We are in finish:
p.177
Sometimes I combine business with pleasure. I was invited to make a commercial for a tea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXT_Z6_9msU It was on the island of Sri Lanka. While we were traveling along an amazing way with so much beauty around, suddenly we saw mountains and tea plantations, the colours were unbelievably bright. We were traveling slowly and I looked through the window with great interest. At this moment stones started to fall down. A big piece of stone would have surely landed on the roof of our car, if we had been traveling faster. Luckily it landed half a meter from us. And it was two times bigger than our car. I was looking through the side window not in front and could not understand at first what was happening and I did not get frightened.
Our guide said that in Sri Lanka this happens often. Soon before we had arrived, there had been a thunderstorm and this piece of stone broke off.
For my smoking I have already said. Now, with alcohol I got “acquainted” at an early age too – at 10. After the All-Russian tour of figure skating we were sitting together with the seniors in the hotel room. They treated me with food and drinks.
At first I tried beer, then port wine and vodka. I was small and thin and a little was enough to make me drunk. It is not a secret that the seniors give drinks to the youngs in the pauses between the competitions. The parents are not there, the coach has much work, there happened many and interesting things.
The coach Makoveev knew about this “tradition”. It happened sometimes that after a glass of beer or port wine I sat in Makoveev’s car feeling very bad. And I asked him to stop. But he never scolded me for that.
p.178
Most of the sportsmen go through this phase. They learn early what alcohol is. But some stop immediately and others continue till it becomes bad. I know such good sportsmen, who have won every possible prize and then became alcoholics. They tried everything to cure them – made fun of them, cured them, even took them to mediums – nothing helped. This cannot happen with me, because I don’t like neither port wine, nor vodka.
I cannot stay very long at one and the same place. If I have free time, I always know what to do. For example I adore bowling. I play with my girl, it was her who first brought me there. This Summer I made a personal record - 234 points and I even injured my thumb from eagerness. Now my family name is written on the touring-table in one of the bowling clubs. I want to play bowling seriously – to buy balls, to take a coach. Just for myself. Moreover that I can do it.
I adore extreme driving and carting. I even bought a special racing car and now I enjoy speed. I dream to buy a motorcycle. They say it is very dangerous, but if you drive it cleverly, including your head, I think there is nothing more dangerous than with the other vehicles.
But all of this I have to postpone till I have enough free time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtZZ9_pvgZQ
p.179
XXIII – One More Victory
Now everybody in the World knows that the Winter Olympics in 2014 will take place in our Sochi. In the night between 4th and 5th July, when the head of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge announced this, all our country cheered. The town of Sochi did not sleep, millions of citizens from other towns sat in front of the tv sets and waited with excitement for the announcement of the results. At this moment I was at the opposite point of the globe, in Guatemala, where the faith of the Olympics of 2014 was decided.
I was happy to become a member of the presentation, a member of The Russian application committee. Till we arrived in Guatemala I did not even suspect how responsible it was. And, of course, after I had lived through numerous European and World championships and two Olympics, I did not think I would be so excited.
In Guatemala we arrived ten days earlier.
p.180
But the preparation for it started much earlier. I was still in the American show and they already sewed us costumes for the stage in Guatemala, where we should present our project for “Sochi-2014”. They drew models, we told them our sizes. We had not only to perform good, but to look great as well. For this, the costumes are very important, I already know this for sure.
The Russian delegation looked magnificently. Blue suits, white shirts, blue-white-red ties – the colours of the Russian flag. The costume fitted me perfectly, but the trousers had to be shortened a little – may be the one who had made them thought I would grow higher meanwhile.
We lived in the ancient capital of Antigua, in an 15th century monastery, which had been ruined by an earthquake in the 18th century. After that it was restored and turned into a hotel. It was strange and………. macabre.
One evening I went out of my room in the corridor. There was no one and the feeling was like I was alone in these ruins. A strange music was heard – some local melodies. Around me there were statues of Saints. Next to my room there was a statue cut in two, with an open stomach. I am not from the fearful ones, but at these moment I felt odd, shivers went down my back, I even decided to go back to my room.
Later, I learnt, that in the cellars of the monastery there were ancient graves of monarchs. In fact we lived on the cemetery.
