I can't believe that it's just less then one week before the Russian national championship already! Tonight I decided to look at the performances of Mikhail in this tournament for recent years. And I would like to share some highlights from the past: the first of the 2012-2013 season. It was in Sochi, and it was like in the kingdom of Evgeni Plushenko, The Tsar. There were a lot of posters with Evgeni, commentators mostly talked about Evgeni, crowd pationatly waited for Evgeni. You can see many hints of Evgeni in other skaters: someone had costume, other had hairstyle like Evgeni, or their music or some choreography would remind you about Evgeni. However, there were a lot of young talents, who performed there for the first time, like Aleksandr Samarin, Adian Pitkeev, Aleksandr Petrov, Andrei Lazukin who were 13-15 - and so on, and the one of the last was 17 y.o. Mikhail Kolyada. He didn't make big mistakes in his short, many elements were a bit inaccurate, but still he brought his playful, groovy, happy attitude, and made people smile a bit more. Valentina didn't forgot to care that he would cover his shoulders with jacket in K&C. The commentator, resuming opinions of the specialists of those day said "Everybody liked Kolyada."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QarO_so4LPU
However, he didn't have any Quad, and fell from both attempts of 3A in the Free.
Next year didn't bring him a quad too. He tried it, but after changing blades it was hard for him to feel it again. He turned 18, and was staying in juniors, but his results didn't make better, 15 years old guys became overcome him. He fighted with Quads, 3A, boots, blades and couldn't overcome them. Maybe it was a right time to change a coach for more experienced but Mikhail refused to do it. The Russian Nationals performance was dissapointing. He fell from 3A in the Short, the begining of the Free was Ok, but suddenly something wrong happend with his boot - commentators said, he lost a hook on his boots. Oh, that gaze at the 4.11 is just heartbreaking...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb8DRwppYS0
I think choreographes try to bring out the gaze like that from their studens to move people feelings. He is forced to withraw from the competition.
And it wasn't better the next year. During the summer he broke his ankle at practice, and healed it more then a half of the year. He skiped all the main competitions including the Russian Nats.
It could be the end of the very sad story, but Mikhail managed to make it into the begining of the very good one. He is still loyal to his team, he recoveres from the injury, he works, he succeeds, he delivers, he finnaly gets Quad Toe! And the first competition, where he landed it in both programmes was Russian Nats. Tarasova said during translation that she thinks she will never forget this boy "he is so nice, he enjoys so much with perfomances, he has such a good connection with his coach, and with the music, and he is like a kind of "boyish-boy", with a very nice temper".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od7vmwYXxe8
He takes silver medal hear, and becames a skater, who takes part in the every big competitions.
The next year is very busy for him. He takes part in a lot of competitions. He performs great at Worlds and his only rival in Russia is Maksim Kovtun, who has two quad jumps. Misha has just 4T. He tries 4S, but he pops it often in competitions. He tries 4Lz. It is very hard to land it, but he can fully rotate it. At the Russian Nationals 2017 he is a leader after the short. Kovtun had a bad SP, but then made a good FP, and takes the lead. Then young Samarin skates clean his routine and takes the first spot. The last one is Mikhail. He tries the 4Lz, rotate it, but no way to land it. Then 4T with step-out. Then clean 3A-3T and 3Lz-2T. Then... commercial of the main sponsor started to sound over the music! Then ads is over, he continues. 3A, 3S+2A, 3Lo, a bit tight on 2A and it becames clear that he make a dream of Valentina come true - she becomes a coach of the Russian National Champion! Like a young head of the big family he hugs his crying coaches, during the anouncement... that was a moment they tried to reach for so many years...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RehSMFG9yCE
So, less then one week before the short programm of Russian Nationals. Mikhail had a very succesful Grand Prix, with winning the bronze and gold medals, making the final, and he took the bronze there. His 4Lz is still unstable, though, there were a couple of very good attempts. He didn't land a clean 4S so far. The Championship now held in his native Saint-Petersburg. Wish him best luck this time!
Sometimes it seems we're a little outnumbered. I sat next to you for men's fs in Boston and then ran into you the next morning at Logan waiting for our same flight home. We commiserated over Yuzuru and Shoma and also discussed our mutual lack of fandom for a particular skater, lol. I remember your forum name because it's so pretty, and have seen some of your posts in other threads. So, I'm enviously aware that you're going to get to see the OG figure skating competition live in Pyeongchang, lucky you! Sorry to everyone else for the 
topic: (though I think that emoji is so cute and I finally got to use it 
). 
I thought he showed a lot of perseverance in going for everything (barring the unfortunate slip on the loop) and that in itself is an improvement over prior competitions. And this time he didn't mess up his spin in the sp.
Keeping my fingers crossed that he will remain healthy and peak at the OG!
I look forward to your onsite reports!!!
), and I'm very happy for you (and envious 
Which is why he's one of my favourites 
