Adeliia Petrosian: “To be honest, Olympics are not about enjoyment, at least for me. Some emotions were either blurred or felt a bit different than they actually were. Everything was about concentration, about being tightly wound.”

Adeliia Petrosian shared her thoughts on the Olympics, describing the intense concentration required and how her Olympic experience differed from expectations due to limited international competition.

original source: Sports

Adeliia Petrosian discussed her perspective on the Olympics. Here’s a translation of her comments.

“Q: For spectators, the Olympics are, let’s say, an entertainment genre. But for athletes, it seems to be all about incredible concentration and tension. Tell us, what is the Olympics really like?

Adeliia Petrosian: To be honest, it’s not about enjoyment, at least for me.

I went out there completely focused, and even when people told me the crowd was roaring when I came out for warm-up, I didn’t really hear it clearly. Everything was internalized. Only after the short program did I fully hear the audience.

So, some emotions were either blurred or felt a bit different than they actually were. Everything was about concentration, about being tightly wound. Before the free skate, I withdrew even more into myself and tried to just stay centered.

Q: So when you go out there, you don’t hear the noise, the ovations in the moment?

Adeliia Petrosian: Noise-canceling mode! Of course, you hear everything, but you try to distance yourself from it.

Q: There’s a sense that for any athlete, the Olympics are the pinnacle and ultimate dream. But when you’re actually there, do you realize it’s truly the ultimate dream? Or do even bigger goals appear?

Adeliia Petrosian: That’s a really good question. In the past, the Olympics probably were the ultimate goal for any athlete. But now, after being closed off for four years, not competing internationally, even any Grand Prix event abroad feels like a goal, a dream.

We compete in Russia, and our figure skating federation keeps everything at the highest level, for which I’m very grateful. But still, when you go to the Olympics, there should have been some competitions besides the qualifying tournament where we could have felt the atmosphere and believed that the Olympics are what we’ve been striving for. But I didn’t have those feelings. It was like I just went out there and didn’t understand: how, what, where.”

Related topics: Adeliia Petrosian, Olympic Games