Alina Zagitova, Charming, Attractive: "I live for today"
For Alina Zagitova, the past season turned out to be the most difficult in her sports career.
The world record at the start of the season was replaced by disappointments, first at the Russian Championship, and then at the European Championships.
Injuries and doubts in her own strength did not pass by.
Not every person can withstand such pressure from every side ...
All the dots were to be put on the “I” in the World Championships,
in Saitama where the Olympic Champion brilliantly
managed to deal with everything that came her way.
She not only became the first Russian figure skater to win every possible title in her sport,
and the second-ever single female skater after Katharina Witt,
who managed to become the best skater in the world a year after winning the Olympic Games.
But she made millions of people from all over the world
fall in love with her and with figure skating.
This interview for the magazine “World of Figure Skating” with Alina Zagitova was conducted on her birthday - May 18, when she turned 17 years old.
Having found a little time for a meeting after training at “Khrustalniy”, the champion talked about the most desired birthday present, the difficult moments of her career, her childhood dreams and plans for the future.
... you can, of course, do nothing, but I already know: give yourself an indulgence - and you will find yourself exhausted in training ...
" I usually celebrated my birthday on vacation somewhere in warm countries, because in our group at this time we have our vacation. But at the end of May I have a show in Japan, so I asked Eteri Georgievna to let me leave early to go on vacation,” Alina explained.
" In childhood I always woke up those days with the thought: there will be something interesting.
And the day really turned out to be fabulous. I always celebrated it with friends, we went to a children's cafe, played, it was a lot of fun. Now, of course, there are fewer friends
and there’s no time for such fun. Therefore, we will celebrate in the evening in a family way - I, mom, dad, my sister Sabina and grandmother. This is the best gift for me, because recently we rarely get together."
- The sun, the sea helped you to completely disconnect from everyday's training?
" Now, letting go completely, this never works out. For me, the most important thing is to maintain weight, so on vacation I had to carefully monitor my diet. Every day I tried to go to the gym to keep fit. Even so, you can, of course, do nothing, but I already know: give yourself an indulgence - then you will find yourself exhausted in training."
- There is still a whole summer ahead. But the summer of skaters is the time when you need to get together and start to work. How do you usually get involved in the season after your summer vacation?
" For a long time I’ve been suffering with my jumps. At first, there wasn't enough “breath”, so programs are harder to skate through. But today was my first training and everything turned out."
- Is it hard to be a star, Alina?
"I don't feel like one."
- Endless shootings and meetings, countless journalists really don't exhaust you?
“ Well, it wasn't always like this. After the Olympics, I thought I will never get used to such attention. Then I got involved. I thought: it’s unlikely that they will come to interview me when, for example, I become a grandmother. What is happening to me now is something I will remember all my life.
- There’s even a Barbie doll in the image of Alina Kitri from the Don Quixote Olympic program - along with a gold medal and Masaru, now standing in the lobby of the Khrustalniy rink. No skater has ever received such an honour.
" I admire this doll myself. Such a delicate job! People did everything by hand, every stone was glued to the dress, they worked for more than a day to give me joy. When I look at her, I get such a boost of energy ... I feel that people love me. We get mutual love, an exchange of energies. They inspire me, and I them. And vice versa. This is what I value most.
- In general, what is it like to realise at the age of 17, you are the idol of millions?
" I don’t think about this at all. I think that you need to remain yourself, first of all. Always, in any situation. Continue to do your job, delight fans. If I behave pretending to be, trying to seem better than I really am, people will definitely feel it. It’s like during a performance. When your emotions are sincere, from the heart, the program also looks different, and the returns come from the audience.
- Would you like to meet some of the stars? Maybe from other sports?
" With Alina Kabaeva. I know what a strong character she is. I really liked when she competed as an athlete. Alina, by the way, called me on the eve of the Saitama World Cup. She gave me words of support. But we have not yet met in person."
- Shooting, photo sessions that take a lot of time in your current schedule, is this a pleasure or is it still work?
" Probably, it's more correct to say that this is a job that brings pleasure. When shooting from nine in the morning until eight in the evening, you get no less tired than in training. But there are still more positive emotions. I really like the role of a model. I even think in the future I will try myself in the model business, I will take something new for myself that will benefit me.
