Tatiana Tarasova: This season I don’t consider offers from abroad
Translation of new interview with Tatiana Tarasova. She summed up the results of previous season and talked a bit about upcoming Olympics.
Tatiana Anatolievna, what are your plans for this off-season?
– I’ll rest till the middle of July, will do some things for my commentating work. I will consult to comment the competitions better, because the rules will be slightly changed. I’m going to attend the judges’ seminars to get information, so that I can correctly process it, and then properly share it with the viewers. The viewers are different. By the way, I want to say thank you to them, they love me as a commentator. They wrote me a lot, they support me very much and love me.
That’s true.
– This should be reciprocated. Therefore I am going to accumulate additional information for the Olympic Games. Since July I plan to go to the rink and to watch all the control skates. In August – control skates of the junior team, and in September – of the main team in Sochi. Time will fly quickly till the beginning of the season.
Have some skaters asked you for help before the Olympic season?
– No. Everything is distributed in our country. And I do not consider offers from abroad, although I got some.
Because it’s the Olympic season?
– Because I decided so.
Whom are you planning to support?
– Whom I should, I have already supported.
What pleased and what upset you last season in figure skating?
– The season is over, and it makes no sense to talk about it. Everyone is resting. There will be a new season, there will be new food for thought. My father, God rest his soul, always said: “Daughter, do not look back, look forward.”
And forward?
– The Olympics Games are forward. I’m expecting a big fight in the national team for getting into the Olympic team. Everything will be decided on the field 30 x 60. A new season will begin, the athletes will go and fulfil the goals set.
How do you think, will Evgenia Medvedeva cope psychologically? After all, she will have to prove her leadership.
– We should be able to wait and be grateful for what she and Eteri Tutberidze show us every year. And I’m not going to discuss this.
Do you like Medvedeva?
– How is it possible not to like her? She is a two-time world champion.
Do you believe that Adelina Sotnikova will return to the previous level?
– No.
Do you believe in Evgeni Plushenko as a coach?
– When he establishes himself then I’ll believe.
Alina Zagitova is ready to come. They are still deciding with the coach whether to compete at the senior level next season.
– I talked about this as soon as I saw Alina. I said that this girl, if she skates so and progress so, she can win the Olympic Games. She is very interesting and very promising.
Should we rush the things?
– She has a very strong coach. She will answer this question. Do not ever slow down doings, as they were slowed down for pair Stolbova / Klimov.
Elena Radionova joined the group to Elena Buyanova. Will it be an interesting cooperation?
– Yes, an interesting one. Buyanova loves working with girls and it turns out good. They already have interesting programs, one of them was done by Petya Tchernyshev. As for the technical side, this is the area of responsibility of the coach.
Will we see Julia Lipnitskaya again?
– I think no. She is the star that shone in her time, thank her for that. Julia adorned the Olympic Games in Sochi. People will never forget her – the girl in a red dress. She got the letter from the genius of the cinema – Steven Spielberg. Have someone sent you such a letter? No? Me neither. She gained general recognition. Someone has such way, someone has the other way. Then some other path begins.
In men’s single skating, everything is far from rosy. What about Maxim Kovtun? He got medals at the European Championships and the World Team Trophy this year. Is there a progress?
– Sometimes, progress is not about places. He was once the first who jumped two quads in a short program. Now he does not jump. He risked, started to do three quads in a free program, but then stopped. What kind of progress can I talk about? He was the fourth in the world, but became the tenth? This is regression. I treat Maxim kindly, but he thought he had plenty of time. But time has its limits. He needs to work very hard. But why to talk about Kovtun or Kolyada? They must go and show themselves. Not just be called promising…..
Maybe I have very high standards. But I have no others, my dad once said that you can be fired for the second place. For me there are no other places. The guys have skills to become the first or to be in the top three, and they hardly in the top ten … Nobody forbids them anything. They should review their training system with their coaches. Something in it does not work at all. And to say that “we’re learning” … Who was learning, has learned. People were putting new quads during the season. So far, I can not talk about the progress neither of Kovtun, nor of Kolyada. I declare with full responsibility that there is no progress.
By the way, about the quads. Girls have already started jumping them at trainings. An interesting trend?
– I really like that.
How do you think, should Volosozhar and Trankov stay in sport?
– Everyone should feel a desire, strength. It’s their question, a very important question for them.
And Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Smirnov?
– I can’t decide for them, but if I was them, I wouldn’t stay. Bad traumas simply tortured them. It’s also seems to me that Sasha wants to work as a coach. While he has someone to learn from – Tamara Nikolaevna Moskvina. It rarely happens that top athlet wants to work as a coach, but it’s welcomed.
Do you see Trankov as a coach?
– I know that last year he wanted to work. But I haven’t talked to him now. The coaching path is very long. The whole life passes. For example, Nina Mikhailovna Moser, she trained since childhood, when her mother also was a coach. But her first Olympics were the Games in Sochi, then the general public has learned about her.
What do you think about Tarasova / Morozov?
– I think they have a good result this year. Tarasova is also a hero-girl.
Were they in the shadow of Stolbova / Klimov?
– That’s not true. Don’t touch Stolbova / Klimov, the talent should not be touched. If they are recovered, then it will be our happiness. Because last year they were slightly shot down …
In the ice dance Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev took fifth place at the World Championship, Stepanova / Bukin – tenth.
– This is the best result that could have been.
So these are objective results?
– And you think that we are being umpired?
There were such opinions after the results in Helsinki.
– Let those who say so open their eyes and see who is skating and how. Katya and Dima, who missed two years, took up a wonderful place for them. In general, what can we claim for in ice dance? Now the guys are fifth. They must get into the top five at the Olympics, if they work well and prepare new interesting programs. And this will be a good result.
For how many medals we can compete at the Olympics in Pyeongchang?
– It would be better to have two medals in women’s skating. There can be medals in pairs, but it depends which ones. For one the bronze is a great joy, and for another – sadness. Depends on their level of expectations and abilities. We will try. We did not know that we would perform so amazingly in Sochi. But it went well. I want everyone to be healthy, so that no one’s legs hurt. I want Stolbova / Klimov to recover from serious injuries, which didn’t allow them to be the best. I want Zhenya Medvedeva to find her style. So everyone will improve. We will see very soon how it pans out. We must have patience.
by Elena Sobol for sport-express.ru
*I don’t know why Tarasova said that Tchernyshev did one program for Elena Radionova. Previously Buyanova told that Lena keeps her SP and work on FP with Shae-Lynn Bourne.
**Interesting how Tarasova changed her opinion about ice dance) And no comments about Stepanova Bukin)
Related topics: interview, Tatiana Tarasova, Team Russia
Thanks for this, it was very interesting.
I’m surprised about the comment on sotnikova!
I really hope Elena improves with a new coach. I hope the new coach makes her stop flailing around!
I wish Julia all the best, whatever happens!!