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I love this interview. It leaves me hopeful that we will see her compete in 2022.New interview with Zhenya - (google translation)
"OURS GO TO THE START WITH ANY PROBLEMS. TOKYO HAS PRESENTED US WITH NEW NATIONAL HEROES. "EXCLUSIVE WITH EVGENIA MEDVEDEVA
PEOPLE OFTEN STRIVE TO QUICKLY FORGET THE NIGHTMARE THEY DREAMED, AND EVGENIA MEDVEDEVA , PERHAPS, WOULD LIKE TO QUICKLY FORGET THE LAST SEASON - IT TURNED OUT SO DIFFICULT FOR HER. SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS WERE ADDED TO THE COMMON DIFFICULTIES WITH THE PANDEMIC IN HER CASE."
Now, when everything is more or less behind, Zhenya tries herself in pair skating in the Anna Karenina ice show, rejoices at our successes at the Tokyo Games as the Olympic ambassador of the Russian national team and carefully, but nevertheless, talks about plans for the future.
All this, and also about the longing for Japan, the sudden outbreak of interest in fashion, her understanding of happiness and relationship with Tutberidze, Medvedeva spoke in an exclusive interview with Match TV.
“OUR MENTALITY IS SUCH THAT THEY GO TO THE START WITH ANY PROBLEMS AND FIGHT FOR VICTORY. VIVID EXAMPLES ARE THE SAME DALALOYAN, NAGORNY, MADINA TAYMAZOVA "
- Zhenya, the Tokyo Olympics are in full swing. I know you are following. What was the most amazing thing that you saw?
- Yes, I try to look carefully. I keep track of the results of most competitions, and in general I am interested in all sports, as much as possible with my schedule. What's the most amazing thing? Of course, the team competition of our gymnasts and gymnasts. I was so rooting for them, just with all my heart, and I'm happy that the guys won.
I am probably especially anxious about this Olympics, because I was supposed to go to Tokyo in the status of the ambassador of the Russian Olympic team. It’s a pity that it didn’t work out. When we started this partnership with ROC in 2019 and came up with a lot of cool ideas, we could not imagine that the world would change like that.
- How did you react to the news that you will not be able to support our team from Tokyo?
- The decision for me, as an ambassador, not to fly to Japan was made due to the extremely difficult epidemiological situation in Tokyo and the large number of restrictions in the antiquarian protocols. Caring for the health of each of us, reducing the contacts of athletes is now more important. What the Japanese are great organizers, I know firsthand. Safety is paramount for them, and I support this approach.
- You spoke shrilly about Artur Dalaloyan, who came out on the carpet after a terrible injury. Probably only an athlete who himself performed on "one leg" can understand what Arthur's courage is worth.
- Arthur has done a heroic deed. It is unrealistic to recover in such a short time after the rupture of Achilles. I saw a photo of his leg in April, a mutual friend showed it to me, and this is a very scary sight.
I share Arthur's emotions and am very happy about his gold in the team. I hope that he will not stop his impulses and will prepare for the World Cup in October.
Separately, I was worried about Nikita Nagorny, with whom we communicate well and are friends. Nikita is, of course, a phenomenal gymnast
.- You have your own Olympic experience in Pyeongchang 2018. All the athletes with whom I talked recall those Games in very different ways. Someone remembered them for the cold and wind with sand, for others - for the incredible atmosphere of the Olympic village. And you?
- You know, athletes sometimes say that the Olympics are a historical event for them. This is not an empty phrase: this is how I perceived her. I remember that time with wild delight. I liked everything that surrounded me, I liked being in the Olympic village, I really liked performing there, and I felt completely comfortable, despite the wild frosts. That is, these are my acquaintances and friends who then unanimously said that it was terribly cold in Korea, but I don't remember that, can you imagine? I felt warm ( laughs ). Absolutely comfortable. I remember that Olympics with gratitude and warmth
.At the Tokyo Games, the topic of mental health sounded loudly against the background of how Simone Biles withdrew from the team all-around after an unsuccessful jump. Can you imagine yourself in such a situation? The most important tournament, the interests of a team that counts on you very much, and you refuse to compete when they have already begun.
- Simone Biles is a great athlete, I would like to wish her to cope with all her problems. I would not want to comment on her situation, because I am not familiar with her. I try to follow our athletes more. But surely she had reasons to do what she did. I think that in the United States, the problem of Simone's mental health was treated normally. I saw on the Internet that the American media justified her decision.
What would it be like with a Russian athlete or with me in a similar situation? Difficult question. To answer it, you need to figure out what happened there. The press writes different versions. From myself, I can say that our mentality is that they go to the start with any problems and fight for victory. A striking example is the same Dalaloyan. Or Nikita Nagorny, whose kidney came out of the stone before the individual competition. And Madina Taymazova? With such a terrible bruise over the eye, fight and win a medal. The Tokyo Olympics gave us new national heroes! And in general, this heroism did not begin yesterday. Nosov with a broken arm and his bronze at the 2004 Olympics and many more examples.
