Alina Zagitova
- Thread starter The Finn
- Start date
- Joined
- May 28, 2019
Alina's Q&A
- three dishes that you'd choose to eat your whole life?
- sushi & sashimi; something sweet, since I have a sweet tooth!; and borsch!
- where would you prefer to spend your vacation? in cold weather (skiing, skating) or warm (sea)?
- somewhere warm, but with an ice rink
- any film you'd recommend?
- last one I've watched is The Martian, and found it interesting and I'd really recommend it
- what's the secret of your success?
- I think you can better answer that question since the spectators see more
hopefully, olympia-da will post the whole reel and not just 4 answers, and the interview too
- three dishes that you'd choose to eat your whole life?
- sushi & sashimi; something sweet, since I have a sweet tooth!; and borsch!
- where would you prefer to spend your vacation? in cold weather (skiing, skating) or warm (sea)?
- somewhere warm, but with an ice rink
- any film you'd recommend?
- last one I've watched is The Martian, and found it interesting and I'd really recommend it
- what's the secret of your success?
- I think you can better answer that question since the spectators see more
hopefully, olympia-da will post the whole reel and not just 4 answers, and the interview too
- Joined
- May 28, 2019
"A fraction of a second and I'd be late." - Alina Zagitova on winning the 2018 Olympics
Champion of Pyeongchang tells us about the road to the Olympic medals. And how does winning the Games affect you.
- I had no dream of becoming an Olympic champion. I started in Izhevsk, skating just for health. Only when I moved to Moscow, I realized that there should be some kind of a goal. The goal of becoming an Olympic champion came up me when I realized that I could succeed.
Each athlete works with the awareness of why they need it. It's always easier when there is a goal. Before going to the Olympics, I did not think about the gold medal. Only about training and doing everything planned.
The Olympics began for me with the team tournament. I only skated the free programme there.
It was morally more difficult to skate in a team, because you understand: you skate not only for yourself.
Of course, in an individual tournament, you can also be considered to be skating for the team - for the team of coaches. But still, at that time I was quite young and it was mentally even a little harder for me than for the rest. Then we took silver, although we could have taken gold. But that means it just had to be that way. I do not regret anything.
Before the personal tournament, I was taken to a doping control test right from training. We then joked with the coaches: “So we have a mini-rest.” It's hard when you set up for a workout and it ends up being cancelled. Your thoughts immediately: “So, it means that tomorrow you have to be twice as strong.” I tried to mentally tune myself up. I told myself that there was nothing wrong with that, everything was going as it should. I have all the time in my life and that these accidents are not accidental.
Thanks to the work done, I managed to win the short program. I did not think about any records, everything is decided by the judges. Our business is to skate our programmes, do everything cleanly, and show our maximum. And the judges will decide what scores you deserve. When I took first place in the short, I had hope that I could become an Olympic champion. But I tried not to think about it. Just a thought flashed by - that's all.
The free programme turned out to be very emotional for me, although I tried to remain calm during the performance. After I was unable to attach the loop to the first lutz, there were no worries. We had training when we hooked a combo to each jump in a free programme - that is, we skated without solo jumps. I was ready for the fact that I would have to chain the combo to the second lutz. Therefore, when the first one did not work out, I immediately thought how I could quickly insert it. There, and in sync with the music, I had to go faster to get into all the accents. A fraction of a second - and I would be late, the whole impression of the program would be spoiled. But in the end, I calculated when it would be convenient for me to make a combo, and I did it.
When they announced in the arena that I was the new Olympic champion, I did not believe it.
I was in a vague state of euphoria, but with a glimpse of understanding that I had won. Of course, there was also such a story that I took a medal from someone there, because of this I could not fully rejoice my victory. I had mixed feelings, I don’t know what emotions overpowered me. There was absolutely everything.
When I won, my parents had tears in their eyes. Mom was with me at the Olympics, she saw it all live. Can't imagine how nervous and worried she was there. But she supported me, I felt that she was sitting somewhere in the arena. You could say I skated for her.
During my preparation for the Olympic Games, my mother lived in another city, the separation was difficult. It can be said that they took away a piece of time that I could spend with her. But I understand what it was for. Eteri Georgievna [Tutberidze] decided that my mother was somehow making me more lax, although I did not feel that this was the case. But, as they say, you can better see it from the outside. But now I have moved everyone to Moscow, and we live as a close-knit family.
After my victory, I faced criticism. But I have such a large fan base that its support outweighs any inappropriate words addressed to me. Of course, sometimes I felt hurt because I couldn't understand the reasons - why and for what. I still wonder why the criticism is pouring in, because I didn’t do anything bad to these people. Moreover, they do not say all this in person, because they are afraid. I think these people have some complexes in their heads. I don't know what drives them, but I certainly didn't do anything wrong.
I can't say that I'm defenseless. Of course, due to my upbringing and mentality, I cannot answer someone in the same way, although sometimes I really want to. I just think: I’ll say something back now, but do I really need this? It would look like I'm trying to justify myself. But I can stand up for myself, as I have been in sports all my life. Nothing would have happened without character.
Nowadays I think about my victory at the Olympic Games less often. There is absolutely no time for the past: there is always some kind of work, plus I am studying. Earlier, of course, I remembered it more. Now I have accepted that I have two Olympic medals - gold and silver. By the way, sometimes it annoys me that they call me an Olympic champion, but they don’t say that I am also an Olympic silver medalist. I don't know why, but everyone forgets about it.
I haven't "let go of the victory at the Olympics". How can I let go? Victory is always with me. I wake up - and I have that medal before my eyes.