Guatemala is an amazing country. There are very many monasteries, half of which are ruined by the earthquakes. There are some active volcanoes. Magnificent nature – mountains, hills, innumerable parrots.
p.181
We had a special hall for preparation – an exact copy of the one, where the session of the 119th International Olympic Committee took place. Everything in it was the same – the position of the chairs and tables, the monitors on the wall, even the bottles of water. But the atmosphere was tense from the first day on – everyone was nervous.
They helped us pronounce our speeches in English, taught us the right intonation and accents. We worked on our every movement – how to stand up, to sit down, to walk to the main microphone. They paid attention to everything – facial expression, gesture, smiles. They taught us even how to breathe.
The speeches were made up several times. The suggestions became more and more rich in content, emotional. Every word was repeated dozens of times. Till I went to Guatemala, I thought I speak not bad English. It appeared it was not so.
The people, who worked with us were the same, who prepared the speeches for the heads of the government. At the end of everyday we were given points.
For example, on the first day they wanted to give 4 to Svetlana Zhurova, the Olympic champion of speed skating. But then they changed their minds, because may be they thought that after that she would relax and not be careful. The strict examination committee gave her 3+ at the end. The first day they wanted to give me 1, but then they felt sorry for me and gave me 2. I proved to be a good student. Eventually, everyone got 5. At the rehearsals I felt like at school. Like everyone else I wanted to receive a good mark.
p.182
In Guatemala we lead several master-classes. As Zhurova advised, we moved around the town on roller skates accompanied by many Gautemals kids. Roller skating is very popular there, they have even a special school for it. The kids asked us much how the ice looked like and if they could try to skate on it. They said they would manage – according to them it was not difficult to go to skates from rollers.
On one of the performances I got acquainted with the local football players and took part in their training with pleasure: I wanted to move a little. They allowed me to play with the ball on the training.
Not all football fields in Guatemala are good ones. I watched a football game between the local teams in Antigua. It was even not a football field, but just a sporting yard with the size of a football field. Next to it there was a dung-hill and dogs wandered by. From time to time these dogs went into the yard and chase the ball together with the football players. On the other side of the yard there was a local market, where they sold all kinds of stuff. When the ball flied there, some of the sellers or the buyers, armed with a weapon, turned it back.
In Guatemala everyone is allowed to possess a gun. That is why all walk armed to the teeth. Jeeps drive along with machine guns. Every shop, even the smallest one is guarded by several men with pump-action guns or assault rifles. You have the feeling there is a war going on.
Guatemala is really a very dangerous country. We, the Russian delegation, were warned not to go late on the street, we could be attacked and robbed. So at night we stayed in our monastery.
p.183
By the way, in Guatemala they like the Russians. The staff in the hotel was an excellent one – smiling and hard working. I had the feeling Guatemala was with us.
Moreover, the Russians made them a nice surprise. In the tropical town they brought an ice rink. The locals were exalted. The ice rink was placed in “the Russian home”, in a fantastic restaurant under the open sky. For the first time the descendants of the Red Indians, the Maya, could see live hockey and ballet on ice.
In the hockey game the Russian delegation was divided into two. Almost everyone played – including German Gref, Alexander Tkachyov, and, of course, Viacheslav Fetisov. We played with a tennis ball. They did not allow us to take a real puck – we were in T-shirts and jeans, without anything to defend us. The puck may injure you or fly in the teeth of someone from the audience. There were neither shields nor boards.
The people, who wanted to see this were many and there was no place for everyone. The local people crowded around the restaurant and tried to look through the windows and holes, so that they could see at least with one eye this miracle – a real ice in the hot Guatemala.
After that our Peter’s “Ballet on Ice” performed. At this moment a tropical rain poured down. The ballet players became drenched wet, the ice was wet, but nobody thought of stopping the show. Till the music was going on they danced and smiled.
At last 4th July came – the day of the presentation. Russians were the first to present their country. After us there were Austria and South Korea.
I was not so excited at neither of the Olympics. I always skated only for myself, worked for myself, thought for myself.
p.184
If I did not do something, it was only me to blame. But here, there was a whole team. The victory depended on our team work, and you must not mislead the others.
