Evgenia Medvedeva | Page 1658 | Golden Skate

Evgenia Medvedeva


I love Anna and Evgenia in this masters class. :)
 
Well, here is the translation of the first interview:



From 3:26 (before that, they just talk about Zhenya and announce an interview):

-Hi Zhenya!

-Hi!

-How are you?

-Excellent!

- We are recording an interview with you today against the backdrop of a hockey practice. What do you think of hockey players?

-I come to matches from time to time, from time to time during these matches I give various interviews and at the same time I try to understand what is happening.

-Is there competition between figure skating and hockey? I ask this because figure skaters and hockey players always share the rink.

-I remember that there was always such a struggle for the ice. We always skated on rinks where both hockey players and figure skaters were engaged - and we always conflicted with them because of who should get more time on the ice. First, the hockey players won in these disputes, then the figure skaters got the advantage, and then the hockey players suddenly disappeared from the rink.

-How do you like this energy?

- That is, the energy of the guys [hockey players]?

-Yes.

-They are tall, strong, they know what sport is, they know what they do, they know what they want. So yes, our guys are very powerful.

-I saw your performance in Sailor Moon style, read the posts in your social media account - and it seemed to me that you are an anime fan.

- A fan ... (laughs). Well, I love anime, I know a lot about it, I can recommend a lot in this area. I started watching anime even before it became fashionable. There was a period of time when it was generally not welcomed on the Internet. The reaction was something like this: “Do you watch anime?! Ugh! Oh no no no!" - Well, that is, the attitude towards this was not very good. That's when I started watching anime. I asked my mother to recommend me some Japanese anime, and she told me: “watch Sailor Moon - and you can’t go wrong, this is the most real anime that you can only see” - and I watched all the seasons in a row. I really liked it, I was still 15-16 years old then. It was something like a girl's dream. Well, I liked it, and somehow I moved further along this path.

-Is Sailor Moon a role model for you? Do you have a character that you like? I liked Wolverine from X-Men. He's such a bearded gouge and such a tough dude. Did you have an equally favorite character in anime?

-To be honest, I may disappoint someone, but no, I didn’t have such a hero. I don't think I'm anything like Sailor Moon - I mean in character.

- You now look like such a prestigious girl - Cartier, Loro Piana ...

-Firstly, let me remind you that I have matured! (laughs). I have matured, it has been about seven years since the day I went on the ice in the image of Sailor Moon. I'm turning 23 this year, and I did Sailor Moon when I was 16. At the time, I really looked like her, at that time, I really was such a cute girl - I was small, thin, very light.

-What are the frustrations of growing up? Or, on the contrary, what are the discoveries in this?

-The discovery for me is that, it turns out, I can say “no” to people. You can say “no” to people, and often this is what plays the most important role in life. Because a lot of people demand something from me personally, they want something from me - and these are not always rational desires, they can be whims. You need to be able to separate your duties from the whims of others, strangers. I have to filter out [such whims]. I will do what is really necessary, for example, for the family, or for people who really need help. But when it's just something like, “Hey you! Come on, let's go ahead!" - then you can say "No". I didn’t know this before, I was doing something, I was very tired, including emotionally.

-How did you come to this? Is this the result of working with a psychologist?

-Yes, this is partly the result of working with a psychologist, but this is also my own inner feeling - when I understand that I am no longer able to give people pieces of myself, that I have nothing to give away. And I just have to say “No” at some point. And they just react to it: “OK!” - and leave. And I think: “How cool, it turns out I could have done that this way too!”.

- You got on the ice at the age of three and a half. As far as I understand, it was not your decision?

- Well, it would be strange if it was my decision (laughs). Imagine - I go up to my mother and say to her: “Mom, you know, I weighed all the pros and cons, and ...”

-Here at the very age when you were not yet four years old ... What made you stay on this difficult path?

-When I was a little girl, I was a real princess. That is, I, for example, even with a frost of -30 degrees (Celsius) did not agree to go outside without an evening dress. "I'm a princess! What other warm pants are you talking about?! Princesses don't wear pants! And my mother put on me a dress with a huge fluffy skirt, and over of this - warm pants. And only then did I agree to go for a walk, telling myself that I was in a dress, and that warm overalls were worn over it was not at all important. After all, there is a skirt, there is a dress! The main thing is that everything shone brightly and everything was pink.

I remember how we had some demonstration performances at a sports school (I skated at CSKA at that time), girls performed there and did spins. They were spinning fast. And here I am standing, looking at them - and in my head I have a picture - a dream: I want to do a spin in the same way, and so that there is darkness around me, I have a shiny dress on, and a beam of light is directed at me, everyone is looking at me - and I'm such a princess!

- So you wanted fame?

- I did not want fame, I wanted to get a shiny dress, so that it sparkled beautifully in the rays of light. But at some point, the situation got out of control, and the princess remained in the sport for 20 years.

