Just 20 minutes ago a lovely material was shown on Latvian TV "Sporta Studija"
https://replay.lsm.lv/lv/ieraksts/ltv/175415/deniss-vasiljevs-loti-gaidiju-iespeju-uzstaties-latvija
I'll try to give a short summary of it.
Here it is.
There are some Latvian athletes who are very popular abroad. If we speak about Japan, then certainly it’s Deniss Vasiljevs to whom Japanese fans give a lot of compliments and create plenty of drawings in their typical style. But he has a lot of fans here as well. Marupe Ice hall was full of Deniss’s supporters and the TV camera man had to wait for quite a long time to take the interview.
Deniss was the only senior men in this year's Latvian Championship. Arriving in Latvia on Friday afternoon, he performed both programs on Saturday evening, as on Sunday morning at 6 a.m. he had to go to Osaka training camp.:shocked:
"It is very difficult, not physically, but psychologically, to skate both programs, but I pulled myself together and overcame myself. I really wanted to take part in the nationals because it is my only performance in Latvia. I was very inspired by Mao Osada's idea of going outside the big cities and do shows for youngsters. For me, this idea came to my heart and I think the new skaters might learn something from me. And this was a rare opportunity to meet my parents." (
I can assure you that the junior figure skaters were carried away by Deniss and applauded passionately)
This year Deniss arrived without his legendary coach Lambiel, as he was with another student in Sweden.

He was accompanied by his manager Christopher Trevisan and assistant coach Anna Bernauer.

Deniss has been training for the fourth year in Switzerland and has no plans to change anything.
"When I got there, the school was recently opened. Now I can say that every year the work there improves and there is more and more opportunities to make progress. It's something I couldn't find elsewhere else. It makes up my life and I'm happy to be with someone who was my idol when I was little. ":yes:
Then his ups-and-downs of the previous two seasons are mentioned and pointed out that his results are good this year. He says he had a pain in his leg in Canada, but he managed to overcome himself and show a good skate. "I’m happy that I feel psychologically stronger this season and I think that step by step it will improve, so that I can show my best skating in Beijing."
Right now Deniss is a 2nd year student at Daugavpils University. At university he has the opportunity to brush up his Latvian, because nowhere else he can do it. Yet his professors allow him to hand in works in English as well. (
Just now I understood why Deniss's Latvian was so good) Last time he was home is summer and he doesn't know when the next will be.
