Evgenia Medvedeva | Page 1596 | Golden Skate

Evgenia Medvedeva

So that means I can keep my hopes alive? Thanks for letting me know.

I was pretty hopeful when she restored the 3-3 so quickly after literally being hospitalized a mere two months before. You don't do that if you're not serious about making a comeback. I didn't think she'd make it to the Olympics again, but I thought she'd give it one last shot either way. She's loved all over the world and in Russia even more so - the audience wouldn't care if she didn't have quads. In fact, the crowd's reaction to her Rostelecom performances in 2019 were unmatched. And it's not like you can't win any medals without ultra-c elements. You just can't win gold and make it to Euros/Worlds/OG. But there's GP stages, Challengers, comps like Winter Universiade, WTT...

I can understand if this isn't something worth fighting for - we're talking about a World champion after all. In fact, this season has shown that she could make a lot more money if she retired and probably gave up a ton of opportunities by even staying after 2018 and moving to Canada. But she loves this sport more than anything else, so I want her back, if her health allows it.

So, my stance is this: We don't know her health situation but she seems to be doing better. I think it would be worth a shot - if only to have a brilliant farewell performance at Nationals. But if these news of her performing in Averbukh's show turn out to be true, I just don't see a way for her to train at the level needed for international competitions.
I think Anna winning with the performance she had (i.e. no UltraSi) shows that Zhenya can really compete at all levels + Liza's great year (that nobody predicted). Anything is possible but for that to happen she has to have a good training environment - I wouldn't count her out (if she is back). She did say recently that all of her health issues have been eliminated and she is healthy. I guess we just have to wait and see...
 
I think Anna winning with the performance she had (i.e. no UltraSi) shows that Zhenya can really compete at all levels + Liza's great year. Anything is possible but for that to happen she has to have a good training environment - I wouldn't count her out (if she is back). She did say recently that all of her health issues have been eliminated and she is healthy. I guess we just have to wait and see...
Sure, but this was a very unusual season and even then Worlds was an unusually bad competition. The sad thing is, that had it not been for circumstances out of her control, she’d have had a real shot at Euros in 2019-20 and another shot at the World team this season. But next year‘s another level altogether. There won‘t be three other girls, there will be 6 (+Liza), who all have the advantage of being younger/less injured. For Zhenya it would be a very impressive achievement to land a 7 triple program again - for the others that‘s the minimum. So, yes, while injuries and bad performances can and likely will happen, there’s just too many skaters right now in the Russian team for them all to collectively fail. It’s just not realistic in my opinion.

But not making the team won‘t take anything away from what she‘s already accomplished. In fact, I‘d say that the mere act of coming back after what she went through this year might be up there with all her medals in terms of impressiveness. So, I hope she does. Not for the OG, not for medals but for herself.

In the end, I think it will depend on her health. There‘s a difference in being healthy enough for shows/normal life and healthy enough for the life of a competitive athlete.
 
Sure, but this was a very unusual season and even then Worlds was an unusually bad competition. The sad thing is, that had it not been for circumstances out of her control, she’d have had a real shot at Euros in 2019-20 and another shot at the World team this season. But next year‘s another level altogether. There won‘t be three other girls, there will be 6 (+Liza), who all have the advantage of being younger/less injured. For Zhenya it would be a very impressive achievement to land a 7 triple program again - for the others that‘s the minimum. So, yes, while injuries and bad performances can and likely will happen, there’s just too many skaters right now in the Russian team for them all to collectively fail. It’s just not realistic in my opinion.

But not making the team won‘t take anything away from what she‘s already accomplished. In fact, I‘d say that the mere act of coming back after what she went through this year might be up there with all her medals in terms of impressiveness. So, I hope she does. Not for the OG, not for medals but for herself.

In the end, I think it will depend on her health. There‘s a difference in being healthy enough for shows/normal life and healthy enough for the life of a competitive athlete.
I look at it differently- everyone said that last year with triple A. I look at it as all of Team Tuts skaters are at an age where puberty/growth can impact them at any time whereas Zhenya has already gone through the process and would be more stable even with a no ultra si program. I guess it is a moot point anyways first we need to know if she is competing.
 
