Interview with Mishin, Zhenya's part
http://winter.sport-express.ru/figuresk ... ews/26463/
Alexei Mishin: "Period of offenses for Zhenya and me passed long ago. I'd say, actually we never had such a period."
- Will Evgeni Plushenko compete in Dortmund?
- The decision hasn’t been made yet. Recently, in Germany Zhenya underwent a preventive procedure under general anesthesia, after which he missed a week of training. We understand very well that we need these competitions both for ranking points and for the experience. And just to show that the person is alive. After all, except the test skating, nobody really saw him. But on the other hand, I do not want to send Zhenya to fight while he is unprepared. It is one thing - to show short fragments in the show, and quite another - to skate the entire program. It requires a different level of readiness. Actually, later I plan to organize special small competitions here in St. Petersburg, invite serious athletes, judges, and check Evgeni at work.
- Recently Plushenko has a jubilee. And at the Birthday show in St. Petersburg you gave to your student a picture (portrait) of himself and his wife.
- Zhenya is a wealthy person. To give him a watch, a ring, or even a car is no sense. He came to such a period of his life when he doesn’t have to buy cars - companies are fighting for the right to give it to him. Why did I give such a picture? His wife Yana is shown in it as a guardian angel. In connection with the anniversary I was often asked what I’d like to wish to Zhenya. I wish him as an athlete wins, there is nothing to explain. And I wish him as a man, as a person to have a good family - surely with Yana. Of all the women he met on his life's way, she is the most appropriate person.
- They say you have not been in Moscow for his birthday party.
- I just arrived from Canada, and on the following Saturday I had scheduled practices. That's why I didn't go. I considered that it would be right.
- Did not you worry that Evgeni would be offended?
- Time of offenses passed long ago. Actually we never had such a period, in my opinion. For most people it is typical in case of failure to transfer the blame to the time, the music, the ice, the pants which bothered. For Evgeni it is absolutely not typical. That's a rare feature for a high-class athlete, and generally for a person. Even at such a difficult time for us, as, for example, Salt Lake City, I did not hear from him a single reproach.
- And after Vancouver?
- And after Vancouver I did not hear it either.
- And is it typical for him to blame himself?
- If he blames himself, it is not in the format of public statements. Each difficulty generates additional forces in him. Now, for example, Zhenya understands very well how high will be the level of competition which is waiting for him in Sochi, and therefore he increases the demands to himself, his working ability. Also I would like to say about age. It seems 30 is much for an athlete. But I still can not find any indication of the coordination oldness in Zhenya. And if you look at his attitude to sport, at what is called the fun of skating – really, there is this fun in him. Often, if something does not work out, Zhenya starts to jump on two feet, fool around, tease. There is visible unspent youth in him. And now it may be, even more than during the Turin Games. Then he was less cheerful and dynamic.
- You said you do not like parties and celebrations. But Plushenko seems to like to be in the spotlight. On this basis, you never had a tension?
- That's just a delusion. His wife belongs to the field of show business, and there you can not go into the woods and live in a tent. This world can not exist without a certain number of magazine articles, television stories and so on. But as an athlete Plushenko selects channels of communication very tough.
- The decision that he will skip the Worlds this season is final?
- If it's possible, I won't answer this question.
- I'll ask in a different way. At the Worlds in men's figure skating Russia will be represented by only one skater. And it will depend on his result how many athletes our country will be able to have at the Sochi Games. Naturally, many hope that Plushenko will change his mind and earn two or even three spots for the home Games. Are you pressed because of this?
- We need one good spot, not two or three bad ones. That is our position.
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I adore Mishin, he is fantastic, smart, funny, interesting..
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