- For example?
" I feel I have become more relaxed. After all, in the studio, so many people look at what you do, how you work. Everything must be performed at the highest level. This is more like the work of an actor, and although I was used to performing in full arena's, I was still pinched initially, shy."
... But it happens, in training, one of the guys tells a joke, and the world around you becomes more fun. Eteri Georgievna, too, can sometimes joke such you'll laugh for very long.
- They say that you are absolutely not conflicting, but a friendly person. And always on the positive. Agree?
" I can’t evaluate myself. I can be different, like everyone else. A lot of things depend on my mood."
" I can’t, for example, fully invest in work if my mood is bad. When I come to training in a good mood, it happens that all the jumps and cascades are obtained without difficulty the first time. And there are days when, on the contrary, everything falls out of hand for no reason. I try not to go on about it, but it doesn't always work out.
- What can cheer you up, how do you get out of this state?
" Differently. I'll watch a good movie, play with my pets. And sometimes, in training, one of the guys tells a joke, and the world around you becomes more fun. Eteri Georgievna, too, can sometimes joke such you will laugh for very long."
- You let go of failures quickly?
" In childhood, I didn’t worry about this, in general, everything was somehow much easier. Although my mother scolded me when I performed poorly. And then, before the World Championships in Milan, I didn’t have any major failures. After Milan, yes, I came to my senses for a very long time."
- This season at times was also not the most successful. As if someone was constantly checking from above - what are you good for. You never asked yourself: “Lord, why do I need these trials again?”
" No, I fought with myself. I tried to tune myself, as my coaches taught me: if it’s hard for you, then you need to strain even more, get up and move on. You should never say that you will not succeed, show how hard it is for you. It was very important for me that this season end well. Now I know that everything happens in life, it is very difficult, it is important to be able to “chew” everything and move on. When I won in Saitama, I proved, first of all to myself, that I can do this."
- Do you miss home in Izhevsk?
“ I used to miss it a lot, now it’s easier. The most difficult part for me was being separated from my parents. I have always been a very homely child. And now, when I go visit my grandmother, grandfather, aunts - my soul simply falls to pieces with joy, my mood rises. Everything there is native - my skating rink, my school ... Izhevsk - where my native walls stand, my childhood ...
- Was it easy to make friends with Moscow?
" When we first moved here, I was afraid of Moscow. Winter, dark, huge gray city, crowds of people. But then it turned out that there are many beautiful places, parks, squares. Now Moscow gives me very different emotions. I fell in love with her. When I return from trips, the sensations are the same as in Izhevsk, as if I were born here."
- When you walk with Masaru, probably, there are people lined up for autographs?
" Everyone turns to give Masaru attention: “Oh, but isn't this the dog that was shown on Channel One?” They say hello to her, talk and then, maybe, they say: “Oh, but you're Alina Zagitova by chance?”
- Masaru also recently distinguished herself in a competition?
" Yes, she won first place in exhibition! She was very praised. We set her up for this event, as my mom probably sets me up for competitions. Apparently, this helped, and she also showed character.
- Love for this breed comes from childhood, right?
" I really enjoyed watching the movie 'Hachiko.' Re-watched it many times and roared every time. I asked my mom and dad to buy me the same dog. But my parents, of course, did resist. They explained: “This is a serious breed, it must be well looked after, and you are still small.” Moreover, at that moment I just left for Moscow to see Eteri Georgievna.
Yes, probably, I needed this said “kick”. A pat on the head to persuade me - that's not how I am.
- What else did you dream about as a child?
" About lots of things. When I just arrived in Moscow and got to my first training camp in Novogorsk, I dreamed, for example, that I had a normal bed on which I could lie down between workouts."
- Meaning?
" I was not on the team then, it was not possible to stay in the Novogorsk hotel, but I didn’t have time to go to Moscow, where my grandmother and I rented a room. So I was resting between workouts right in the lobby,
on a sofa. It was small, my legs did not fit - hung over the armrests ... And then, when I got into the national team, all my dreams and desires were more connected with figure skating.