We are sitting at the tables. The excitement is huge, everyone is nervous. But we had not to show it – we realized that all the World watched us, all Russia was with us.
To support each other we started to exchange notes. We could not talk – in front of everyone there was a microphone. On tiny sheets of paper we drew each other smiling faces and wrote: „We will win!”, “Let’s smile!” And we all smiled.
When Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin went to speak on the main microphone we already felt we would win. Putin spoke in two languages, brightly, emotionally! I was exalted by his speech, the adrenalin rose. When the turn came for Svetlana Zhurova and me to speak, I was already not so nervous, although my knees were trembling.
Svetlana is usually nervous before the performance, but when she starts the nervousness goes away and she does many things intuitively. Every sportsman has his own way to settle down. I myself was nervous during the performance and when the results were announced. But we all performed excellently.
We won in great extend thanks to Putin’s arrival. He charmed the International Olympic committee. He supported us, when we were extremely nervous. He did not say anything special, just some general phrases – that all would be all right, that we had to work and fight till the end. But he succeeded to give us a positive emotional charge, to settle us to the victory. What could a coach do just before the competition? Just wish luck to the sportsman.
p.185
Later somebody asked me:
- You knew that you would win, didn’t you?
Yes, we all believed in victory. But we did not know the results till the last minute.
When the results were to be announced we joined hands. Our hands were tense, the palms were damp. The head of IOC Jaques Rogge took the sheet from the envelope and showed it, on it was written “SOCHI – 2014”!!!
We started jumping out of joy, took each other in our arms and kissed each other. German Oskarovich was so happy, he hugged me. I embraced Fetisova, Tkacheva, Zhukova. We all wept and laughed out of happiness. Like children! The exaltation was indescribable. I did not feel anything like that at any competition.
Next to us were the Koreans. They got upset, cried. But I did not feel pity. Like in sport, here you do not feel pity towards your competitors. Here you have to win. And only the strongest one wins.
What is “SOCHI -2014” for us? For me personally and for our country – this is the future of Russia, the future of our children, my mother, my son, my relatives, my friends. We have the greatest number of Olympic champions! We all waited for this to happen. We deserve it.
Even at this moment, we already have sportsmen, ready to go to the Olympics. Now it is important that the Federations of all kinds of sport begin to prepare the young sportsmen to become future Olympic champions.
p.186
In 2014 we had to gather a strong team. Not only in figure skating. I think everybody understands that and will do everything possible.
The country has to help the sportsmen. It is true, to perform in your own country is very responsible, the pressure is huge. But you feel the support of the audience. The last years our supporters go around the World too. For example on the last Olympics in Turin there were so many Russian supporters, that at one moment I felt as if I had been in Russia. In Salt Lake City it was not so, the Russians were only few.
For me it is very important to feel the support of the fans. It helps me, settles me on the way to victory. The courage rises and you win.
I will be on the Olympics at any cost. I do not know what I will be. At 31 may be I will still be a sportsman, or may be I will be a coach, or something else. But I would be there! And I will take my son Egor with me, he will be 7.
The Olympics in 2014 have to give fame to our country. I dream that all our sportsmen rise on the podium, including the figure skaters. The figure skating is not only a sport, but also an art, movie, ballet, theatre, acrobatics, extreme.
p.187
From time to time I go back in my mind to this day, when we with mom met on the way the woman with the crying girl. And I am thinking – if we did not go to the Figure skating section, what would my destiny be? It seems to me that I would be a sportsman again. May be I would be a hockey player, a tennis player, or a football player. But I know for sure: what ever sport I would have chosen, all these years I would have trained hard to the victory and I would become for sure a Champion.
the end.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h53_qvQjNM - Plushenko your song
Glad that things worked out so Plushy can see Yegor!
エフゲニーとの1枚
⛸
立ち姿が同じ
to the spine, his firm jump makes it 100% ⛸⛸⛸. Damn ... I can not believe that I saw it with my own eyes 
)) yes ... I am a very emotional person) and by the way Slutskaya skits very well and her costume is brilliant unreal, just like I love
Mama thanks for sending Zhenya, in this world, really, really thank you, thank you very much. 
