkina, Luka Berulava
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