Andrei Mozalev | Page 12 | Golden Skate

Andrei Mozalev

Okay, this is a bit silly, but I was searching for Mozalev's old interview someone asked me to link, and ran into Mozalev's 2016 programs from NRW Trophy. The free might arguably be the most upbeat thing he skated to so far :coffee:



Also, here is where that banner 'you ain't just pretty' likely originates, unless it goes further back. In the end of the early 2020 interview, when reporter asks him if the music about a mental patient suits him since he is normally so calm and balanced, Mozalev says 'on ice I need to show different sides of myself, that I'm not just pretty...'

 
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So, I looked it up, and, ouch… basically for Mozalev to improve his standings at the Olympics vs European 4th, he needs to finish at least 7th (638 points vs 612 he has now). Alternatively, he needs to beat his 265.69 and hang in the top 20.

Well, that’s what he signed up for there. 🍀
 
I would be happy for him to make Top 10 :pray: and I am already glad to see that he is in the penultimate group for the SP with Shoma 🥰
Being the national bronze medallist with currently the 12th highest SB should mean he gets two GP events next season right?

I'm having trouble finding interviews with English translation (other than the JGP ones with Ted), Andrei is still quite a mystery to me 😅
 
I'm having trouble finding interviews with English translation (other than the JGP ones with Ted), Andrei is still quite a mystery to me
Andrei is still a mystery to ME, and I know russian :laugh: The boy is not very talkative. He is quite shy.

You can read his Olympic profile (that contains a horrible mugshot) to get some info about him: https://olympics.com/beijing-2022/o...g/athlete-profile-n1057100-andrei-mozalev.htm

Some interesting things we know about Andrei: he likes carbonara and bliny and his favourite writer is Stephen King.
 
And here we have Davydenko and Mozalev, in Olympic get up, all ready to go. Good luck to the intrepid team!

There are very few interviews with Mozalev, but basically, with him is what you see is what you get.

He is an introvert completely devoted to figure-skating, wanting to figure-skate and coach once he is done competing. The only other thing he really liked was playing piano, but then… figure-skating happened when he was 6. He seems to like to isolate himself in a crowd--during the team event (notorious for Zagitova shoving Yagudin aside so he doesn't bother Mozalev coming off the ice, and, daaamn, wouldn't we all want to do just that!), while the rest of the team was jumping up and cheering Mozalev was content sitting and hugging that Russian ice cream cooler someone handed to him.

He likes reading (War and Peace, King, Lovecraftian cosmic horror) and obsessed with performing clean programs--he didn't expect bronze in RusNats because he didn't skate two clean programs. Another time, he expressed regret over a fall, saying it was a pity, because then the program wasn't clean, but emphasized that the result, him coming second, was fair because of it.

In 2020, he still went for a walk sometimes (that was all he could manage upon some reflection when he was asked what he likes doing when he is not at the ice rink). Since he lives in the countryside, I hope he still does.

He does seem to like his music and aims to convey its essence. Davydenko said that music should reflect an athlete, so Mozalev was asked about his 2020 program where he skates as a mentally disturbed character, when he seems to be so balanced and calm. That in turn lead to one of his more interesting interview responses. I linked it above. He is trying to explain what he wants to achieve while skating and ends up saying 'I'm not just beautiful, but also...' and makes gesture to indicate that he's a touch crazy as per music selection.

Yeah, he likes his pasta, so dieting is not easy (sounds like savory carbs>sweets; I believe he actually says 'blinchiki' which to me is more likely to mean crepes with meat stuffing--and if he ever does AMA, we should clarify this important point). He seems to be fond of his sister and listened to her in his music choices.

He doesn't seem to have any English. Neither he likes filling out Olympic profiles, because both his Junior Oly 2020 profile and initial 2022 one consisted of his date of birth and a very ruffled-up mugshot.

Despite being shy, Mozalev likes competing and feel the support of the audience; it charges him up. When asked what he’d like from the fans for his birthday, he said that the best gift is support. His social media presence is limited, basically just arrival pics and thanks to his team/fans.

He often lists all his errors in the programs, and repeats Davydenko's stuff, need to work/try harder/more--I dunno about others, but whenever he finishes his program, to me it always looks like he goes right through it in his mind before the final bow. When he was freshly interviewed after FS in Eu, he gave completely fair assessment of his own performance between coughing fits, that it didn't engage the crowd, but he overall delivered his content with only serious mistake being the Salchow (you know which). He summed up his performance with a succinct, "I think did what I needed, but not what I wanted."

Jumping is something he likes more than other things. However, when asked about not jumping during the Eu practices, Mozalev said, "What I have, I already have, it's too late to gain anything".

