Alena Kostornaia

[Batsuchan]

Well, I posted a full translation of Yukari Nakano's comments in the Edge, but I thought I would also share her comments about Aliona here since it seems like Yukari was super impressed by Aliona. :agree:

Full column here:
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/s...dies-skating&p=2591497&viewfull=1#post2591497

Comments about Aliona:

In contrast, the dimensions of Aliona Kostornaia's triple axel are different. This is reflected in the fact that she's received the highest scores by far in the short program, in which you aren't allowed to do quads--the height, distance, rotational speed, everything makes sense. In my view, the reason why she is able to do the triple axel so easily is because of her innate talent/ability.

Speaking of her [Kostornaia], I was shocked by her speed. She carries speed through her entire program, and in recent times, I've never seen a female skater like her. It's the quality of her skating, which makes good use of her talent/ability. Even when she jumps, she doesn't lose speed, so she doesn't break the flow, and the triple axel just seems like a [seamless] part of her program. She has something that allows her to beat her rivals even if they do quads.

I thought it was cool that Yukari thinks that Aliona is "a natural," basically. :yes:

 

[Batsuchan]

Here's another random mention of Aliona that I found:
https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kon...utting-hong-kong-map-inspire-promising-figure

Kahlen Cheung, who represented Hong Kong at Junior Worlds, named Aliona as her favorite skater:

“I was getting to a place where I wanted to be,” said Cheung, who recorded her first over-50 score in the short programme. The record is 85.45, held by Cheung's favourite skater Alena Kostornaia of Russia.

:luv17:

 

[SkateSkates]

Here's another random mention of Aliona that I found:
https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kon...utting-hong-kong-map-inspire-promising-figure

Kahlen Cheung, who represented Hong Kong at Junior Worlds, named Aliona as her favorite skater:


:luv17:

Thank you for continuing to bring us Aliona news and mentions! Maybe one of these days she will bless us with an Instagram post, but I’m not holding my breath

 

[Batsuchan]

Thank you for continuing to bring us Aliona news and mentions! Maybe one of these days she will bless us with an Instagram post, but I’m not holding my breath

Yeah, I'm not holding my breath either!

I wonder what Aliona is doing with all her free time? Studying, probably. I guess she's used to going to school remotely, anyway. :yes:

I was about to say that she could probably take horse riding lessons now that the season is over, but I guess those might be suspended for the moment as well...? Maybe she can ride her aunt's horse...?

Ehh, she's probably re-watching "Vampire Diaries" for the 7th time or something. :agree:

 

[Azikin]

Maybe one of these days she will bless us with an Instagram post

I especially miss her videos and her chipmunk voice but there's probably little chance that she will do that again...

 

[Fluture]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-NGa6vJts8/?igshid=kboxe2azwrze

She has horses, that‘s as good as a dog but I really want her to get a sponsor too.

I mean: which company wouldn’t want this literal sunshine as an ambassador:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Mt5sPJj9u/?igshid=v1yl5fqht7q0

 

[Batsuchan]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-NGa6vJts8/?igshid=kboxe2azwrze

She has horses, that‘s as good as a dog but I really want her to get a sponsor too.

I mean: which company wouldn’t want this literal sunshine as an ambassador:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Mt5sPJj9u/?igshid=v1yl5fqht7q0

Actually, Aliona has several dogs! :yes: There was some press conference recently where she talked about all the animals at her house--several dogs, cats, and the bunny she got from Team Kostornaia.

She just doesn't take her pets with her (like Sasha) nor does she post photos with them (like Anna)...sigh...

I do hope she gets several sponsors! :yes:

 

[SkateSkates]

I wish Aliona will sign with a sponsor soon too...maybe under armor or new balance? I don’t think any other Russian skaters are signed with them (not sure about other skaters) so they seem to be “open”/no conflict of interest with one of Aliona’s teammates.

 

[Batsuchan]

I wish Aliona will sign with a sponsor soon too...maybe under armor or new balance? I don’t think any other Russian skaters are signed with them (not sure about other skaters) so they seem to be “open”/no conflict of interest with one of Aliona’s teammates.

I see you (?) also suggested Lululemon--that's another thought. I *still* hope for some luxury/fashion brands to sign Aliona. :yes:

I personally notice every time she has a new pair of earrings at a competition--surely there is some company that would like to have her wear their jewelry!

