Elena Ilinykh & Ruslan Zhiganshin | Page 334 | Golden Skate

Elena Ilinykh & Ruslan Zhiganshin

That guy is like the energizer bunny on steroids, he just keeps on going and going. I'm amazed that Ruslena weren't rolling on the floor laughing for half of this interview. Isn't he afraid though that Katsalapov will sue for libel? :eeking::laugh2:
 
Q2: Tell about your programs, short and free, I know that your free program is very special for you, is it the best dance you showed to the audience?
E: It was my idea, I've wanted to skate Frida Kahlo for a long time and I adore your choreographer Antonio Najarro, he feels our characters, and this is the programs I've always dreamed of.
Q2: Ruslan, what about you? The program... do you like it?
R: i like the program very much, and the work with Antonio was undescribable. He is able to show the fellings, the mood.
Q1: And I want to talk about the short program, it's Queen, and it's already We'll Rock you, it's serious and it's a reason to do this (shows with his fingers at 3:02) and talk about it. Why? Yes, Lena, why this music, the music of great people, the heavy music.
Q2: I think this question is for Ruslan.
Q1. It doesn't matter.
E: Actually, waltz is the short dance theme this year, and I thought it was great when everyone will perform classic waltzes in classic dresses but I was driving a car and heard Somebody to love and started to count it, professionally: one-two-three, one-two-three. And I realised that this is a waltz, waltz theme. And then we found we will Rock you and I thought that we're young, lively, we both like this music.
Q1: Freddy is alive, we know it.
E: Yes, it's very cool to have this program, we like it very much, and it's great that it's so different from all other waltzes.
Q1: We don't doubt you'll show it at its best. (Stepanova and Bukin are shown performing in Bordo.) Stepanova and Bukin are third today... Lena, why do you address to your partner? They placed third today, how go you estimate the power of this pair that is young but already serious enough to compete with you? They're third today in Bordo.
E: I can say that all Russian pairs are of very high level now and I expect incredible competition at the Russian Nationals. Of course the guys show good results, I can say that all Russian pairs who have already competed... almost all of them medalled, and even those who didn't they strive and show good level of skating. That's why... they and other young guys Yanovskaya-Mozgov, very strong guys, Junior Worlds champions, maybe it's a bit hard for them to move from juniors to seniors... but all guys do great.
Q1: I want to ask Ruslan... You with an Olympic champion like Zaitsev with Rodnina after Ulanov, she was great and then a new partner appeared... it's an important story, Lena... and the question, how easy was the adaptation, an Olympic champion, a Bronze medalist, you carry in your arm the girl who's won in Sochi, it's not easy.
R: You know, we...
Q1: From technological point of you.
R: We pretty easily gelled together, understood each other, the training was merry and cheerful.
L: As always. (laughs)

Stopped at 5:22, to be continued.
 
Q2: One year ago you skated your first program, and it was in China, was your work successful, can you already say it? (She probably means the work they have done in a year but I'm not sure.)
R: You mean as a pair? (Ruslan didn't understand the question clearly either.) I think, yes, you see us as we are.
Q1: A man should lead, as I understand there's some new boy bashing (Dedovshchina) from the Merited Master of Sports (Elena's rank in the Unified Sports Classification System of Russia, Ruslan is one rank lower).
Q2: It's the temperament, Dmitry, you don't understand.
R: Dedovshchina, you're kidding.
E: (Can't clear clear, may be wrong, but nothing important anyway) Why such an opinion.
R: No, we are very friendly in practices.
Q1: We wish you good luck and success, thank you for coming.

Then Dmitry repeats their names, wishes them good luck again and the video ends.
 
Tanka, thank you for the translation. Strange questions, but they handled them admirably.
 
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bramweld, I'm afraid they'll be asked the same split question by every new interviewer till the end of their lives...
 
I can't wait for the day that Elena & Ruslan stop getting the former partner question. Unfortunately, I expect it will come as soon as the day Victoria & Nikita get the question about how they can justify their decision given that their results are not matching up to what they (especially Nikita) achieved in the old teams, which is to say, never.