- Well, after all, a child always has a huge temptation to burst into tears and give up. What helped you - a coach, parents, or did you help yourself?

-Close people. Be that as it may, the coach and parents are very important people in life who create an inextricable chain together. And if one of the links falls, the favorable situation will no longer develop, it will not be possible to win, there will be no successful training. After all, it is clear that all this is made up of little things.

Well, it was also very important for me to know that the people I met were with me. That is, it was important that not only my family and coach, but also friends were next to me. I have very few friends, and it has always been like this - two or three people. They gave me an extra incentive to move on. Unfortunately, or fortunately, but my friends are constantly changing, but the main thing is that they are. And they give me an extra charge.


- Zhenya, while you and I were standing here, several people approached us, and they asked for an autograph. Can you sign? Who is this for?

(voice-over): For Vera!

Vera, happy birthday! (to Zhenya) At what point did you start signing autographs?

-When? Probably from the age of 14.

-Is this already a routine for you?

-Yes, such a [routine].

- I wonder - when people write an autograph, do they try to experience these emotions at least for a second? For example, as now - the emotions of another person's birthday. Or is it already practiced movements?

- I think the baby will be pleased. (removes the cap from the felt-tip pen with a characteristic sound and laughs)

-This is a“chponk” from Zhenya Medvedeva! Listen, what do you think about the age limit in figure skating? Now, as far as I know, this issue is being discussed and there is such a point of view - in relation to the kids it is cruel. What is your opinion?

-Listen, well, in general ... If in general, then I, as a person who won his main awards at the age of 16-17, cannot agree with this decision. At the same time, I hope that this decision will have a positive impact on the health of athletes. Because nowadays very complex elements are performed on the ice. It's impossible to win without quads. And I only performed triple jumps, which is a more “sparing” element for the athlete. So I don't agree, but I hope for the best - that's it. I hope there will be some benefit.

-What is your life today? What are you doing?

-My life consists mainly of filming for various projects. Now I really have a lot of such work. I also have various trips within these projects. In addition, I am now back on the ice and training. On the sixth I fly to Sochi. It will be quite a long trip, which can be called a tour. During a month and a half we will be directly in Sochi. We will take part in the show almost daily. Every week we will have two days off, and not in a row, but separately.

- As far as I understand, you have now suspended your official career? I didn't find any official statement that you are done with the sport, you just made a stop, I understand?

- Well, I haven't competed [in competitions] for a long time. For now, I'm focused on a few other things. But I made another discovery in my life: never say never, because life sometimes changes by 360 ... or by how much? 180 degrees, or 360 - I don't even know how much. So now I never say never again. Everything is possible, but for now I do not plan to take part in competitions. I want to feel the ground under my feet, and now I feel this ground, I walk on it - and it's good, and thanks already for that! That is, everything is more or less good for me now, everything suits me.

-Who do you work with, who is on your team?

-We have a big team and each person has his own role. My main manager is Levan Matua. There are also various assistants. Some guys separately deal with goods with my brand. Someone helps to maintain social networks, someone helps to buy tickets, discuss my schedule, some advertising arrangements. In a word, there are many people.

- Do you sometimes get dissatisfied with the fact that you have been living an adult life for so long? I looked - and it turned out that already in 2011 you got into the reserve of the Olympic team. More than 10 years have passed since then. And each person has his own pubertal period, when growing up occurs, when psychosis occurs, when children suddenly start dyeing their hair, doing some other similar things. Are you missing your childhood?

- To be honest, I have been waiting for this question for a long time. And I always understood that I really like being an adult. I never wanted to go back to my childhood. This does not mean that I had some kind of unhappy childhood or that I was deprived of something. No, I was an absolutely happy child. I had games and friends and everything. But I always felt that there was some kind of thought in my head, no matter what it was - I want to express this thought, and I speak absolutely seriously - but they don’t take me seriously. And I've always been very hurt that they don't take me seriously [due to the fact that I'm not yet an adult].

I wasn't taken seriously for enough long time, probably until about 19 or 20 years old. And only after I overcame the milestone of 20 years, they began to talk to me like an adult. And before that, there were a lot of moments when I discussed some serious topic with people, for example, creating my own business, or some bank deposits …

-Do you invest your money?

- Well, of course, like all adults.

-Do you invest in cryptocurrencies?

-To the cryptocurrency? In NFT! (laughs)

-In the NFT? Why not - you could easily sell your NFT.

- No, I'm still...

-NFT with you and Milokhin - it would be instantly sold out.

-NFT with Milokhin... This is the peak of my career! Thank you, thank you!

- Well, not a peak - one of the reference points of a career.

-No, for me, NFT is still an unexplored area of activity, but I somehow feel something there ... So, I very often noticed that I was talking about a serious topic, and the interlocutor was sitting and laughing.