When Eteri Georgievna told me I would do all the jumps in the second half of the program, I had a shock. In my opinion, I even started messing up my coach with words like: “This is impossible! I can’t, why !? ”I really didn’t understand how to do it at that time. After all, I didn’t even have triples back then. But, apparently, Eteri Georgievna already believed in me, since she was not afraid to say so.
- What do you value your coach for?
" For her persistent character, above all. I also like her femininity, she always looks good, dresses beautifully, and in this I also take her for example. I really respect her for what she did for me on the eve of the World Championships. My mood was: “I don’t want”, “I won’t”, “leave me alone” endlessly. I did not listen to either my parents or my trainers. In training, nothing happened, I began to think I would never get out of this state. I was tired of fighting and at some point I even let my hands drop ....
- Were you indeed psychologically ready to finish all this?
" As it turned out, no. When you feel you are losing what is dear to you, you begin to cherish it. I guess I needed to feel it.
- As they say, sometimes thanks to a good kick, we gain wings.
" Yes, I probably needed this, this "kick". To persuade me, patting my head will not do. And Eteri Georgievna is a very wise coach, she knows very well when she needs to let go and when to put pressure. She said: “No! Let's go!
I am very grateful to her for insisting on this.
- Alina, how is Sabina doing on the ice?
" So far, she has not succeeded, but she is still small, there is time ahead. I, too, if you recall, at eleven years, essentially didn't jump, only doubles. At twelve, only then I began to leave my jumps on stable feet."
- Now it’s clear why, when Eteri Georgievna was asked: 'Why did you take this girl to the group?' She replied: 'For her beauty!'
" Naturally, I didn't know about this. I just began to listen carefully and do everything the trainers told me. And everything went by itself: triples, and the team, and medals ..."
You look at how the opponent works - and how you are going to do it yourself.
- You want to say that if you don’t have any results, you should not hurry to quit sports?
" You need to focus on yourself, on your capabilities, rather than look at someone else. I remember I was very offended by my mother when she began to compare me with other girls in our group: “Look, she is jumping, and you are not.”
- Didn't this help?
" Spurred me on sometimes. To see how the rival works - and how I was going to. For a while I pulled myself up, but the girls still overtook me. Until the age of 10, I did not have a single prize result in competitions. But at the same time, I intuitively felt that there was no need to focus on the success of my peers. I sometimes remind my mother of this sometimes: “Well, there was a whole group of girls in Izhevsk and where are they now?” Although, of course, all people are different. Someone, on the contrary, seeks after something else and also achieves success.
- You tell mom today: thanks for your patience?
“ I wonder how she stood it all. My mother is not an athlete, she began to engage herself in figure skating several times, but it didn't work out. So she wanted to realise her unfulfilled dream in me. And did everything for this.
Now I understand: children still need to listen to their parents, trust them above all, because in childhood the child itself doesn't understand what he wants. Of course, if you like to do something and have success, it is better not to touch it. But if the parents see that it’s not going very well, but there are prospects, even though the child doesn't have much desire, need to insist on it.
By the way, my grandmother always helped me. If she didn’t “push” me when we moved to Moscow, didn’t call out my mistakes, didn't scold me sometimes, then I wouldn't have achieved much. My grandmother is already well versed in figure skating, comes to my training, she understands everything. Says: pull your leg, raise your hand ..."
- Mom sometimes accompanies you in competitions. This helps?
" Sometimes it helps. Sometimes I’d better be alone. I love on the eve of the start to go into myself, hide in myself, and my mother thinks the more she talks to me, the better it is for me - it’s easier to get rid of unnecessary thoughts, conversations relieve stress better... And I think: if a person does not collect himself internally, no psychologist will be able to help him."
- Is your dad still an adviser and authority for you?
" Sure. We understand each other very well. Dad still gives me advice, a coach is a coach, but sometimes I argue with him. I carefully hint to him that he might be well versed in hockey, but we are talking figure skating here."
- You once said that you have more of your dad's treats in your character.
" I’m just as calm in life, but on the ice I try to be confident and fighting. Here I am like him, probably. In general, it seems to me that I took after both parents. Mom is more emotional, but also more persistent, and I also find these qualities in myself.
- And what do you think, Alina, are your parents proud of you?