I/Z have got nothing to prove against the other two, and never did from day 1, because it wasn't their choice to start over. It's not about revenge, or showing who is better, it's just trying to continue a career that was almost ruined by their partners' choices. And even if they did have to prove anything, last season showed everything they needed to. S/K are the ones who have to demonstrate that they made a good decision for their careers, and they haven't done that yet.
 
I can't wait for the day that Elena & Ruslan stop getting the former partner question. Unfortunately, I expect it will come as soon as the day Victoria & Nikita get the question about how they can justify their decision given that their results are not matching up to what they (especially Nikita) achieved in the old teams, which is to say, never.

I/Z have got nothing to prove against the other two, and never did from day 1, because it wasn't their choice to start over. It's not about revenge, or showing who is better, it's just trying to continue a career that was almost ruined by their partners' choices. And even if they did have to prove anything, last season showed everything they needed to. S/K are the ones who have to demonstrate that they made a good decision for their careers, and they haven't done that yet.

It was just a ridiculous question. It shouldn't have been asked in the first place. :rolleye: But they handled the whole nonsense quite well.

I think this season they have proved that this was a good decision for them. This is their vision of ice dancing. This is something that has been in the works for a very long time. I am just grateful, that we didn't lose Lena and Ruslan as a result. They will all do well, but my heart will always be with I/Z.
 
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sugarpova jut posted thi in another thread but I don't think it's made it here yet: Lena and Ruslan 'dancing' on the ice after the CoC gala, with supporting appearance by Smirnov :) :love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__6d68GlVoA&feature=youtu.be

It's my video, I posted the link just a few posts before. And since I haven't posted it anywhere else yet, sugarpova must have taken it from this thread. )))
ppoison is right, Elena is dancing with Sergei Voronov, not Ruslan.

I haven't checked pictures yet, don't have time.
 
I can't wait for the day that Elena & Ruslan stop getting the former partner question. Unfortunately, I expect it will come as soon as the day Victoria & Nikita get the question about how they can justify their decision given that their results are not matching up to what they (especially Nikita) achieved in the old teams, which is to say, never. I/Z have got nothing to prove against the other two, and never did from day 1, because it wasn't their choice to start over. It's not about revenge, or showing who is better, it's just trying to continue a career that was almost ruined by their partners' choices. And even if they did have to prove anything, last season showed everything they needed to. S/K are the ones who have to demonstrate that they made a good decision for their careers, and they haven't done that yet.

I agree. Some of these questions were odd. All to be expected though it's Rostelecom week. I can only imagine it will grow this week with articles ect. I believe in my team!
 
It was just a ridiculous question. It shouldn't have been asked in the first place. :rolleye: But they handled the whole nonsense quite well.

I think this season they have proved that this was a good decision for them. This is their vision of ice dancing. This is something that has been in the works for a very long time. I am just grateful, that we didn't lose Lena and Ruslan as a result. They will all do well, but my heart will always be with I/Z.

I dont think this was good decision for Nikita in sport point of view. They were already at the top when the split happened and they were the one expected to be world champions and I believe that if they did not made stupid mistakes the judges would have given them the medals the same way that the judges are treating kindly the top teams like C/B ( I am sure that Carmen would have been the best scored SD if it was played from I/K). But he lost this advantage and also the privilge to dance with the best female ice dance skater and instead started from sctrach. He has to watch the worlds and the euroes last year on the TV and to see how others are taking his medals. I will continue to think that this was not good decision for him until S/K not take olympic title and even this somehow happens he will still have the missed years like this year and last season. But it was good decision for Vika for sure. And I am happy we have I/Z now :).
 
I try to not get too worked up by these questions. I always admire how calm and composed Ruslan seems during those questions. No wonder they never fight in training. :laugh:
 
I also found a 13 seconds long video of standing and clapping, and I don't even remember recording it. :think:
https://youtu.be/5eKVDkWkgOw

I always admire how calm and composed Ruslan seems during those questions. No wonder they never fight in training. :laugh:
I feel that Ruslan is often a bit surprised of being asked ridiculous or meaningless questions. :) Elena seems to be accustomed to them.
 