- With age and experience, as an athlete, have you developed a more attentive and careful attitude to your health? Including psychological.
- With age, in principle, you begin to realize more what health is and how important it is for you. Therefore, the desire to preserve it really comes.
MY MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER AND I ARE NOW MAKING A JAPANESE GARDEN AT HOME. SINCE IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET TO JAPAN, WE DECIDED TO CREATE IT IN OUR YARD "
- Due to the pandemic, many of your plans and projects were canceled last summer - for example, a show in Japan. Was it difficult to accept the new reality? Roughly speaking, sitting at home and waiting is unable to change anything. Athletes are still people of action, accustomed to actively relying only on their own strengths.
- Yes, it was difficult. But still, they were on an equal footing - the pandemic demanded extreme decisions and self-discipline from people. And the show Prism on ice, where I play the lead role of the anime character Sailor Moon, has not been canceled. It just carried over to the summer of 2022. This is definitely a smart decision given the pandemic. It would be wrong to do such a large-scale international show, timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the cult cartoon, with restrictions.
I am proud to have the opportunity to play this role. Sailor Moon is very popular in Japan, so to some extent being on this show is a dream come true. You just have to wait a little.
Imagine that tomorrow all borders on the planet will be opened, and you have a vacation. Where on Earth will you go?
- Will it be trite if I answer Japan? ( Laughs ) I haven't been there for over a year and, I confess, I miss it very much. As soon as the restrictions are lifted and the world returns to normal, I would immediately like to go there.
My love for Japan turned into a collaboration with JNTO (Japan's national tourism organization - Match TV), with whom we held the J-Fest in Moscow at the end of last year. There I talked about my love for Japanese culture and answered questions from the festival participants. I hope there will be many such events in Russia, and not only in the online format.
By the way, my mother and grandmother and I are now making a Japanese garden at home. Since it is difficult to get to Japan, we decided to make Japan in our yard ( smiles ). In Japan, almost every temple has steep gardens, and this inspired me to create my own.
Let's imagine that you and a close friend are in Japan, and he has not been there before. Where will you take him, what will you show, what will you suggest to try from the local cuisine?
“Okay, if my close friend had never been to Japan before, then… first I would just take him outside. First, I would show the simplest - buildings, roads, intersections, parks, metro - everything is completely different, new, unlike anything in the world. There, at every step, you have to pick up your jaw in surprise ( laughs ).
Naturally, we would eat sushi or sashimi for dinner. Of the more original dishes, I would advise him uni - sea urchins, in Japan they are the most delicious. In Nagano, a certain kind of apples are grown - red, very tasty - and only there they are.
If we went to Kobe, this is a city on the coast, we would definitely try meat there. It is prepared like a barbecue on an open fire. Moreover, in the presence of a chef in special restaurants called yakiniku.
We would also go to Kyoto. It's such an old city, it's incredible! Both beautiful and tasty. Awesome place. Well, and the spectacle, which is difficult to find words to describe, is Mount Fuji. The great old volcano, the landscape of unreal beauty, and the mountain itself - it is not for nothing that it is a symbol of Japan.
In general, a week would not have been enough for my friend and me ( laughs )
.Are there any things and phenomena that unite Japan and Russia?
- Perhaps my answer will surprise you, but there is a huge layer of music that unites our countries. A lot of Russian hits, from the 70s to the 90s, were covered by Japanese groups. It's very interesting to listen to, so unusual. Recently I heard songs of the DDT and Kino groups, songs of Alla Pugacheva and others, sung in this way. We and the Japanese are definitely united by our love for our music.
“THERE IS MORE FASHION IN MY LIFE - I BROADENED MY VIEWS ON LIFE OUTSIDE OF SPORTS”
- It seems that fashion has become a big place in your life. Did you become interested in her by itself or did something affect you?
- Yes, there is more fashion in my life now. Probably due to the fact that I slightly expanded my views on life outside of sports. You understand that training and competition took up almost all of my time. Now it has become a little easier, I began to notice what I had not paid attention to before, even if it concerns fashionable clothes and good shoes. Well, and as a true girl, I immediately wanted to try on all the most beautiful things ( laughs ). In general, somehow I myself was imbued with this topic, and it fascinates me very much
What does your favorite image consist of?
- Dress and shoes - here many girls will support me. That is, of course, I have to wear a lot of sportswear, and in summer these are shorts, T-shirts, leggings, sweatshirts, caps, sneakers and so on, but at any suitable moment I try to change into a dress and shoes.