" I think so. Sometimes situations arise when mom or dad say: “This is Zagitova. This is our daughter! ”And by the way they pronounce it, I see how pleased they are. And Sabina, when she was younger, told everyone so touchingly what her older sister was, my tears were welling up.
- Are you and your sister good friends?
" Now that Sabina has matured, it has become easier for us to communicate, we can already talk on many topics. But sometimes my sister is mischievous and does not hide the fact that she likes it. Says: "Others cannot do harm to you, but I can." And I, although an older sister, have this characteristic too - I'm prone to it. There is no need to give in, but I am looking for some myself, I start to prove something myself.
- If your sister wants to train in Moscow at a more serious level, will you support her desire?
" This is such a contentious issue ...
On the one hand, I know how hard it will be. And on the other - in sports there are many positive aspects that are worth learning from. For example, regime, discipline ... If you are ready to endure difficulties, why not?"
If you focus on the idea that you need to be the best and can't think about anything else, you can just eat yourself from the inside.
- And what do you think is the hardest thing in sports?
" To make yourself. For example, the same jumps you force yourself to learn. It seems that they are so easily obtained by themselves, but this is a deceptive sensation. You have to overcome laziness, fatigue, muscle pain. Not everyone can stand it.
- 24 hours are in a day. What is your favorite time?
" You'll be surprised: when training is going on. True. When I was relaxing near the sea and did not know what to do with herself, where to go. And the regime and daily routine are very disciplined. I have everything painted out. I always know what I will do after I leave the rink, and I have time to do many different things, despite the tight training schedule.
- Do you have free time?
" Very little."
- What do you like to do in order to physically recover and unload your head?
" Recently, I have been very interested in visage. I watch special programs on the work of makeup artists on the Internet, I take online lessons. Figure skating is such a sport where you have to do makeup, take care of your hair - all this every skaters can do herself. But when you start to delve deeper into the topic, you understand that applying the right makeup is a whole art. I like to watch how with the help of hairstyles and cosmetics you can change the appearance of a person, I myself try to change my image, but I lack professional knowledge and skills. I'm also interested in fashion design."
- What are your preferences?
" I like sporty street style. I dress like this myself and hope, by the way, that in the future we will have a joint work with Puma in the development of clothing designs. I have accumulated so many ideas ...
- It seems that there was this other idea - to open a restaurant.
" Yes, a Japanese. Moreover, which we don't have in Moscow yet. Perhaps in time this project will be realised. I really love Japan, I like its food, culture, architecture ... In my new apartment, even a room will be decorated in Japanese style ...
And still there is this dream, about which I haven't decided yet - to do a parachute jump. Or bungee. I really want to! But for this, I was told that my weight should be at least 50 kg. And I weigh less.
In general, I have many ideas for what to do in the future. There is a desire to delve into lots of things. Learn about them. The more you learn, the more interesting your life will be.
- When was the last time you felt like a completely happy person?
" At the world championship. Happiness has't been stronger yet.
- Do you remember the Olympics?
" Now it’s less. I am often asked which victory is dearer to me - Olympic or World Championship. And I do not want to compare them. The Worlds are more remembered for me being able to re-assemble myself. And the Olympic Games are generally a unique event. It happens once in a lifetime. There the whole world found out about me."
- What are your plans for the new season? What is your overall mood?
" I will continue to train. I live today. I set myself a task for the day, for the week, but I am not trying to look too far ahead. We have too many strong athletes. If you focus on the idea that you need to be the best and not think about anything else, you can just eat yourself from the inside. Therefore, I do not want to plan anything."
- Alina, you are only 17, and so much has already been achieved! What, do you think, is the secret of success?
"It seems to me that the goal itself is the greatest motivation. Without it, nothing will work. When there is one, a person understands what needs to be done and how to go after it. You need to believe in yourself. And that there were people nearby who also believe in you. Sometimes, maybe even more than you in yourself."
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From:
https://fsrussia.ru/files/mfk_magazine/wfk_18_2019.pdf
And I don't believe her coaches in Kazan expect more from her just because she's Alina's little sister, that would be absolutely ridiculous. If she joins Sambo-70, she would be treated as any other kid there would be, I believe - everyone who has an idea about Eteri's approach to coaching would know that by now 
