Stephen Gogolev: “Goals for the Olympics? To deliver two clean programs; I don’t really think about the results.”
Interview with 21-year-old Canadian figure skater Stephen Gogolev for Russian media.
original source: Sport24 dd. 6th February by Konstantin Lesik
Canadian figure skater Stephen Gogolev shares his impressions of the Olympic atmosphere, his goals, and his experiences with Russian language and fellow athletes in an interview with Sport24. Here’s a translation of his comments.
“Q: Stephen, how do you feel about the Olympic atmosphere?
Stephen Gogolev: It’s a very new feeling for me, something you rarely experience in life. But I’m very happy.
Q: Is everything okay in terms of living arrangements?
Stephen Gogolev: Yes, though the rooms in the Olympic Village are a bit small. I don’t know how many square meters, but we have two beds, and they’re very close together. I’m living with my teammate Trennt Michaud.
Q: Your Russian is good. Do you speak it often?
Stephen Gogolev: I speak Russian at home with my family. And at competitions, there are often opportunities to speak Russian as well.
Q: If Ilia Malinin comes up to you, will you speak Russian with him?
Stephen Gogolev: It depends on who he’s with. If he’s with English speakers, I’ll speak English; if he’s with Russian speakers, then Russian, yes.
Q: What are your goals for the Olympics?
Stephen Gogolev: To deliver two clean programs; I don’t really think about the results. There’s also the team event, which I’ve never done back-to-back before. But if you think about it, it might actually be a bit easier than training, since we do one program a day. It just adds some nerves.
Q: In 2018, Canada won the team event. Do you feel Canadian figure skating isn’t at its peak now?
Stephen Gogolev: Well, this year at the National Championships, all the tickets were sold out. I can’t say if there’s a crisis. People don’t really recognize me on the street, but fans from different countries write to me on social media, which is nice.
Q: Petr Gumennik will also compete at the Olympics. Have you seen his programs?
Stephen Gogolev: Yes, I’ve seen a couple of his performances this season; he skates very well. I remember we used to compete together as juniors. I was surprised at how much he’s grown! He used to be (shows with his hand at waist level). We grew up together – I don’t know how tall he is, I’m 185 cm now. Petya is 184? So I beat him by a little, haha.
Q: Is it hard to jump?
Stephen Gogolev: I don’t think about it when I jump. (Laughs.) I don’t have any other height.
Q: Will you go to the opening ceremony?
Stephen Gogolev: Yes, even though there’s the team event, I’ll go. It’s probably my first time. We had the Canadian Winter Youth Games in 2015, and there was an opening ceremony there too. It was kind of like the Olympics, but of course, different.”
Related topics: Olympic Games, Stephen Gogolev
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