The athlete was harassed for a long time by failures, some experts began to write off the skater. Medvedeva herself continued to work. After the stage in Moscow, in an interview with TASS, Eugenia spoke about the nuances of life in Canada, about her work with Orser, Tracy Wilson and choreographer She-Lynn Bourne, her changed attitude to the Games silver, her fears and plans for her upcoming birthday.
- Zhenya, your birthday is coming soon. How do you plan to celebrate the 20th anniversary?
- There was an idea to go with friends to a restaurant, or to a movie, or just to go for a walk, or go to some club, but I realized that all this could turn into a photo shoot, and not a birthday. In the end, we decided - we’ll rent a room with our friends and just spend this day together, chatting, having fun, listening to music, eating pizza. And yes, in anticipation of your question, I will say - I love tasty and unhealthy food.
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- A classic pizza pajama party?
- Exactly. Favorite Pizza - Four Cheeses. How delicious it is! True, here is one piece - this is already a half-day norm of calorie.
“And then back to Canada?”
- Yes, on November 20 I’m flying back.
- After a short program at the Moscow Grand Prix in the mix zone, I asked you how long you intend to continue working in Canada. Your answer is "While the legs are walking, while the arms are moving." I even asked again, if you remember.
- The fact is that I found my place. With its difficulties and difficulties, but Toronto is really the place where I would like to work until the end of my career in women's single skating.
- So what is next?
- I have many ways, many ideas. In my head there is no emptiness in this regard. There is plan A, plan B, depending on how it goes on. I think about the future, but as they say, if you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans. I don’t have that - "I don’t know what I will do after sports." I know what, and I will do more than now.
- Here, in Moscow, I heard a phrase from you: "Figure skating is my job." But it was not always like that.
- It's true. But let's be honest. Now I live in Canada, and most of it - more precisely, most of the costs from my prize money are open amounts, everyone can see them on the website of the International Union of Skaters - I spend on accommodation, food, ice, and coaches. Everything is scheduled. So yes - this is my job.
Many people, by the way, ask me a question: “Eugene, you were third at the World Cup - it's such money! Why don’t you allow yourself to go to Louis Vuitton or Chanel?” But my main clothes are still black leggings and a training jacket. I'd rather spend what I really need.
- Often I recall our interview in Marseille after the Grand Prix finals. Then she asked you what you cannot live without in this life. The answer then shocked me, of course: "I will never go out without makeup and manicure." The manicure is in place, I see. But outwardly you are completely different - a minimum of makeup.
- In Marseille, if you remember, I had healthy eyelashes, eyeliner. But now I like myself more. And yet, yes, I don’t show up without make-up, I just try to emphasize my facial features. And before that I changed them all the time - the shape of the eyebrows, the shape of the eyes with arrows "to the ears." Now, for me, the foundation is basic care - creams, masks, peels.
- Let me guess - Japanese or Korean?
- And here is no, do not believe. They do not fit my skin, she does not accept them. So I’m nevertheless closer to European brands, only this year I realized this.
- Are there any female “Wishlist” that you promise yourself in the future?
“You know, there is a Yorkdale mall in Toronto.” There is an avenue of boutiques. So sometimes I walk, look around and think: "Well, what a beautiful dress!" And then - "so what will I do with them, where will I go to them?" I just have two routes: the house - “Toronto Cricket Club” (training center, where it does - approx. TASS) or “Toronto Cricket Club” - the house. That's it, I don’t go anywhere else. So just admire, that's all.
- Is it expensive to live in Canada?
- Not complaining.
- They didn’t think, but what would happen if they didn’t decide after the Olympics to fly to Canada?
- I can’t even imagine it. Truth. Basically, I considered one way. More precisely, two - either finish everything, or leave for Canada. I decided in favor of Canada, and it was the sharpest turn in my life.
“Are you worried when you return to Russia?”
- Now I'm used to it.