In terms of jumping content, what you see in his program is what he is comfortable with, there is not going to be any changes this season. The most ambitious statement about the jumps Mozalev had ever made was immediately after he won juniors, notoriously saying that he will be training 3 quads (and we know that it didn't end well).

He often emphasizes his readiness for competitions (prior to French GP, and Tallinn. And yes, he learned that he is to present himself in Tallinn with skates by Wednesday on Sunday night) and normally denies being nervous (notable exception was Europeans before the free skate).

He reacts with tears quickly when he is disappointed, but seems to go right back to training very fast as well (Davydenko said they were back on ice on the 3rd of January after the RusNats).

He is prone to listening a question very carefully when interviewed, sometimes partially repeat it back, then reply accurately to the specific question and not volunteer a lot.

Davydenko is a former pair skater, who coached Mozalev since he (Mozalev) was 8 y.o. and he considers Mozalev to be a step-by-step steady gainer vs overnight bloomer. After European, Davydenko said that Mozalev needs to get into the head space that leading position after the short is his rightful place, and that, knowing Andrei, he will accomplish that.

In turn, Mozalev emphasized his loyalty to Davydenko in an interview during the early part of 2021/2022 season, when there was that vibe in the air that Mozalev should change his coach.

@Dreamer57 I hope he will get 2GPs, because he is on my Most Wanted list to see live, and I hoped so badly this year that he would get Samsonov's spot in SkAm!!!
 
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Wonderful! Now just waiting to hear that the tests are negative, and 🤞 then. Gosh, my wires are crossing because my beloved writing contest kicked in too, so I am torn between Oly and writing.

Edit: just saw that they are all negative, thanks goodness, which includes Mozalev :yahoo:
 
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Mozalev's new profile. By his standards, it's pretty talkative:

translation:

Athletic designation: Master of Athletics, International Level
Birthplace: St. Petersburg
Favorite place in his native city: at home
Region (competitions): St.Petersburg
Significant Results:
1 st in 2020 Junior, 2nd in Eu (a mistake, I guess), 3rd in RusNats
First Coach: Anna Scheniovskaya
Current Coach: Kyrill Davidenko
Hobby/Interests: "During free time, I like playing soccer, basketball and volleyball, read and listen to music."
Family: "Single. My whole family supports me: mother, father, sister, aunt, uncle and cousins (girls)."
Favorite music: "Rap (hip-hop), classic, Jazz and pop."
Food preferences: "Russian, Georgian, Italian and American cuisine."
Which Sports he is Rooting for in Olympics outside the FS: "Hockey and short-track."
How he started in the sport: "I started skating because my mom put my elder sister into figure skating. She took me along for the practices, because she couldn't leave me at home, since I was too young. I once asked her when I could start. So, mom decided to put me into the figure skating as well."
 
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Okay, I am initiating :ghug: because I am so worried, but also some encouraging words from Jackie Wong. (That 8th place suggestion was made before Zhou withdrew, but he also places Vasiljiev and Grassl below Mozalev, so I am takin it with a grain of salt, as much as I desperately want for Mozalev to grab that 7th place that improves his standing and helps him with GP and WC assignments).


8. Andrei Mozalev ROC - After winning the short at Europeans, Mozalev couldn’t follow it up with a free skate to keep him on the podium, and it was the opposite at Russian Nationals, where he made an error in the short and came back in the free. Of the three Russian men, Mozalev has the most stable jumps when he does them, and he’s got some fine foundational skating that will keep him competitive for that top ten finish.
 

I must say I panicked a little when I saw Мозалёв in the headline, but it's actually Andrei talking about his aims for the olympics and how his SP stemmed from his exhibition at Denis Ten Memorial! I didn't know that, I loved that version :)

I'm guessing that boats mean spread eagles? It's heartwarming to see the support for Andrei in the comments!
:ghug: Skate well and enjoy the experience, Andrei!
 

I must say I panicked a little when I saw Мозалёв in the headline, but it's actually Andrei talking about his aims for the olympics and how his SP stemmed from his exhibition at Denis Ten Memorial! I didn't know that, I loved that version :)

I'm guessing that boats mean spread eagles? It's heartwarming to see the support for Andrei in the comments!
:ghug: Skate well and enjoy the experience, Andrei!
Yup, in Russian spread-eagle is called a ‘ship’. Well, a small ship, but not a boat. Yeah, I just saw they had an interview with him on channel 1, with similar quote as a headline, but it is for Russia only


Twitter says he smiled…
 
ah, deep breath in, and i hope all will be well. Just a joy to see this beautiful program. Please, just make it into free if possible 🙏
 
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