- That is, he seems to be telling you: “Little girl, what are you trying to tell me?”

-Yes exactly. The interlocutor sits and laughs, but I am very offended, very unpleasant! Well, why can't you listen to me - after all, I seem to be saying sensible things. Therefore, I am very pleased that now they take me and my words seriously.

-What do you attribute this attitude to you to? Is it because you are a girl?

-I attribute this to the fact that I am a young girl of small stature and a fragile physique, who devoted her whole life to sports. Because of this, many people think: “What can she know besides sports? She didn't see life. ". But in fact, I studied life in parallel with sports.

-Are you a feminist by nature? That is, maybe you are defending your rights, or is it somehow different?

- I'm for healthy feminism. This is always a hot topic, because in the modern world there is discrimination - it is impossible to hide from it. You can close your eyes to this phenomenon for an arbitrarily long time, but it will not disappear. This is a serious topic, this is a long topic, we can talk a lot about it. And this is such a “appropriate” topic for three o'clock in the morning...

-We have time.

- No, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to talk until three in the morning today. Like I said, I'm all for healthy feminism. I support the girls who pave their way, I support the girls who fight for their rights, who advance their business. It can be quite difficult for girls in business, and what they do is very cool.

- And in figure skating there is no opposite phenomenon - a kind of sexism with a different direction, when girls are bet more than guys? I'm not an expert on this, but that's how it seemed to me.

- Look, it all depends on the results. What results boys and girls show - such bets are made. The result is the result, it does not arise from the void. It just so happened that in our figure skating, at least throughout my career, the guys began to look a little worse. Well, we have not had world champions in men's single skating for several years now. No, wrong - not a few years, but for many years.

And our girls win all the world championships. As well as the European Championships and the Olympics - all this will be won by girls, but there are no winners among boys. Not surprisingly, in these conditions, girls are placed on higher stakes.

- You trained in Canada. Can you compare the Russian and Canadian school of figure skating? Both schools, as far as I can tell, are very cool.

- Russian and Canadian schools are completely different. It's pretty hard to compare. In Russia, if you go in for sports, this is your life from beginning to end. That is, you go there and forget everything else. You don't go to school anymore, you don't go to university. And if you still study at the university and win medals at the same time, this is just something incredible. Some people are sure that it is impossible to combine sports with studying at the university. And if you do this, then you are either a superman, or you are just lying.

And in Canada, after I talked with the guys, with local, Canadian athletes who initially train there, I realized that figure skating is only a part of life. That is, in the first place they have study [at a college or university] - and then they build their training so that it does not interfere with learning. There is no such thing as to make some element or program, no matter what way, what price. There, the skater always has a choice: if you want, then do it, and if it works out, then you are great, you are super. If you won a medal in a competition, then you are just a god. Well, if you don't win, well, it's your choice, it's your life, it's okay, you can just go home. And if, for example, your knee hurts, then you also decide for yourself whether to finish off your knee during training, or go for treatment. Both options are considered normal.

That is, this is a more compromise, more convenient approach for life, but if we are talking about sports, but it is much more difficult with discipline there [in Canada], because self-discipline and just discipline are very different things.


- I think that the child very often, if not always, wants to give up.

-Of course! Therefore, we have many very outstanding juniors in Russia - both parents and coaches are able to tightly control the athlete. And teenagers really need to be tightly controlled. Well, I myself was a teenager with a constant wind in my head. And what kind of sport can be with such an attitude towards it?

- But here in Russia you can still train at the expense of the [state] budget, and many children do not appreciate the fact that the country pays for them, but sport is still more accessible. Compare, please, the psychological aspects of these two ways - funding from parents and funding from the state.

- When you are a child, you usually do not appreciate that someone pays for you. When you're a kid, you just don't count money.

- Well, at about 13 years old, probably, children already understand something.

- I didn’t think at all at the age of 13, it’s true. I began to think when I got big earnings, when I already took part in the world championships, prize money appeared. It was then that I began to think: “What, can I buy something with this money?”. And only then I began to connect sports and earnings. And so, when it was 13-14 years old - it seems that a person already understands something, but appreciates little. So I don't think there is much difference in this regard between kids who train in Russia and those who train in Canada.

-How many hours do you think you spent on the ice?

- I don't even want to think about it.

-There is a theory that in order to become a professional in any field of activity, you need to spend at least 10,000 hours on it.

- I think I spent more. I mean, I hope so, but I don't know for sure. I think more.

-Have you had workouts lasting 10 hours or more?

- Well, listen, I started training at the age of three and a half, but they took me to the ice much earlier, because my mother is a figure skater. Well, that is, I have been in figure skating for 20 years. Well, I don’t know how many hours I spent on ice. Indeed, 20 years. And I'm 22 years old. What a nightmare!