I look at it differently- everyone said that last year with triple A. I look at it as all of Team Tuts skaters are at an age where puberty/growth can impact them at any time whereas Zhenya has already gone through the process and would be more stable even with a no ultra si program. I guess it is a moot point anyways first we need to know if she is competing.
Well, if she was in her 2019-20 form, I might have had a slightly different opinion and even then it would have been difficult. But she has to work her way up from zero. And TeamTut‘s skaters are at an age where puberty can affect them, sure. But remember how Zhenya skated three clean Olympic programs on an injured foot and back? They, too, know that this is their only chance at an OG and they‘ll do everything. Anna literally couldn’t breathe at Nationals, yet she landed two quads. I may be a Zhenya fan, but I think underestimating the strength of these girls is close to an outright insult. So, imo, the chances of puberty affecting 4 of them so badly that it overrides the crazy fighting spirit they have, are close to nonexistent. And Zhenya, too, has a fighting spirit like no other. But like I said - she‘s operating under different conditions.

And I‘m still not sure why it matters all too much. I realise I‘ll sound rather (passive?)-aggressive in my post but that‘s not my intention. It’s just so frustrating that all of us fans (because, yes, I do it too) are still so hung up on the Olympics, calculating chances and mulling over unrealistic scenarios, as if the only reason to come back would be a shot at that Gold. So, it‘s close to impossible she‘ll make the team again, much less win it all, and so what? It doesn’t diminish her mark on this sport in any way. Sometimes coming back is worth it just for the sake of it. The sport has changed since 2018 in ways few of us could have foreseen. Maybe it’s time to change goals - because, yes, they can be changed.

This is what I, as a fan, would want Zhenya to do: Let go of the Olympics. Instead make it your goal to perform Alegria and Masquerade cleanly at Nationals. Everything else - out of her control anyway.

Just my thoughts. And I agree that the most important question is whether she comes back at all.
 
Well, if she was in her 2019-20 form, I might have had a slightly different opinion and even then it would have been difficult. But she has to work her way up from zero. And TeamTut‘s skaters are at an age where puberty can affect them, sure. But remember how Zhenya skated three clean Olympic programs on an injured foot and back? They, too, know that this is their only chance at an OG and they‘ll do everything. Anna literally couldn’t breathe at Nationals, yet she landed two quads. I may be a Zhenya fan, but I think underestimating the strength of these girls is close to an outright insult. So, imo, the chances of puberty affecting 4 of them so badly that it overrides the crazy fighting spirit they have, are close to nonexistent. And Zhenya, too, has a fighting spirit like no other. But like I said - she‘s operating under different conditions.

And I‘m still not sure why it matters all too much. I realise I‘ll sound rather (passive?)-aggressive in my post but that‘s not my intention. It’s just so frustrating that all of us fans (because, yes, I do it too) are still so hung up on the Olympics, calculating chances and mulling over unrealistic scenarios, as if the only reason to come back would be a shot at that Gold. So, it‘s close to impossible she‘ll make the team again, much less win it all, and so what? It doesn’t diminish her mark on this sport in any way. Sometimes coming back is worth it just for the sake of it. The sport has changed since 2018 in ways few of us could have foreseen. Maybe it’s time to change goals - because, yes, they can be changed.

This is what I, as a fan, would want Zhenya to do: Let go of the Olympics. Instead make it your goal to perform Alegria and Masquerade cleanly at Nationals. Everything else - out of her control anyway.

Just my thoughts. And I agree that the most important question is whether she comes back at all.
I think the only way we will know is how skaters perform next season. I am not being insulting to other skaters but I am not counting Zhenya out - she has an insane amount of talent and will power. I am not sure why you would take it that way? Like I said anything can happen next season and the proof of that was this season. We will just have to wait and see.
 
I think the only way we will know is how skaters perform next season. I am not being insulting to other skaters but I am not counting Zhenya out - she has an insane amount of talent and will power. I am not sure why you would take it that way? Like I said anything can happen next season and the proof of that was this season. We will just have to wait and see.
That‘s why I said close to it. And I know it wasn‘t your intention, don‘t worry. It‘s just that I‘ve heard that argument so many times. In fact we heard something similar when Zhenya was dominating and yet even when she got injured at the worst possible moment, she dragged herself to the Olympics and performed flawlessly. In the end, these girls all survived in this sport because they have that kind of willpower. So, what it comes down to is health and, yes, age. And there comes a point when you just can‘t overcome that just by mental strength, those physical limits are very real.