And she definitely deserves an endorsement from a makeup company! :yes:

 

[SkateSkates]

I see you (?) also suggested Lululemon--that's another thought. I *still* hope for some luxury/fashion brands to sign Aliona. :yes:

I personally notice every time she has a new pair of earrings at a competition--surely there is some company that would like to have her wear their jewelry!

And she definitely deserves an endorsement from a makeup company! :yes:

Well, yes I would love lululemon for her since we’ve seen her wear it, but I don’t think they sponsor athletes - or have stores in Russia. It was more of a dramatic joke I made on twitter but it seems quite a few people agreed with me!

I just hope she’s not discouraged by the lack of recognition from press and sponsors she continues to get compared to her teammates, even though she had the best record internationally this season. It seems like she’s either overlooked for not having quads or wrongly looped in with quadsters for ruining the sport and isn’t ever given her own magazine spreads or features. I really hope this changes soon for Aliona and she also signs her own contract and receives her own features in magazines (non figure skating mags, that is).

 

[Good Vibes Only]

As much as I would like to see Aliona with a fashion brand, I don’t know if it will happen just yet. Maybe after a few years on the GP it could happen. Lululemon would be a good brand or maybe North Face too. Russia is naturally on the cold side so she would get a lot of use out of North face clothing Plus they have pull overs and long sleeved shirts that she could wear at official practices. It’s not totally a sporting brand either, so it’s not like she would be tied down to only promoting sporting brands in the future either.

 

[Edwin]

I suppose the sponsor contracts are signed by the parents, since the skaters are still minors.

Perhaps Alyona's parents don't want to, or have different sponsors in mind? I don't know how this works, you get asked to become sponsored, or you peddle your child to various sponsors?

With the Khrustalniy Kids making inroads in fashion, livestyle and sportswear marketing, one has to be picky to preserve their image of purety.

 

[Batsuchan]

I suppose the sponsor contracts are signed by the parents, since the skaters are still minors.

Perhaps Alyona's parents don't want to, or have different sponsors in mind? I don't know how this works, you get asked to become sponsored, or you peddle your child to various sponsors?

With the Khrustalniy Kids making inroads in fashion, livestyle and sportswear marketing, one has to be picky to preserve their image of purety.

Yeah, I have no idea what's going on...It's possible Aliona hasn't gotten any offers, perhaps because she's not a quadster (yet)...Or maybe she's gotten several offers, and she and her parents are trying to figure out which ones to accept...

I just know that as a greedy fan, I would like to see her in ads and commercials and in magazine articles! :yes:

**

Aliona posted a rare Instagram story today in honor of Anna's birthday!

So here are a few more photos of Anna & Aliona :luv17:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Qgl3rprtl/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhZCcBsBvsJ/

The two of them dancing together at Euros gala practice and on the podium are among my favorite moments of the season!

 

[Batsuchan]

Well it looks like Aliona was at some kind of Ministry of Sport event today:
https://vk.com/kostornaiateam?z=photo-156669444_457255602/wall-156669444_16548
https://vk.com/kostornaiateam?z=photo-156669444_457255603/wall-156669444_16548

I have no idea what this is for, though...

**

Here is a collection of Aliona's 3F+3T over the course of the season:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs03IbmFjGQ

To my (untrained) eye, I feel like she can do the combo most smoothly when the two jumps are about the same size. In the IDF FS and the Euros SP, I feel like she doesn't have much flow coming out of the 3T because the 3F was too big...

**

And this is for SkateSkates - a fan video with Aliona skating to Aranjuez!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0wsLpcBUaA

 

[Edwin]

Well it looks like Aliona was at some kind of Ministry of Sport event today:
https://vk.com/kostornaiateam?z=photo-156669444_457255602/wall-156669444_16548
https://vk.com/kostornaiateam?z=photo-156669444_457255603/wall-156669444_16548

I have no idea what this is for, though...

With gymnast Dar'ya Spiridonova. So probably some decoration or merit ceremony. Master of Sports International Class, or even Merited Master of Sports? But then, Alyona would most likely present her decoration?

