Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: “I enjoy being on the ice, enjoy training and skating – what other motivation is needed?”
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva for sobaka.ru and also some nice comments form Alexei Mishin.
source: sobaka magizine May 2021, sobaka.ru
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: Someone says that silver in Stockholm is more valuable than gold in Osaka and my victory at 2015 World Championships in Shanghai. Of course, I can’t say so, all victories are valuable. But imagine – I trained, prepared, and at the same time it was not clear whether something would work out at all. Why? In December 2020, I got sick with coronavirus, missed the fifth stage of the Russian Cup and might not have made it to the Worlds at all, but I got on the podium. Of course, I was insanely happy.
I always don’t know what to say when I’m asked about motivation for sports and work. I haven’t shown everything in figure skating, and I will show even more. I enjoy being on the ice, enjoy training and skating – what other motivation is needed?
This silver is not my last word in sports and not the last challenge. Remember: I want to jump a quadruple toe loop in a program and will do my best to do it.
Alexei Mishin: You should have seen how Liza appeared in my group for the first time. A little girl in an oversized coat, in a large hat and scarf – only her large eyes are visible. But it was clear from her skating that the potential was huge! And when Liza was 12 years old, we finally convinced of this: she was catching everything very quickly and almost immediately began to do double-triple jumps. Both as an athlete and as a person. You see for yourself, Liza is one of the main women in Russia now! I am often asked about her uniqueness, but, to be honest, I do not like such loud words. I answer everyone: “Liza is good. And deserves the highest awards.” And I will not say that I immediately saw a future champion in her. No, I just saw a person who is ready to work. And all the big victories are work, work and work”.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: A person’s eyes often speak more than words. In the eyes of Alexei Nikolaevich, I immediately saw support and faith in our great future. And that we have a splendid future. His is cool because he never stops me: from the very childhood he allows me to work on complex elements. At the same time, Aleksei Nikolayevich is not a man of pretentious motivational speeches, and this is his strength: we have a wordless energetic connection, and I motivate myself.
About frendship and rejuvenation of the sport
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: In general, I do not like anger, be it sports or unsportsmanlike. Figure skating is an art. How can you do art and exude anger? No way. I go out on the ice only in harmony and with positivity. Relationships with colleagues are the same. We are friends, we communicate well. How can enmity help each of us? And the fact that many single skaters are younger even helps me. I cheer up next to the new generation! (Laughs.) And they pull themselves up, looking at me, such an adult and experienced. Everyone is constantly talking about age, they call it a problem. But understand, everyone wants high results. What do you need to do for this? That’s right, start putting difficult quadruple jumps back in childhood. If an athlete at 13 already skates in such a way that she can claim victories at international competitions, should she be banned from participating in them? I don’t think there will be a division of competition groups by age in the future. It’s just that coaches and sports medicine will work to ensure that the girls maintain their top shape and abilities for as long as possible. I sometimes joke about my “old age” on Instagram, but this is nothing more than humor.
Alexei Mishin: See what an interesting situation. Lisa is 24, I’m 80. And we are still moving forward and developing. We see no obstacles and just move forward. Cervantes wrote “Don Quixote” at almost 90 years old, and why are we worse? (Laughs.) The flowering of Elizaveta Sergeevna’s talents is going on permanently and non-stop – write this. Her, as you say, thing is love. She does not go on the ice or train with a grin of overcoming, she just loves figure skating and cannot live without it. How many illnesses, failures, trauma there were – any other would definitely give up, but not Liza. She, like the Statue of Liberty, holds a torch and says: “Girls, work, and victories will definitely come.” Do you know what helped her at the World Championships in Stockholm? Liza did not skate her free program, in training, she decided to save her strength for the performance. The fans were in a panic, but she knew what she was doing – and she won a medal, even though she fell in the process: besides that, the skating was perfect.
About publicity
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva: For me, publicity is a completely natural thing. Since childhood, the cameras have been directed at me, I’m used to it. If I’m dating a guy, why should I hide it? If I am resting somewhere on the beach, like all normal people, I do it in a swimsuit. Why not post a cool photo? I am a simple, down-to-earth person and I love to swipe on Instagram and get likes. Actually it’s a natural and normal thing for a young girl, but for some reason my openness surprises many. There is sincerity, and there is frankness. I am sincere and behave in social networks as in real life, and in real life I am a normal cheerful girl Lizka Tuktik.
At first, I just wanted me to have my own merch: I saw fan shops with hockey and football paraphernalia and thought that merch is also necessary for the figure skating so that fans can wear something with a print or the name of their favorite athlete. I started with what I wear every day: casual – hoodies, T-shirts. As a result, everything turned into stylish, laconic things without reference to figure skating in design. This is a hobby, but who knows how it will turn out later – maybe I will become a designer. Now all my main goals are sports. But life is multifaceted, and I don’t want to close for myself something else that I like.
Related topics: Alexei Mishin, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
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