The Olympic Games have changed my life. I became much more liberated due to the fact that I was often called to television, to interviews. I was invited to Channel One, to the “Ice Age”, it was there that I became completely liberated and became more self-confident. Of course I have changed. I've grown older and hopefully stronger. A lot of invitations to various events and shows have appeared. It's good that I'm not out of a job.
Four years have passed. Alina from the time of the Olympics in Pyeongchang and the current Alina are probably already different people. But still something in common remains. I remain the same Alina, I just became wiser, not as naive as I used to be, more liberated, because I used to be afraid of everything. I just had "training - home - training - home" before. I have not seen any life outside of that, but now I am beginning to learn, and I really like it.
Champion of Pyeongchang tells us about the road to the Olympic medals. And how does winning the Games affect you.
- I had no dream of becoming an Olympic champion. I started in Izhevsk, skating just for health. Only when I moved to Moscow, I realized that there should be some kind of a goal. The goal of becoming an Olympic champion came up me when I realized that I could succeed.
Each athlete works with the awareness of why they need it. It's always easier when there is a goal. Before going to the Olympics, I did not think about the gold medal. Only about training and doing everything planned.
The Olympics began for me with the team tournament. I only skated the free programme there.
It was morally more difficult to skate in a team, because you understand: you skate not only for yourself.
Of course, in an individual tournament, you can also be considered to be skating for the team - for the team of coaches. But still, at that time I was quite young and it was mentally even a little harder for me than for the rest. Then we took silver, although we could have taken gold. But that means it just had to be that way. I do not regret anything.
Before the personal tournament, I was taken to a doping control test right from training. We then joked with the coaches: “So we have a mini-rest.” It's hard when you set up for a workout and it ends up being cancelled. Your thoughts immediately: “So, it means that tomorrow you have to be twice as strong.” I tried to mentally tune myself up. I told myself that there was nothing wrong with that, everything was going as it should. I have all the time in my life and that these accidents are not accidental.
Thanks to the work done, I managed to win the short program. I did not think about any records, everything is decided by the judges. Our business is to skate our programmes, do everything cleanly, and show our maximum. And the judges will decide what scores you deserve. When I took first place in the short, I had hope that I could become an Olympic champion. But I tried not to think about it. Just a thought flashed by - that's all.
The free programme turned out to be very emotional for me, although I tried to remain calm during the performance. After I was unable to attach the loop to the first lutz, there were no worries. We had training when we hooked a combo to each jump in a free programme - that is, we skated without solo jumps. I was ready for the fact that I would have to chain the combo to the second lutz. Therefore, when the first one did not work out, I immediately thought how I could quickly insert it. There, and in sync with the music, I had to go faster to get into all the accents. A fraction of a second - and I would be late, the whole impression of the program would be spoiled. But in the end, I calculated when it would be convenient for me to make a combo, and I did it.
When they announced in the arena that I was the new Olympic champion, I did not believe it.
I was in a vague state of euphoria, but with a glimpse of understanding that I had won. Of course, there was also such a story that I took a medal from someone there, because of this I could not fully rejoice my victory. I had mixed feelings, I don’t know what emotions overpowered me. There was absolutely everything.
When I won, my parents had tears in their eyes. Mom was with me at the Olympics, she saw it all live. Can't imagine how nervous and worried she was there. But she supported me, I felt that she was sitting somewhere in the arena. You could say I skated for her.
During my preparation for the Olympic Games, my mother lived in another city, the separation was difficult. It can be said that they took away a piece of time that I could spend with her. But I understand what it was for. Eteri Georgievna [Tutberidze] decided that my mother was somehow making me more lax, although I did not feel that this was the case. But, as they say, you can better see it from the outside. But now I have moved everyone to Moscow, and we live as a close-knit family.
After my victory, I faced criticism. But I have such a large fan base that its support outweighs any inappropriate words addressed to me. Of course, sometimes I felt hurt because I couldn't understand the reasons - why and for what. I still wonder why the criticism is pouring in, because I didn’t do anything bad to these people. Moreover, they do not say all this in person, because they are afraid. I think these people have some complexes in their heads. I don't know what drives them, but I certainly didn't do anything wrong.
I can't say that I'm defenseless. Of course, due to my upbringing and mentality, I cannot answer someone in the same way, although sometimes I really want to. I just think: I’ll say something back now, but do I really need this? It would look like I'm trying to justify myself. But I can stand up for myself, as I have been in sports all my life. Nothing would have happened without character.
Nowadays I think about my victory at the Olympic Games less often. There is absolutely no time for the past: there is always some kind of work, plus I am studying. Earlier, of course, I remembered it more. Now I have accepted that I have two Olympic medals - gold and silver. By the way, sometimes it annoys me that they call me an Olympic champion, but they don’t say that I am also an Olympic silver medalist. I don't know why, but everyone forgets about it.
I haven't "let go of the victory at the Olympics". How can I let go? Victory is always with me. I wake up - and I have that medal before my eyes.
The Olympic Games have changed my life. I became much more liberated due to the fact that I was often called to television, to interviews. I was invited to Channel One, to the “Ice Age”, it was there that I became completely liberated and became more self-confident. Of course I have changed. I've grown older and hopefully stronger. A lot of invitations to various events and shows have appeared. It's good that I'm not out of a job.
Four years have passed. Alina from the time of the Olympics in Pyeongchang and the current Alina are probably already different people. But still something in common remains. I remain the same Alina, I just became wiser, not as naive as I used to be, more liberated, because I used to be afraid of everything. I just had "training - home - training - home" before. I have not seen any life outside of that, but now I am beginning to learn, and I really like it.
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