Ok, so I found this Korean interview yesterday, but the Google translation (to English) made no sense, so I didn't post it. But then I discovered that it made A LOT of sense if I translated it to Japanese instead, so I decided to translate that for you all. Please do take this with a grain of salt, though, since it's gone through like 4 translations (Lena's Russian -> Korean -> Japanese -> English).
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http://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=201505061857563040
Radionova: "I like Yuna Kim; Olympic gold without a triple axel" (Interview)
World bronze medalist, prodigy Russian figure skater Radionova visited Korea.
Elena Radionova (16, Russia) recently conducted an interview with Newsen while waiting to perform in the final show of "Bolshoi on Ice" in Seoul's Mokdong Ice Rink.
This is the third time she has come to Korea to perform. "Every time I come to Korea, I like it more and more," and "since a lot of people come to the ice show, I look forward to it, and it doesn't feel like a job," says Elena Radionova. She explained her favorable impressions of Korea like this: "I received the invitation from the Bolshoi people to come, and I liked the show, so I'm participating for the third time."
She laughed and said, "I didn't have much free time, so I couldn't do a lot of sightseeing," but "I took a picture at a place I went to three years ago." [I think she's referring to that recent Instagram pic where she's standing by an amusement park. Though it was actually just 2 years ago.]
This season, Elena Radionova made her real senior debut, and she had a successful season: she won her Grand Prix assignments and took the Grand Prix Final silver medal, European Championships silver medal, and World Championships bronze medal.
Elena Radionova said, "This season I made my senior debut at the European Championships and World Championships, and considering that they were my first appearances, I think the results were successful enough."
In the ladies figure skating world, the young Russian skaters have been flourishing. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (18, Russia) won the World Championships, Grand Prix Final, and European Championships. Evgenia Medvedva (Russia) and Serafima Sakhanovich (Russia), who swept the tournaments on the junior level, will make their senior debuts in the 2015-2016 season.
In response to this [recent success of the Russian ladies], Radionova said, "There's no special reason for this. If you support skaters from early on, then several years later, you'll see the fruits of your efforts--I think that's what's happening now."
In ladies skating, there seems to be a triple axel fever. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva won an overwhelming victory at the World Championships by successfully landing the triple axel, and now several skaters have revealed their thoughts about the triple axel.
[?? Omitted this sentence because I have no idea what it means, in any translation.] Radionova said, "I haven't really thought about trying the triple axel. I think one's skating, in itself, is important," and raised the example of Yuna Kim (24, All that Sports).
Radionova revealed her thoughts: "I like Kim Yuna, and Kim Yuna was able to win an Olympic gold medal without a triple axel. After seeing that, it seems that how you skate, how you look like on the ice is more important than a triple axel. I want to look better on the ice."
Radionova is aiming for better skating skills, for beauty while performing, rather than more complex jumps.
Elena Radionova is still young, but she is a skater who clearly has pride in herself as a skater. When I ask if she has any skaters she likes that she wants to be like, she replies, "There aren't really any skaters that I want to be like. If you copy another skater, then you're not being yourself, and you'll be an inferior skater compared to that person. Also, I don't think 'it's difficult to bring out my own personality, so I should try to be like someone else.' But there are skaters that I like: Kim Yuna, Mao Asada (24, Japan), and Carolina Kostner (28, Italy)."
Elena Radionova was not able to participate in the Sochi Olympics because of the age requirements. Now she is looking toward the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. She spoke of her aspirations like this: "Like all athletes, I dream of going to the Olympics. I want to participate in the Pyeongchang Olympics and perform well."
On this day, Elena Radionova performed to Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" and Nadiya's "Amies Ennemies" in the Bolshoi ice show. Her heartbreakingly beautiful and mysteriously fun performances resonated well with the audience.
Elena Radionova successfully landed all her jumps including a triple salchow and a triple loop, and she impressed the audience with her flexible layback spin. The audience was charmed by her doll-like face and cuteness, and I could hear many people saying "pretty!"
Elena Radionova said, "I want to express my thanks to the Korean fans who have been cheering for me. I really like the country of Korea, so I want to participate in the Pyeongchang Olympics. I think sports are life. I hope there are lots of people who love sports."
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Well, I do think it's a bit naive of Lena to think that she can win a gold medal versus the current crop of ladies, especially if more develop a consistent 3A, but I think working on achieving 'beautiful skating' is ABSOLUTELY the right strategy for Lena. If she is able to do that, and gets some really interesting, entertaining programs, then I think she would be able to distinguish herself as an "artist" versus the "jumpers" and have a real shot at an Olympic medal. :yes:
Besides, her 2A is probably her weakest jump, so I just don't think a 3A is in the cards for her, even if she were able to sail through puberty and get a lot stronger, with bigger, more powerful jumps...