- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
Here is my translation of a Slutskaya interview
Irina SLUTSTAKYA: There is no tragedy, I was just sick and was relaxing
Interview of a skater who decided to come back
The last minute inclusion of the world champion Irina SLUTSKAYA into the Russian Team surprised not only the fans, but many specialists as well. Due to illness, the 25 year old Muscovite missed almost a year, and she now has to defend herself before the best skaters on the planet. Slutskaya talked to the “Izvestiya” correspondent Alexei Efimiev about what pushed her to go for it.
Irina, why go for such a risk? You won’t again have an opportunity to fully relax and catch your breat. Do you not aim for the Turin Olympics anymore?
You can’t predict tomorrow. And Turin is still two years away.
The rumors go that you have carefully examined Michelle Kwan’s free skate, which means you…
... expect to win? No, I’ll be happy with any placement, as long as judging is fair. Sure, though, I will fight for the gold. Certainly, my main competitors are the American girls.
Nonetheless, you are listed as the second or even a third member of the team, out of three.
I am happy to be included at all. I haven’t skated in any championships for a year already. Many think that Slutskaya should only want, and… That’s what I thought before, but the federation told me, “You are a small person, we will look at the test state and then decide if you are better than the girls who come in 15th at Europeans or not.”
Forced withdrawal from championships became for you…
… a tragedy? Many want to present it this way: “Slutskaya’s Tragedy”, “The Skater’s Drama”. Some have even gone further: “Slutskaya suffers a heart attack”, “Slutskaya is pregnant”. Media needs a sensation, so they start fantasizing. All people in this world get sick. That’s normal. There is not drama there, let alone a tragedy.
There were reports that you have a vasculitis, but that is usually a side effect, almost a symptom of…
Systemic Rheumatics Illness. You know, thought, there is such a thing as medical privacy. No one will tell you the whole truth. Would you want your medical records to become public? There is chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, but those are now cured. Now, more serious problems have surfaced: liquid in the Periakarde (sp?), inflammation of the joints. So they drained the liquid, applied hormonal treatments, found out what and why. Some thing have been cured, some are being cured. I repeate, there is no drama there, let alone a tragedy. On the opposite, I’ve relaxed, and even did some interesting things.
For example…
I go to the TV school “Ostankino”. One day I’ll do sports commentary on Channel 1. If not, it never hurts to learn how to talk and carry oneself in front of the camera.
After a weak season for you in ’99, the world saw a different Slutskaya – a leader, a champion. After Salt Lake City, it appears that the this has reversed itself?
Turning points, breaks… “Slutskaya became Slutskaya after she won something for the first time with a fever”. Slutskaya was always Slutskaya. Simply some things turned out luckier than others; sometimes life circumstances worked for me, sometimes against. Even last season – I don’t think I did so poorly. Sure, I was sick, but I got gold at Europeans, and perhaps I could have won the St. Petersburg Grand Prix Final, may be even Worlds, but… My mom fell ill seriously and suddenly, just hours before I had to take the ice at Petersburg Sports palace. I obviously could not withdraw, but after that I had more serious things than skating to attend to – things of life and death. But that’s water under the bridge, let’s talk of something else.
Is it true that you skated last season on golden skates?
Yes. It’s a special order. Pure gold overlay, and a sign “Irina Slutskaya”. This year it’s the same skates.
Irina SLUTSTAKYA: There is no tragedy, I was just sick and was relaxing
Interview of a skater who decided to come back
The last minute inclusion of the world champion Irina SLUTSKAYA into the Russian Team surprised not only the fans, but many specialists as well. Due to illness, the 25 year old Muscovite missed almost a year, and she now has to defend herself before the best skaters on the planet. Slutskaya talked to the “Izvestiya” correspondent Alexei Efimiev about what pushed her to go for it.
Irina, why go for such a risk? You won’t again have an opportunity to fully relax and catch your breat. Do you not aim for the Turin Olympics anymore?
You can’t predict tomorrow. And Turin is still two years away.
The rumors go that you have carefully examined Michelle Kwan’s free skate, which means you…
... expect to win? No, I’ll be happy with any placement, as long as judging is fair. Sure, though, I will fight for the gold. Certainly, my main competitors are the American girls.
Nonetheless, you are listed as the second or even a third member of the team, out of three.
I am happy to be included at all. I haven’t skated in any championships for a year already. Many think that Slutskaya should only want, and… That’s what I thought before, but the federation told me, “You are a small person, we will look at the test state and then decide if you are better than the girls who come in 15th at Europeans or not.”
Forced withdrawal from championships became for you…
… a tragedy? Many want to present it this way: “Slutskaya’s Tragedy”, “The Skater’s Drama”. Some have even gone further: “Slutskaya suffers a heart attack”, “Slutskaya is pregnant”. Media needs a sensation, so they start fantasizing. All people in this world get sick. That’s normal. There is not drama there, let alone a tragedy.
There were reports that you have a vasculitis, but that is usually a side effect, almost a symptom of…
Systemic Rheumatics Illness. You know, thought, there is such a thing as medical privacy. No one will tell you the whole truth. Would you want your medical records to become public? There is chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, but those are now cured. Now, more serious problems have surfaced: liquid in the Periakarde (sp?), inflammation of the joints. So they drained the liquid, applied hormonal treatments, found out what and why. Some thing have been cured, some are being cured. I repeate, there is no drama there, let alone a tragedy. On the opposite, I’ve relaxed, and even did some interesting things.
For example…
I go to the TV school “Ostankino”. One day I’ll do sports commentary on Channel 1. If not, it never hurts to learn how to talk and carry oneself in front of the camera.
After a weak season for you in ’99, the world saw a different Slutskaya – a leader, a champion. After Salt Lake City, it appears that the this has reversed itself?
Turning points, breaks… “Slutskaya became Slutskaya after she won something for the first time with a fever”. Slutskaya was always Slutskaya. Simply some things turned out luckier than others; sometimes life circumstances worked for me, sometimes against. Even last season – I don’t think I did so poorly. Sure, I was sick, but I got gold at Europeans, and perhaps I could have won the St. Petersburg Grand Prix Final, may be even Worlds, but… My mom fell ill seriously and suddenly, just hours before I had to take the ice at Petersburg Sports palace. I obviously could not withdraw, but after that I had more serious things than skating to attend to – things of life and death. But that’s water under the bridge, let’s talk of something else.
Is it true that you skated last season on golden skates?
Yes. It’s a special order. Pure gold overlay, and a sign “Irina Slutskaya”. This year it’s the same skates.
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I hope she will skate as good as she can in Dortmund, it's just a joy to have her back, no matter what her final placement will be. 