 

[Batsuchan]

So Yukari Nakano also did a video interview, in which she talks about many things, as well as the Russian ladies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4st--MdrLJQ

The title of the video translates as "{How to beat the Russians?!} Is Kostornaia the best skater? Can Rika Kihira beat Trusova? Yukari Nakano thoroughly dissects the current figure skating world"

It's more time-consuming to translate dialogue, so for now I don't think I'll translate the whole thing, but I will translate what they said about Aliona.

The interviewer's name is Daiki Tanaka, which I'll abbreviate as "DT," and I'll use "YN" for Yukari.

First they compare and contrast Sasha and Anna's jumping styles, and then around 19:30, they turn to Aliona.

DT: So then the one that's slightly different from the other two is the one who is known for having a strong performance ability--Kostornaia.

YK: I think Kostornaia is kind of an astounding skater.

DT: Compared to the other two, she's the astounding one? She doesn't jump quads--

YK: She doesn't jump quads, but the skater who can win without quads is Kostornaia. And if in the future she polishes her skills even more, and develops a woman's body with increased glamor*--

DT: Right now she's 16--

YK: Yes, then I think no one would be able to beat her, which already makes her terrifying.

DT: I see, so you're saying that she's a skater who will go down in history.

YK: Hmm...well, her jump power reminds me of Midori Ito.

DT: What does that mean?

YK: Well, for jumps, usually if you don't have height, then you can't jump. But skaters that can't jump high can make up for it using distance and rotation speed. However, when Kostornaia jumps, she jumps up, then starts rotating [i.e., delayed rotation], and then cleanly lands, so she's a skater who combines height, distance and speed. And I think that's a talent that she was born with.

DT: It's an innate ability

YK: Yes, it's an innate ability.

DT: So she's a skater who can win without quads.

YK: Yes, she can win. She wins by earning high GOEs. Also, compared to the other two who do quads, she excels at the artistry side; I think her performance ability is high, so on that side as well [i.e., PCS], she receives very high scores. And this season, I think she's undefeated; well, once--maybe it was at the European Championships--she was beaten, but even so, I think she's a skater that is very hard to beat, so her existence is scary.

* The real (less-PC) translation of this word is here:https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=ja&tl=en&text=色気

*****

Yukari Nakano trained at the same club as Midori Ito, so she has seen first-hand what Midori Ito's jumps were like. Thus, I consider it very high praise from her if she thinks Aliona's jumps are like Midori's. :agree:

In her column she made similar comments about Aliona being a natural-born jumper, but I thought it was interesting that she thinks Aliona could become unbeatable as she matures and improves. Personally, I would love to believe that, but I still think Aliona needs a quad to really have a good shot at winning all the time.

Based on what Yukari said, I'm not sure if I can call her a fan of Aliona--rather it seems like she's in awe of her (and if she were still a competitive skater, she would be afraid of Aliona).

 

[macy]

Here is a collection of Aliona's 3F+3T over the course of the season:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs03IbmFjGQ

i truly think that is the best ladies combo being done today. it is just exquisite. she is so clean and light on her feet, both jumps are huge, she has so much flow out of it. it's divine.

 

[SkateSkates]

Well it looks like Aliona was at some kind of Ministry of Sport event today:
https://vk.com/kostornaiateam?z=photo-156669444_457255602/wall-156669444_16548
https://vk.com/kostornaiateam?z=photo-156669444_457255603/wall-156669444_16548

I have no idea what this is for, though...

**

Here is a collection of Aliona's 3F+3T over the course of the season:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs03IbmFjGQ

To my (untrained) eye, I feel like she can do the combo most smoothly when the two jumps are about the same size. In the IDF FS and the Euros SP, I feel like she doesn't have much flow coming out of the 3T because the 3F was too big...

**

And this is for SkateSkates - a fan video with Aliona skating to Aranjuez!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0wsLpcBUaA

Thanks for the video! I really hope she skates to Aranjuez, preferably as a LP. It would suit her SO well. Please Daniil and Eteri if you are reading this!!

 

[Good Vibes Only]

And this is for SkateSkates - a fan video with Aliona skating to Aranjuez!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0wsLpcBUaA

Oh my gosh I hope that this happens!! I got chills at the end of the step sequence and it didn’t even totally fit the music!! Aliona would pull this music off so well

 

[Edwin]

Apparently a live stream with Alyona was planned, but it has been rescheduled for April 6: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-UNXx-oVKm/