It reminds me of something she said before the 2019-20 season started. That she‘s tired of all the narratives focusing only on her competition and how she can beat them.

”Let it be Medvedeva vs. Medvedeva.“

I agree with this. She’s at a point in her career where the biggest achievement will be coming back and skating competitively. Come back for herself, to show the programs that she put a lot of work into. And then decide what she wants to do next.
 
That‘s why I said close to it. And I know it wasn‘t your intention, don‘t worry. It‘s just that I‘ve heard that argument so many times. In fact we heard something similar when Zhenya was dominating and yet even when she got injured at the worst possible moment, she dragged herself to the Olympics and performed flawlessly. In the end, these girls all survived in this sport because they have that kind of willpower. So, what it comes down to is health and, yes, age. And there comes a point when you just can‘t overcome that just by mental strength, those physical limits are very real.

It reminds me of something she said before the 2019-20 season started. That she‘s tired of all the narratives focusing only on her competition and how she can beat them.

”Let it be Medvedeva vs. Medvedeva.“

I agree with this. She’s at a point in her career where the biggest achievement will be coming back and skating competitively. Come back for herself, to show the programs that she put a lot of work into. And then decide what she wants to do next.
I guess we can agree that we will see what happens in the new season :)
 
I wouldn't worry that she is busy and doing shows. She's always done shows in the summer. Also, she only trained in Canada approx 7-8 months a year there. She was in Russia, Japan , etc the other months. She has her programs, and she has her training environment. If she's busy and only at Sambo, 3 or 4 days a week, she's still working. The only thing I hope is that she gets ice time in Japan.

And instead of a vacation, she is running a marathon. She looks fit. Of course she can get a 7 triple program again. So I'm hopeful for the 2021-2022 season. And I won't give up hope for the Olympics, until the ladies are skating.
 
Zhenya always has super busy off seasons! Every year there's some plan which makes us go...uh-oh this seems like she won't be competing...and then she comes back. I hope that when she does decide not to come back to competition ice she'll let us know (and hopefully give us some amazing farewell show) but until that time I am hoping to see her compete again!

Everything else she's done so far hints towards recovering her competition form - the challenging show schedules, the recovering 3-3s, the obvious work on her personal fitness. Shows and sponsorships are nothing new.

The Olympics aside, Zhenya is in a hugely busy school right now where the competition is so fierce. She has opportunity to do whatever she wants, whether that be compete or coach or even train lightly for shows. It will be interesting to see the direction she goes in, I just hope as her fan that it's one she chooses and not one that's been chosen for her.

And if she chooses competition then she's at a school which will boost her scores (for better or for worse) and, if there's one thing they know what to do there it's to package their skaters well and push their narrative. If that happens then I'd imagine we see Zhenya being pitted against Liza as the two 20+ year olds battling for a third spot in amongst the younger skaters. Imagine the reputational boost it would be for Eteri if she could coach Zhenya back to competition at 21? I think she'll want to grab a piece of that glory for herself lol
 
Looks like Zhenya is filming a commercial for Lacoste🐊looks like it's for perfume. Rita Mamun, the 2016 Olympic Champion for rhythmic gymnastics, is also on the set



Here‘s Rita on set and she‘s holding a perfume. So, I guess Zhenya will be promoting the same one. Either way, it‘s super cool. She really got a lot of high quality sponsors this season.
 
Ivan Penkin, the doctor who helped Zhenya during the Olympic season made a post today with memories from 2 years ago:
"It was a very difficult, but eventful period in my life! Zhenya - you are # 1! So glad we met again."

dr.penkin-post-2021_05_07_22_43.jpgdr.penkin-post-2021_05_07_22_43-1.jpgdr.penkin-post-2021_05_07_22_43-2.jpg


Zhenya had mentioned him in one of the Nestlé project videos:
"He helped me a lot, because he held me up, brought me to the Olympics so that the injury would not worsen. I am very grateful to him to this day, although more than three years have passed."
 
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