Thanking for the congratulations on the victory, Artem Kovalev commented on his performance at the Moscow start:
- Of course, I was very nervous, although it was the second stage for me. Unfortunately, not everything worked out. There was a slight nerve, but in general, I think I managed it. In the short and free program I had mistakes, and I understand that you cannot lose points on this.
I was pleased that the audience supported me throughout the free skate. These are indescribable sensations that everyone needs to experience! Two victories at the stages of the Russian Cup, of course, do not relax me. I know what to work on. Over new quadruples, sliding, spins, tracks in order to get more points, more pluses ... Work on a quadruple toeloop, because if in the free I can jump a quadruple salchow twice, then in the short I cannot repeat the same jump, thereby I gain less than those people who jump two quads ...
Of course, I'm tired now and after this start you can breathe out a little. But you shouldn't relax. The season is not easy, because at the skates I skated in juniors, and at these starts I compete in seniors. After the skates, I immediately began to prepare a master program. I skated the Moscow championship and that's it - I immediately began to prepare a program for the masters, add a quadruple to the short program and a choreographic steps to the free. Initially, after the skates, we were sure that in the season we would go to the masters, because the juniors are no longer the same, I am 17 years old, we need to move on. Only to be selected for the championship of Russia is already a little childish ...
Did you expect yourself to win two stages of the Russian Cup? As Evgeny Viktorovich (Plushenko - approx.) and Alexander Sergeevich (Volkov - approx.) said: just do your job. Yes, I skated better in training, but I hope I will show my successful skates again ...
Of course, preparation for the season was difficult ... Especially at first, at the training camp in Kislovodsk. Probably, for a month and a half I did not understand how you can skate at all ... Imagine, for me it was an incomprehensible feeling. You seem to know how to skate, but you do an elementary jump - a triple toeloop and you rip off ... I didn't understand why, how ... But when I returned to Moscow, everything gradually recovered.
Quarantine, of course, affected preparation. But during these months I never even had a thought, and if suddenly, what to do? I knew one thing: I needed to train and train. What else? How else? We were all in such conditions, - commented Artem Kovalev.
European Championship medalist Alexander Samarin skated a version of the free program without quads, the athlete did not fully recover from a back injury:
- It was hard to skate. Mixed feelings: there is satisfaction that I have passed exactly, but still the level of triple jumps is somehow awkward ... In any case, thank you all for your support, for the opportunity to speak here, first of all to the doctors who work with me. We will now continue the treatment. I will not say anything about further plans yet, the main thing now is health ...
We have prepared programs for the season. The music for the free, if you remember, was changed at the end of last season, I managed to skate this variation at the tournament in Tallinn. Short is new. After the rentals, we made a new costume so that there would be no associations with the marine theme. But in general, both costumes, both blue and red, were taken from the ensemble of Igor Moiseev, so there can be no questions ...
Now I will be treated. I'm not going to guess anything. We must save ourselves. A more important season is ahead, ”explained Alexander Samarin.
Petr Gumennik won the bronze medal, skating the program with a quadruple salchow and triple axels, not counting the rest of the elements.
- At these competitions I was going to perform two quadruple salchows and two triple axels. But, as I said yesterday, Salchow did not go very well, and the coach and I decided to play it safe, to skate free with one quad. Not everything was calculated, but in principle, the rental was good. I did everything, except for one triple axel. I overdid it a little, added one step for beauty, drove into the side, I had to change the drawing, bend it a little and the jump itself eventually bent ...
For the future, I would like to add emotions, improve gliding, but the main thing is to increase the number of quadruple jumps. In principle, I can do lutz, toeloop and salchow in training, and if you count, then you can do five quads in the program. But it must be rolled in and done. This is what I want to learn ...
And I also have a dream to enter the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine at Moscow State University. I generally want to be a doctor. People always need doctors, I will not be left without work. It is very interesting. My mom is a doctor - a pediatric neurologist. And I also decided to study as a neurologist, and the best university for this is Moscow State University. I became interested in all the faculties that are there, how everything goes, got inspired and decided that I really wanted to do it, but not now. Now figure skating is a priority for me.
The Faculty of Fundant Medicine deals with both science and practice. From the fourth year, I read, students begin to do operations.
You can stay in science. This side attracts me. But I am afraid that a scientist may not be useful, that his development will not be appreciated, and a doctor is always needed, there is always work, people always need help. The profession of a doctor is difficult but interesting. And if you like it, then it's not so difficult. But studying to be a doctor for 8 years. And this is still in perspective. My parents supported me. But they support me in everything, - admitted Peter Gumennik.
The leader after the short program Evgeny Semenenko finished the competition in fourth place:
- At the test skates, the quad toeloop did not work and there was a error on the axel. I did a quadruple Salchow, I think I coped with everything else. After the short program, the gaps were small, everyone could get around the other, the price was one mistake ...
I went to the free program calmly, with a cool head, but as long as I still lack competitive experience, I have to roll and roll programs, everything will come.
I really like the programs. Both are new. Thanks to Nikita Mikhailov ... Never mind, we will continue to work, - said Evgeny Semenenko.
Pity about today's falls, yesterday's SP was beautiful. I kind of wish he had all Level 4s in his FP too (not worth that much extra but is a real statement of quality in Junior men, especially on the a step sequence), but maybe he has to conserve his energy for those jumps.
Is this true?
Original links provided...
(But not too soon, maybe after the next Olympics!)