- How to look stylish? Advice from Evgenia Medvedeva.
- It seems to me that style is a very relative concept. Each person understands it based on their inner beliefs, values and even their way of life. So to look stylish, just be yourself. Experiment if you like it, dye your hair whatever color you want. Do not be afraid of anything! Be yourself!
- You have lived in Canada for more than two years. What do you remember most about this time? What did Zhenya the athlete and Zhenya, an adult, learn there?
- Two years is like such a serious period, but basically all my time in Canada was occupied by intense training and learning English. Despite the fact that I arrived there already with some knowledge of the language, I had to seriously deal with it. It was necessary to merge into the spoken language - oh, it was difficult even psychologically.
I also saw a different society there, freer, more peaceful. Has become more tolerant to any manifestation of cultural and social diversity. But in general, you know, the Olympics gave me a lot, so I came to Canada already taught ( smiles ). Overall, I can say that Canada is a great place. But the Russian people are nevertheless closer to me. This is my mentality, and I realized that I feel more comfortable in Russia.
Do you miss Toronto? Do you keep in touch with Brian Orser, Tracy Wilson, with any of the skaters in that group?
- Specifically, I don't miss Toronto, because I love Moscow very much. Rather, I miss people - these are my coaches, choreographers, directors, and the athletes themselves from our group. I miss our friends, whom we found there and with whom we still keep in touch. Of course, Brian and Tracy write to me all the time, we communicate.
"AT FIRST, ENBERT AND I WERE LIKE TWO HORSES IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS - EACH WITH ITS OWN RIDING STYLE"
- This summer you skate in the Anna Karenina show in Sochi. Did your serious experience of working together with Alexander Enbert help you to look at pair skating differently? Loners usually do not really understand him, because they are used to answering only for themselves.
- Yes, Anna Karenina is a serious experience for me. Moreover, I perform both solo and double numbers with Alexander Enbert. Sasha is a very good partner and a wonderful person. Thanks to him, I quickly mastered the basics of pair skating. Much is obtained, much is difficult. I admit that over time we will finish off some more complex elements than those that we have already learned.
As a loner, of course, it took a long time to get used to it. At first, Sasha and I were like two horses in different directions - each with its own riding style. Sasha explains that everything must be done synchronously. This is gained with experience - singles are really accustomed to being responsible for themselves, working individually.
I can say that I am glad that this cool positive experience has appeared in my career.
- What was the scariest element of pair skating for you?
- Ejection. Moreover, the ejection from any run - flip, ritberger, salchow ... It doesn't matter which one. But Sasha and I, I hope, will be able to overcome this barrier and at least learn some double throw (at the time of the interview, Zhenya published a video with a double throw with a clean run on one leg. - Match TV)
.How are your relations with Eteri Tutberidze developing after returning to "Khrustalny"?
- Things are good. We have a good relationship with Eteri Georgievna. Complete understanding. She understands me, how hard the last season was, and knows the whole situation in which I found myself. I am very grateful to her.
- You are probably already tired of this question, but I cannot help but ask. Can your fans hope to see you more in the competition?
- Obviously, I miss this season. Last season was hard for me due to health problems, so we decided to skip this one. We will build plans for a sports career at the end of 2021. Wait and see.
- Now you look like a person who has understood what harmony is and is quite happy. Share your understanding of happiness?
- Much has changed in my life, in many ways I have grown. My understanding of happiness? I like to be alone. The more time a day I can afford to be alone with myself, the more harmonious and happy I become.
BLITZ
- We will select people from figure skating for different roles. With whom would Evgenia Medvedeva want to go on reconnaissance?
- Of the skaters? Well, I wouldn't consider any of my colleagues. I would definitely go on reconnaissance with my doctor.
- Open a charitable foundation?
- With Jason Brown.
- Agree to come to the party in the same crazy hats?
- With Nastya Skoptsova and Stasya Konstantinova.
- Save the world from evil?
- To save the world from evil, we would go with Caitlin Weaver.
- Open a coffee shop?
- We will open the coffee shop with Alena Kostornaya.
- Jump with a parachute?
- With Sasha Trusova - she is fearless
.Throw a pajama party?
- I would invite all the figure skaters I know to a pajama party. We all, you know, love to have a good rest and break away ( smiles )."
"
«Наши выходят на старт с любыми проблемами. Токио подарил нам новых национальных героев». Эксклюзив с Евгенией Медведевой
О моде, любви к Японии, отношениях с Тутберидзе после возвращения в Москву и планах на спортивную карьеру.matchtv.ru
And her responses to opening a cafe with Aliona, parachuting with Sasha and a charitable foundation with Jason is the best.
Glad she is getting so much love from fans and Enbert is funny not even making eye contact knowing it’s all Zhenya fans 