- Eugene, I often recall the interview with your mother that we recorded back in Pyeongchang - right after your performance at the Olympics. There she said that you won your silver with a leg injury. Remember those times?
- Constantly. It will now stay with me forever. Like the eternal fear of serious injury. This is probably one of my most serious nightmares - trauma and lack of a chance for recovery. When you understand, you have to go out and fight, but in the end you will break. And in the literal sense. It's like jumping into the abyss, into the well. But you have to jump there. But that was exactly what I myself wanted.
But now I have recovered, I am alive, everything is in order. Today I live listening to my body.
“Do you often hold those two Pyeongchang silver medals in your hands?”
- I have them in Moscow, and yes - I hold them in my hands when I arrive. Because thanks to them, today I have what I have - amazing people nearby. But fate would have been different; I would never have met them.
- It turns out that what many then perceived as your personal tragedy turned your life upside down?
- I initially thought that for the worse, but you see how it turned out? All the way around
“It has been a year and a half since the beginning of your collaboration with Brian.” He approximately such terms to the first result and declared. And so it happened.
- I can’t say exactly why such a period was supposed by them. But all the time I just want to. But in the end, as he said, it happened. I'm incredibly proud of what Brian and Tracy did for me.
In general, it’s a big mystery to me how they tolerate me like that, but they continue to believe in me. But not every trainer will withstand so many difficulties with his athlete, will continue to walk, holding his hand along such a thorny path.
We go together every day, and it's great. I really feel like Brian is very worried about me. It is enough to look at him in the corner of Kiss and Cry (a specially designated area for skaters and coaches, where they expect their marks for rentals - approx. TASS) - how nervous he is. It costs a lot.
- I recently watched videos of your work with choreographer She-Lynn Bourne. It seems that you and her already on the “crust” understand each other.
- This is generally amazing, what we do with it. I never thought that we with any choreographer would be able to work together like that.
- I know how tired you are of questions about your plans for the execution of the ultra-si elements - quadruple, triple axels and others like them. But still I have to ask about it.
- I'm working on it.
“And that's fine.” In addition to competing with rivals, I was very “hooked” on two points after the Moscow stage of the series. The first one, when after renting your short program in Kiss and Cry, with a gesture, you asked the fans to meet the performance of the next participant, American Mariah Bell, with silence. And the second is your video with stage winner Sasha Trusova and her, to put it mildly, huge pink bear, with whom she squeezed into the bus to the hotel.
- But you can’t imagine how funny it was - I saw little Sasha with this bear, shouted “Sasha, stop!”, Grabbed the camera. From the side there was a feeling that it’s not Sasha’s bear, but he’s on its paws.
As for Bell, I just put myself in her place. For example, before renting, I need silence. And at that moment, when Mariah went out on the ice, from the stands still came: "Zhenya, we love you." I was very pleased to hear that, but Bell was already called to the start. So that was just basic respect. I respect everyone and everyone who goes on the ice - we are all great hard workers, and deserve the audience to see our work.
- After your performance at the Moscow Grand Prix, there were a lot of expert comments. We, journalists, love to reinforce our thoughts with the opinions of erudite experts. Most of all I remember the words of Alexei Urmanov to you: "There are stories, reading which, until the last you do not want to close the book. This is the story of Zhenya Medvedeva."
- I saw this post. And I was very pleased to read it. I also really do not want to close my book. I am sincere in what I do. While the legs are holding.
You can see she connects to the song on a personal level, it was a mesmerizing performance!
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https://twitter.com/MedvedevaNation/status/1196043060767055872?s=19
I became Evgenia’s fan last year when I accidentally came across her Sailor Moon EX on YouTube. From the first sight I thought what a wonderful and talented girl she was. I started to search for more Evgenia’s performances and my appreciation for her grew more and more. My playlist is full of the songs she skated to, I have her picture on the wall and I look at her every time I do my workout and think to myself what a fighter she is and that she never gives up. I even enrolled myself in adult ice skating classes and that’s ALL because of her! I hope I can become a part of this community and show her my support and love