-What was your relationship with your coach? How is the producer with the artist? Do you share your prize money? How is it generally arranged? After all, this is a very long-term investment - to raise a champion.

Yes, it's a long term investment. No, the relationship here is not like the relationship between a producer and a client. It's more of a human relationship. That is, making money is not in the first place. In sports, it happens like this: of course, there is prize money, but these are not such huge sums that, relatively speaking, they go over the corpses because of them. Therefore, the emphasis is on victories, including their own, internal victories. That is, you focus on the feeling that you experience, standing on the top step of the podium, with a gold medal. The emphasis is on that, not money. And only then do you go online and find out how much money you will be given for this victory. For example, when I went to the Grand Prix finals, I simply did not know what the prize fund was. It was almost indifferent to me, I wanted to win the Grand Prix final.

-And what was the prize fund?

- Do you really think that I remember this?

-Do not remember? Do you remember your biggest cash prize?

-Listen, in my opinion, for the first place in the world figure skating championship they give about 24,000 dollars. That is, this is far from the prize money that is given in football or boxing. This is not a goal to be pursued. Yes, even this is not such a small amount of money, especially for a sixteen-year-old girl, but one cannot live on this for many years.

-Why do professional athletes continue to take part in competitions, in the Olympics? After all, as far as I understand, it is much more difficult than participating in various ice shows, and the earnings in the show are higher.

-When there is strength, when there is a desire, when there are some ideas and when there is health - why not? After all, initially we are all athletes, and we grew up on this. We go out on the ice and win competitions. And if we lose the opportunity to compete due to injuries, family circumstances or for some other reason, then we have to change the type of activity.

-What do you generally make up your income, how do you earn a living?

- Basically it is advertising contracts. And, of course, this is participation in ice shows. These are my two main sources of income. Moreover, performances in ice shows have now become one of the main ways for me to earn money, because I remain a figure skater. Yes, I'm already in a slightly different direction, but still this is my job. Therefore, I never refuse any shows, including such an offer as now, which provides for long performances in Sochi. I repeat - I'm going to Sochi with Ilya Averbukh. And yes, this is my main income, this is my main job - to be a figure skater.

-What is your highest paid advertising contract?

- My highest paying contract? Listen, well, my first advertising contract was with the shampoo manufacturer Pantene. How old was I then? 16 years! It was then that for me it was a real chic. Well, now I have quite large projects, they are all quite interesting.

-How much does cooperation with Evgenia Medvedeva cost?

- Collaboration?.. Look, I don't really like and don't want to discuss money, because I think that money, love and happiness love silence. Therefore, I try to remain silent, but in principle it is not so difficult to find out the cost of my advertising publication.
 
part 2:

-How are victories in figure skating celebrated? I was watching your interview with Laura and I noticed sausages in your fridge, cervelat...

*Note: This interview was taken in April 2021. Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmSL8UHuJZM&ab_channel=FAMETIMETV
Here's a snippet from there:

Laura: come on, tell me what you have in the fridge here, do you even have any food there?

Zhenya: In my fridge....

Laura: Yes, there is food! There are even sausages.

Zhenya: sausages and cervelat...

(return to new interview)

-I know that our hockey players love to eat chic when they are celebrating something, but what do you graceful princesses, figure skaters, do when you have a holiday?

-Listen, well, after winning the World Figure Skating Championships - firstly, we have competitions one after another. Therefore, even if you win something, you cannot relax much. Two weeks after one tournament, the next will begin, and if you allow yourself too much, you will make it worse for yourself. But in general - you can please yourself with something tasty, you can not sleep until three in the morning, you can chat with friends. In general, this is such a small departure from discipline that lasts no more than two days. And then you re-enter the training regime - and forward, moving on.

- Is it pleasant for you to move away from discipline?

-Oh sure!

-Have you ever fallen into move away from disciplining for two or three weeks?

-Directly during the competition period, this never happened. I have always been disciplined, so the results were good.

-Do you have any discipline now? Are you following a daily routine? Do you drink a glass of cold or warm water in the morning, do you follow any restrictions?

-I read books. I try to discipline my brain through reading. But I give my body certain concessions, because for many years in sports - of course, this is difficult. And now my body says to me: “Thank you”. In addition, I eat normally, that is, the way I want. I allow myself to eat various tasty things - but, of course, not in huge quantities. I try to limit my sugar intake, but I do it without much fanaticism, I can eat something fried, for example. And my body thanks me for it.

-Did you really start to feel better after the constant performances at competitions stopped? That is, your body thanks you - before all this was so exhausting?

-At first, on the contrary, it was quite difficult for me without discipline and without competition. Firstly, I just got fat to some unrealistic size. Because there is no load, but there is food - and this happened. Before, everything was the other way around, and it was just not clear to me what I should do. And then I just patted myself on the head, saying: “Girl, you deserve it. Now you can do whatever you want.”

