snowflake painstakingly translated this long radio interview!
R = Reporter, AM = Alexander Majorov, CK = Carina Kelly, IM = Irina Majorov
R: Balloons, flags, banners and plates. Yes, that's what awaited Alexander Majorov when he arrived at Luleå Airport yesterday. And many were there.
R: Why are you here at this moment?
- To cheer for Sasha's bronze placement.
R: What will you do when he arrives then?
- Well, scream. (She and her friends laugh.)
R: And here is one carrying a lot of flowers. What's your name?
- Viktoria.
R: Why are you here?
- Because Sasha is arriving. (She giggles.)
R: So, how big is his achievement, then?
- Very big.
R: What will you do when he comes?
- Cheer.
R: Do you figure skate as well?
- Oh, yes!
R: Who is your big idol, then?
- I don't know, I have a lot. Sasha is one of them.
"Now they must come. Now, now, no more patience. Now they should come..." (Screams, shouts and applauds.)
R: Expectant figure skating fans were waiting and waiting, but finally Sasha arrived.
"Congrats Sasha!"
R: How do you feel coming home, getting such a reception?
AM: It's fantastic, it's really fun. I didn't expect this.
R: How did you expect the arrival to be?
AM: Well, as it always is; my mom stands here with my little brother and says welcome home.
R: Was it a shock with so much people?
AM: Yes, it was. That's to say, I didn't imagine it.
R: Did you have time to digest what you actually achieved over there?
AM: Yes, I actually have. Well, now I just have to focus on real Worlds, so... but, I must try to digest it away even more because it's hard to continue practicing when it went well. That is the most tricky part. Yeah, but it's just keeping on, aiming for the next competition.
R: Will it be hard to re-focus before next Worlds?
AM: Well, I don't know yet. We'll see how it goes this week. But mostly it's easier to take on practice after it went badly. Then you crave to practise. You really want only to practise. But I will try to re-focus until tomorrow and start training again.
R: Did you believe, when you went, that you would succeed like this?
AM: Well, at first, before the short program, when I arrived, then I was out of shape in everything. I didn't think I would qualify. The short went well even though I had a bad training session. Then my body came to life the same day.
R: What did you think then after the short program, when you knew you had a chance to medal?
AM: Well, after the short program, it felt good. Then I knew I could fight for the top three, top four.
R: If you look forward to senior Worlds, which is pretty close, what are your expectations?
AM: Well, I don't know. I'll try to go for it and skate clean and then we'll see how far it takes me.
R: It was a bit of a storm between you and the federation before. Do you see this medal as a revenge?
AM: No, I don't. Because all that happened before, that was only... it grew to big... absolutely not a revenge. It's fun to show that you are good in Sweden also. Particularly to show that Swedish skaters are developing.
R: Carina Kelly, from the Swedish Figure Skating Federation, was present at Luleå Airport to meet Alexander. And she was impressed.
CK: Yes, it's fantastic, it's awesome, it's hard to put words on it! We have been waiting for so long, well, since 1932. And all this hard work that especially he has done and his family. Yes it's... I feel... I have tears in my eyes. No, but it's fantastic!
R: What does this medal mean to Swedish figure skating?
CK: It means very very much. Because the federation has since many years had this goal, to medal at the big events. And this is only the beginning. That's how I look at it. There are many junior skaters coming up as well. We will certainly see more medals at big events. That's what I think.
R: And among the receivers there was, of course, also mom, as well as coach, Irina Majorov. And she was affected by the reception of her son.
IM: It feels awesome, I think. I am glad, I am proud. I am happy about it all. It was very touching to see them all... the many who had come here with their feelings, beautiful banners and flowers. Thank you for everything.
R: How nervous were you at home following the competitions?
IM: I tried to stay strong and not have bad thoughts, I knew that he was capable. I tried to send him good feelings. You can, you can (and then "you can, you can" in Russian, I think). You have to start showing at some point what you can do. So, I wasn't nervous. But the last minutes, when he had skated his program and he called home and said: "I got 195 points and is in first place at the moment with four boys left to go," I realized that he would be at least in 5th place. And I couldn't get online, Internet. And I was shaking and shivering and waiting until Carina Skoog, from the federation, called and told me he was third. And I started to cry. That was fun.