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Lina Johansson

Johansson Looks Forward to Nordics

January 16, 2004
Article © Magdalena Osborne
Photo © Cristian Hillbom

She skated brilliantly in the Junior Grand Prix Final held in her home town Malmö in December 2003 and earned a silver medal. Meet Sweden's rising star 15-year-old Lina Johansson.

"I started skating when I was 6 years old. I tried soccer first because my older brother played, but it was boring so I quit after a week. A friend suggested figure skating and I loved it right away."

When asked about her first competition she laughs.

"I was 7 and I did a spin and a jump and then my mind went blank and I couldn't remember what to do next so I started over. I got through the program but had used too much time so I was disqualified!"

But that was in the past and a year ago she finished eighth at Junior Worlds.

"I was getting more consistent in my triple jumps and things just started coming together. I missed a jump in the free skate but the rest went well and I loved the feeling of having had a really good skate. I will soon start working on a triple axel and also on a quad; both feel like realistic goals to me."

Because Lina's birthday is in September she won't be old enough to compete at the European Championships in Budapest.

"Sure I'm disappointed but I have to look on the bright side, I now have one more year to prepare. And there are other competitions in the meantime."

Next up is the Nordic Championships where she will compete as a senior against the top ladies from Finland, and then go to Junior Worlds where she will again compete against Miki Ando who won the gold in Malmö.

"Of course I'd like to win this time but my main goal is to have a clean skate and place better than last year."

Many skaters fold under pressure but Lina has her own philosophy.

"The bigger the crowd, the better! I like to have people watching and I don't get nervous. I feel their support and know they want me to succeed. Of course skating in Malmö was wonderful, the audience was with me all the way clapping and cheering and many of my friends were there, it was great!"

Daily practice sessions aren't as glamorous and they start early in the morning so she can make it to school on time. She is in ninth grade, the last year of compulsory school in Sweden and good grades are important for applying to Junior college. In spite of all the time off for competitions and training camps, she gets good grades.

"I miss a lot of classes when I'm away and there's really no time for doing homework at competitions so I study on weekends and holidays to catch up. I like my art classes but am not much into math...I plan to go to Junior college but I haven't decided what I want to do in the future, except skate, I want to keep skating!"

After school she works out at a gym or takes ballet classes.

"I don't have a lot of time off but when I do I like to hang out with my friends. Some of them skate too so I see them all the time in practice."

Ela Magnusson coaches Lina and they have worked together since Lina started skating.

"We're a good team and get along fine and we worked out my short program together. I heard the music (soundtrack to The Professional) during a ballet class and I liked it a lot and then Ela listened too and liked it. But she picked the music to my long program (Introduction and Rondo Capricciosa by C. Saint-Saens) and I didn't care for it at first, but the coach always knows best...and now I like it too! We try to pick music that's a little different and not used so much by other skaters and we're always listening for the right music but we haven't seriously started looking into next season's programs yet."

She's young and hasn't had any problems with injuries or equipment so far.

"I hope my boots will last me at least a year. One time when I broke in new ones it took like six months to get them right, but then I tried a different brand and they were fine after just one practice session."

She has little worries about the new judging systems.

"I have tried to learn about the Code of Points and how it works and I understand a little but there's also a lot I don't get... But I'm not losing any sleep over how it'll affect me or what the judges do, I just skate!"

Money is not yet a big issue and so far the prize money goes into her training.

"I haven't really thought about making a lot of money off my skating. If I do some day it'll be great but money's not my motivation and I haven't made any plans for it."

Her already sizable collection of medals and trophies are on display in her room and she wants to add more.

"I want to skate and compete for a long time and win medals at Europeans and Worlds."

What about the Olympics?

"Of course I want to go; it would be so cool to compete there!"

And she will most likely be able to.

"I get some funding from the ISU and their special "international talent development program" designed to help young skaters and their coaches prepare for international competitions. We go to Finland twice a year to train at the athletic center in Vierumaki. It's very hard work but a lot of fun too. The Swedish Olympic Committee also supports me and Kristoffer Berntsson and the other skaters on the Swedish team by providing training camps in Sweden every summer. I go to different camps throughout the year."

At a camp in Moscow she will train with renowned Russian coach Viktor Kudriavtsev, a collaboration that has been going on since 1996 and Lina is very grateful for his help and input.

Lina also finds a lot of inspiration in her favorite skater Irina Slutskaya.

"She has everything as a skater and her Culture program is just the best I've ever seen."

Figure skating is not a big sport in Sweden but Lina has managed to make some headlines. Last year she was granted a youth sports scholarship sponsored by a newspaper and she was recently nominated "Newcomer of the year" and will go to Stockholm for the annual sports gala on January 19.

Her coach thinks she has a great future ahead and while in Sweden for the Junior Grand Prix Final, Olympic Champion Alexei Yagudin said in interviews that he was impressed by Lina's skating and that she has potential to reach the top and then added that it was about time Sweden got a really good skater. How did Lina react to his comment?

"I'm flattered and it makes me very, very happy to hear him say that!"

Her friends think it's great that she's getting famous but she doesn't feel much like a star.

"I've been asked for autographs at competitions and sometimes at training camps and it's fun but it's not like I get fan mail."

No one knows what the future holds but ten years from now she wants to still be skating.

"If I'm not still competing I might be a pro and skate in shows. I don't know, but I want to skate! Right now I'm a fighter and I don't want to leave the ice until I land the jump I'm working on and I give it my all during practice sessions. Sure I get mad and cuss sometimes when things don't go my way, I think most skaters do, but I have a positive attitude and I don't give up."