Therefore, these are long gatherings with friends - until five in the morning, this is delicious food without restrictions. And then the body somehow itself said: “That's it, that's enough, thank you very much, now you can return to some kind of discipline.”

- Can you to drink a glass of Prosecco?

- Well, I'm 22 years old, I'm not forbidden.

-I understand that by age you can already... Tell me, in what direction do you plan to develop yourself, in what field of activity? I know that you have an online store.

-Yes.

- You graduated from the university, received a diploma. Maybe something else, you aspire somewhere? Or are you just relaxing right now?

-I can't say that I'm relaxing because I have a lot of work. And I have plans. I have had an idea for several years now, which I am not ready to talk about yet, we are working on this idea. Now, at the moment I am developing an online store. I want to move away from the subject of branded goods somewhat, although I have experience of successful cooperation with several brands. In addition, I collaborated with several bloggers, we made joint collections.

Now we plan to sell not only those products that are directly related to me, but also those that simply belong to a particular brand. Maybe there will be more casual clothes, maybe we will sell some items...


- Maybe you want to start selling jewelry?

-It is not excluded and this is not yet exact plans.

- You just have such beautiful jewelry ...

-Thanks. So I will develop what I already have now.

-When you took part in the “Ice Age”, various speculations and rumors [related to Milokhin] appeared everywhere on social networks. How do you perceive it all?

- I'm not very pleased. I will not dissemble - it is difficult for me to share my personal life with other people so much. This is how I was brought up: my life is what I hold in my hands and do not give to anyone. Especially if it is something deeply personal, especially if I have some kind of relationship. I just don’t know how to open up like this and exclaim: “Look, this is how everything is with me!”

-I remembered this term - “shipping” (from the word relationship).

-Yes, "shipping"...

- “Shipper” is when you imitate a relationship with someone in order to increase interest in your person ....

- No, “shipping” is different. This is when some fan likes two people, a boy and a girl, and he thinks: “What if they love each other, but let's connect them.”

-And often bloggers arrange special photo shoots during which they demonstrate some kind of relationship. Do you think this is normal or immoral?

-No, it's not immoral, it's normal. Firstly, it's a business tool, secondly, it's fun, and thirdly, it's not always fake. Because there is a big community with very beautiful girls, very nice boys - why can't something happen between them? They are young, cool, energetic - why can't they start a real relationship?

Sometimes it goes beyond certain limits when people really start to love each other. But when such people - bloggers or, for example, pop singers really get into a relationship - no one believes them, because now there are so many fake love stories that few people trust them. Although love exists, and I do not understand why many do not believe in it.

-Do you believe in love?

-Of course. I'm a girl, why should I not believe in love?

- Well, that's touching. And with Milokhin - was it a fake?

- Why fake? A million times we both said we were friends. And everything that we had, including some interesting and incomprehensible moments, was not according to the script. Everything just went the way it did. The project ended, the common topics ended, we stopped intersecting - well, and gradually parted ways.

-How can you train with people who don't even know how to skate?

- Oh, that's fun.

(show fragments from the show “Ice Age”)

- Is it difficult at all, is it comparable in terms of energy costs to commercial ice shows in which you take part?

- No, it's not comparable. “Ice Age” is much more difficult, because every day you have to spend many hours of training until the very night. Once we trained from nine o'clock in the evening until four in the morning - and all this time we were on the ice without interruption. This is both fun and difficult, and the main thing is that the participant who is not a professional skater is ready for this. As far as I know, many non-professional “stars” refer to it like this: “Well, an ordinary TV project.”

-Among them there are hysterics?

- No, hysterics cannot stay in such a project for a long time. And those who get to the final, after the completion of the project, become completely different people. Because they learn what sport is, they learn what long hours of physical activity and work are, they understand how hard it is sometimes for athletes. So their consciousness completely changes after the completion of this project.

Starting a project, they think: “Well, some kind of show. Well, let's stage and skate some program there - and everything will be fine, we'll spend an hour and a half a day on it - it's okay. And then they go out on the ice and understand: “Something is not working for me. And why is it so difficult? I'd like to learn." And to learn, you need to spend not an hour and a half a day, but at least three. And you also need to not only learn, but also stage the program. And not just stage the program, but also work it out. And for all this you have one week - before filming the next episode of the show.


And these guys are starting to say: “We didn’t think it would be so difficult. Blimey! And you, the athletes, it turns out, are very cool people.”

- If we talk about your programs - how much do you invent them yourself? For example, Sailor Moon or some other programs. As far as I understand, many people love you for your artistry, the ability to create an image. Are there a lot of yours, author's in these programs?

-The main idea can be mine.

-Does it happen often?