I feel that Ruslan is often a bit surprised of being asked ridiculous or meaningless questions. :) Elena seems to be accustomed to them.

lol yeah, there's always a pause when I feel like he's going "... you really want me to answer THAT?" in this head.

@sunn1ly I completely agree with you. I/K were set up to win everything after V/M & D/W retired. They should have won worlds that year, been the main contenders this quad & been fighting for the Olympic gold in 2018. Even when they made technical mistakes, the judges were more than willing to save them with boundless PCS. Nikita himself said after Sochi that they were aiming not just for gold in South Korea but also for 2022. Leaving aside personal reasons or whatever, (and he said in interviews that he made this choice for results/Elena was too inconsistent etc, although I'm sure we all suspect that's not actually true...), for him to show that what he did was right for his career, he needs to be outperforming what people expected from I/K, and they aren't near that yet.

Lena & Rus on the other hand said from the start they both weren't ready to stop skating and they started skating with each other so they could continue a career. They set their goals and aims and have done very well, but they've never framed it in terms of the old partnerships or what the other team is doing. I'm sick of people, especially the media but also fans on forums, acting like the sole measure of their success is the comparison to what S/K are doing.
 
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lol yeah, there's always a pause when I feel like he's going "... you really want me to answer THAT?" in this head.

@sunn1ly I completely agree with you. I/K were set up to win everything after V/M & D/W retired. They should have won worlds that year, been the main contenders this quad & been fighting for the Olympic gold in 2018. Even when they made technical mistakes, the judges were more than willing to save them with boundless PCS. Nikita himself said after Sochi that they were aiming not just for gold in South Korea but also for 2022. Leaving aside personal reasons or whatever, (and he said in interviews that he made this choice for results/Elena was too inconsistent etc, although I'm sure we all suspect that's not actually true...), for him to show that what he did was right for his career, he needs to be outperforming what people expected from I/K, and they aren't near that yet.

Lena & Rus on the other hand said from the start they both weren't ready to stop skating and they started skating with each other so they could continue a career. They set their goals and aims and have done very well, but they've never framed it in terms of the old partnerships or what the other team is doing. I'm sick of people, especially the media but also fans on forums, acting like the sole measure of their success is the comparison to what S/K are doing.

With that I don't agree. There were just too many inconsistencies. Further, as it was clear that Nikita wanted out, it would never be. Also if you look carefully at Nikita's statements, when things go wrong, its always the other's fault. The other could be Zhulin, Volkov, Ilinykh, Morozov. It all depends on his mood. I get the feeling he's a very temperamental person. And he needs the illusion of others always deferring to him and his wishes to be comfortable. He seems to have that now with Zueva and Sinitsina, so my thinking is his consistency will go up. Further to which, Zueva seems to be invested in these two, so their choreo will improve drastically. What did I/Z have in comparison, Morozov, who didn't believe in choreography and wasted Lena's talents for the three years they skated together. So I don't think it is even fair to compare these teams going forward. Because lets be honest from what I can see I/Z are more of a team that I/K ever were.
 
They were inconsistent (although improving), but they were the judges favourites. The federation was pushing them like no one else and they had invested long term in that team to get them to the top. Not just for Sochi, but also with the view of bringing Russian ice dance back to the top for a sustained period of time.

I'm not saying that they would have won everything, but they had been put in the position to be able to capitalize on it & a lot of people had invested time & money to get them there. In the end, he chose to do something else, which is his right, but also means to me that he is the one who should be getting the ex partner questions and having to show that he has made the right decision in throwing away everything that I/K had. And I agree that I/Z are clearly a much healthier partnership than I/K ever were & it's not right to compare them to what I/K did or could have done, as Elena ended up having no choice in whether she could make all the I/K potential turn into medal winning reality. But Nikita had all the power to make it happen or not by deciding to stay in the partnership; but no one is asking him "do you regret it" "is it like when your parents split up" "aren't the results disappointing compared to your old team" "don't you want to beat I/Z more than anyone" like they do to Lena, and the double standard is absolutely ridiculous.
 
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