-Often. Especially now that I'm on the show. Basically these are my ideas. That is, I want to portray Carmen - and I do it. No one really limits me in any way. At the show, you can perform in a long skirt, put on a corset, pick up a fan or castanets. You can perform with a chair or a table, with a sofa or a bed - in general, you can go on the ice with anything in your hands.

And in programs for competitions, my general idea can be. For a competitive program, you always need an idea, you need music, you need an image that suits the skater. Creating a program is hard work. And still need to sew costumes. The competitive program is rather a team work, I can’t do it completely. This is a very big responsibility - after all, you need, for example, to win the World Championship - and suddenly, instead of this, we will be engaged in amateur performances.

- How many people are involved in the creation of an ice show - such as the Averbukh show, in which you will take part? What is the volume, scale of work, how many staff do you need?

- Including various technical people who deal with lighting and sound in particular?

-Yes, with them. Is it about a hundred people?

- No, not so much. I think about 30 people. 25 or 30. Well, I think so - if you evaluate it right now. When you look at our stage, it seems to me so. And I don’t participate in the organization of the show in any way, I just perform on the ice. I can be wrong, but still we are not 100 people, no.

-What happens if you get sick, for example, you catch a cold, and you have a show for a whole month?

- Are you talking about me?

-Yes.

-I take my medicine and go ice skating.

-Can't it be canceled somehow, or is it associated with high costs?

-You can refuse to participate in competitions. But if you are a popular skater that people come to see, and if you get sick on the day of the performance, or the day before, then you will either have to pay a huge penalty, or still go on the ice and skate. There are no other options, and in this sense it is more difficult to perform in a show than in competitions.

You can just leave any competition. This, of course, will affect the reputation of the skater, but it’s quite possible to just not skate, it’s enough to warn that you can’t compete. The show doesn't work that way. Once I had to perform at a show with a temperature of 39 degrees. Because it is necessary, this is such a job, and people came to see you.

-Name your three most favorite looks, or name the ones you would like to perform in, in which you feel especially good. You already mentioned Carmen...

-Yes, right now it's Carmen, I'm skating in this program and I feel great in this role. I have a great dress and I...

- That is, this is such a gypsy - this is yours, right? ..

-Yes. I have a great dress, I have a great fan, I have great music. And for the last part of the program, I took not at all female music - this is “Toreador”.

- Bullfight...

-Yes, this is such a powerful music, and I'm such a Spaniard there! (a part of the “Carmen” program is demonstrated) In general, I really like lyrics in my programs. I really liked the performance that I had together with the singer Johnny. (demonstrates part of this speech). Well, the third favorite program - well, let it be Sailor Moon. (demonstrates part of the Sailor Moon program). This is my iconic image...

-Do you have any other performances planned as Sailor Moon?

- In general, it is planned. A fairly large show was planned for 2020, but due to the pandemic, all these plans collapsed. The first time this show was postponed for a year, then it was postponed again, and recently, because of this whole situation, it was postponed again for a year. That is, this show has already been postponed three times, but we really hope that someday it will still take place. It seems that the show is officially scheduled for next year, and I should take part in it.

This show should be held in Japan and it should be a significant event for this country. Of course, when the postponement of the show was announced, we were very upset every time, because the costumes were already sewn, and the choreography was ready, all that was left was to go on the ice and perform - but still nothing happened so far.

-What do you think will happen to figure skating now? Will this sport be local Russian, or in some other way?

-For now, yes, it will be Russian. A lot of Russian competitions similar to the Grand Prix are planned. So the guys will compete inside the country. But we have a very strong competition, so it won't be boring.

- You communicate with those guys who are now part of the Russian national team, you maintain some kind of contacts.

-Yes. I communicate with them not as an athlete with athletes, but as with friends. Therefore, we do not often discuss sports topics.

-But they haven't lost their motivation now? What is their psychological state?

-I didn't ask, but when I put myself in their place, it's difficult...

- I think you're lucky. You really did...

- I would have killed myself against the wall [in such a situation].

-Who are you friends with from skaters? Is close friendship possible here at all?

-I'm friends, for example, with Kamila Valieva.

- Oh, how is she?

- She's fine. The girls are holding on. Of course they're upset, but...

- There, in these big competitions, there is so much politics, it seems to me ...

-Let's not get into this. The most important thing is that the baby (ie Kamila) is fine.

-She quickly came to her senses after this information flow that hit her? It was like this... Well, I don't know, I don't remember such a resonance. Maybe this resonance will be quickly forgotten, but this year it was something...

-You know, I'm like a person who was hurt by the fact that after the Olympics, people close to me told [journalists] about my [psychological] state after the competition in an interview .... Well, that is, I trusted people, and then they said in an interview; “You can’t imagine, Zhenya cried so much, Zhenya was so worried, she felt so bad” - although I myself did not tell them about it.

I will not talk about Kamila's condition, but I can say that I did everything to make it easier for her at this particular moment. Then I was really very hurt by the fact that about my feelings, which I did not disclose publicly, because I did not want to show it, other people told about my feelings.

-How can one get to coaches like Eteri Tutberidze in our country? How to do it?

- It takes luck.

-Just luck?

-Yes. talent and luck. Moreover, many talented boys and girls cannot make it to the top simply because they are not noticed. Getting there is a blessing. Well, that's what happened to me. It was pure luck. When I broke up with one of my former coaches, I was always considered the smallest, weakest, most unathletic in that group. And they said about me: “She will not achieve anything.” Mom and grandmother took me to the director of CSKA, that is, the CSKA figure skating school. She said: "You'd better go to Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze." Then, after a couple of days, we came to Eteri Georgievna.

I was small, I was then about seven years old. Together with me, two more people came to the screening - they were not taken, but I was taken.

-Marvelous!

-Yes. They took me just because I was small and thin. There they told me that I would not achieve anything, but here they accepted me.

-Which of your family most wanted you to become a figure skating star?

-Nobody wanted me to be a star. I was not given the task of becoming a star or conquering Moscow.

- Well, there are a lot of parents who, you know, right now [want to make their child a star] ...

- In such families, children, unfortunately, do not succeed.

- You mean in families where hyperactive parents put pressure on the child?

-Yes.

- Were you pressured?

-Not.

-Neither mom nor dad - no one tried to do this?

- They didn’t put pressure on me, they tried to prove it to me, and in the end they proved that every person should have his own business. Mom always told me: “Here I get up in the morning and go to work. Grandma wakes up in the morning - cooks breakfast for you, does the cleaning, goes to the store. It’s her business, work is my business, and your business is to get up in the morning and go to training.”

That is, they inspired me, they put me on the right path, saying that this is not something that I am obliged to, but this is my business. That is, this is my profession, and I need to try a little more - and I will start getting paid for it. She said: “You want to work like mom does?” - and I answered - “Yes, I want to” - “So you will work. Get up in the morning, and as mom goes to the office, you will go to the skating rink.”

That is, I was brought up like this and they didn’t say something like: “Olympic champion!...”. In general, when I was little, in response to the question of who I want to become, I said: “I want to become a world champion.” That is, I did not even know that the Olympic Games existed. So I became a two-time world champion.

- Do you like your fame? The skaters have some kind of nuclear fan accounts on social networks, everything is very active there, and, as far as I know, you are often recognized on the street. How do you feel about all this?


-I take it easy. Generally calm. This is partly due to the work with a psychologist. Such work helps a lot to treat the situation more philosophically. I like that my life gives me opportunities, that I have the opportunity to earn money, that I have acquaintances with different interesting people, I like that I can travel to different places.

There are strange situations when they recognize me on the street. Somebody came up somewhere and said something nasty...

-Nasty?!

- Well, it happens.

-Who does that? Some men who are insecure?

-Most of them are grown men.

-Ah, got it. That is, these are not those cute children who ask for a photo together ...

-Not! Cute children, of course, are also suitable. It is interesting that both very young children and teenagers always come up some kind of relaxed and freely say to me: “You are so cool! Let's go! Let's take a picture or make a video." And it also happens that a man comes up and says in a gloomy voice: “Hey, take a picture with my daughter.” I answer “No!”, and he - “What do you mean no ?!” This, although rare, does happen.
 
Last part of interview:

-Zhenya, what does money mean to you?

-For me, money is an opportunity. Money doesn't make me happy, but opportunities make me happy. Therefore, I cannot say that money for me is the main thing in life, but my status gives me a lot, and therefore I will not dissemble. Money is an opportunity, including the ability to lead my life the way I want.

-What did you buy yourself when you received your first earnings, when, as you said, you realized that there is money in this life?

-This ring.

- It's Cartier.

-Yes. And I always had a task ... All my childhood, as far as I can remember, my mother worked in three different places. That is, we were bad with money and the task was to raise the standard of living.

-And when this task appeared for you?

-When I was 14-15 years old. I just saw my friends wearing branded clothes or branded jewelry. I didn't have that opportunity, but I really wanted to. At the same time, I understood that, first of all, I needed to equip a new home, I needed my mother to stop working, I needed to make repairs at home - that is, in general, raise the standard of living. And we needed to have a car.

-And that was when you were 14? Car, housing - at 14 years old, did this already bother you?

-Yes. Well, it just so happened that when I turned 18, only I was earning money in the family. And thank God that my mother now, after many years of such hard work, has the opportunity to be now on my providing. Because it should be so, it is right - I am her daughter, I have become an adult and must provide for her. I seem to be successfully coping with this - at least, I hope so.

And the moment when I moved to Canada, it was something like this: I immediately rented a normal apartment, with a good view from the window. The window is not panoramic, but I had a...


- Was it important to you [the view from the window]?

-Yes. But I was just lucky with the apartment there. I had a corner apartment, a small balcony and a window on the other side. When I went out to the balcony, I could see the sunrise, and from the window I could look at the sunset. Very beautiful - I specifically woked up everyday to look at it. On the whole, it was a very pleasant apartment. At the same time, I paid for my training, and at the same time I still had free money. And I thought at that time that the very moment had come when I could afford something for myself.

Long before that, I once went to some store (I don’t even remember what country it was in). Maybe it was a Cartier store, maybe Chanel, maybe Dior. I don't remember exactly, I was still young. So I went there - and they kicked me out of there. And I looked at the windows and thought: "Oh, it's so beautiful, I want it so much, but it's so expensive - and yet I'll have it someday." But I was kicked out of there, and I thought to myself: "Someday ...". And so in Canada, I took cash, went to the mall, went to a Cartier boutique and bought this ring. It was a real victory - I myself was able to pay for this ring. That's why I always wear this ring.


-What do you spend money on?

-I do charity work, I buy different things for myself, I buy jewelry, I buy handbags for myself. I can't do without it, I'm a girl and I like it all - beautiful dresses and everything else. I am often asked: "Why are you so festively dressed?" - and I say that I celebrate the holiday of life.
We help children, we help animals...


-Are you concerned about environmental issues?

-It scares me. Very scary. And when I saw that natural resources were left for about 50 years, I suddenly realized that in 50 years I would be 72. And what, I can not see some natural phenomena at this age? Like this? Basically, it scares me. Therefore, I try to do what I can, for example, to help children and their parents. Children should not suffer, especially small children.

- You appeared on the cover of Maxim magazine.

- Yes, I did it.

- What is this page of your biography? My friend Sasha Malenkov wrote to you and said: "This is the right time, Evgenia" - was it so?

-Well, I got an offer. We thought, took into account the fact that I am no longer 15 years old, that we do not break the law and we can afford it. I seem to be a pretty girl, in good shape - why not shoot for a magazine? Well, I also wanted to somehow declare that I will not always be in photographs in figure skating dresses, that I will not always wear very long skirts. I am a beautiful spectacular girl who was invited to shoot for a magazine.

-Did you enjoy it? There are two types of girls who are photographed for Maxim magazine. Some girls really want to take part in this and are ready to take off everything just to be on the cover and see how this magazine is sold everywhere. Others understand that such photos are needed for PR, but they suggest that they either shoot in a T-shirt or cover their bodies with their hands. How did you react to this?

-For me, this cover was the kick, thanks to which I recognized my own sexuality - if you can talk about it on camera.

- Sexuality?

-Yes, sexuality. And I can’t say that I am extremely pleased with the cover of the magazine, I cannot say that I am extremely pleased with the way I look in these photos, but for me this is a huge step in recognizing myself as a girl and maybe even as women. Because after that I felt that I wanted a beautiful photo shoot. And once there was a shooting, and I remembered that I had beautiful underwear with me, and I decided: "Let's take a photo in underwear."

-So you came there prepared?

Yes, I'm was ready. And so we did this photo shoot, and everything turned out beautifully. In the photographs I look gentle, unusual for myself and not at all vulgar. It turns out that the female body can be very touching and beautiful - it all depends on how you show it. Therefore, for me it was also a discovery of myself and a rather important step in my life.

- Do you have any style icon, any woman that you like as an image?

-I like Kendall Jenner, I'm often compared to her...

-Yes I agree.

- The type of appearance is similar, the type of face.

- Well, she's the richest American bohemian star.

-She is very attractive, a real beauty. And of our girls, my role model is Ksenia Shipilova.

- Shipilova? Do you want to have expensive nail salons?

-No, this does not mean that I want nail salons, it means that I want to be just as self-confident, well-groomed, slim, self-aware, rich and generally super cool, sociable, gentle, kind and active. She, Ksenia, is cool, I adore her.

-Tell me, do you have anything to be ashamed of?

-To me? Not! Probably not, if I didn't remember right away. To be ashamed of something public, or in general?

-Continue.

-It was a question.

- Well, I don't know what "generally" is. Well, let it be "generally."

-Actually, I was ashamed of a lot of things. In some daily everyday situations, I am often a completely insecure person. It always seems to me that I said something wrong, that I ruined everything.

- Do you reflect?

-Constantly. It's just some kind of horror. Especially with people I care about, I constantly, always think that I'm doing something wrong. When they ignore me in correspondence for a couple of hours, I think about it.

- Are you worried about this?

-I'm very worried. That's just terrible.

- That is, ignoring works against you?

-I am always more calm when the connection is not interrupted. You can't ignore me, I'm starting to freak out.

- In situations where you have to perform, but your physical condition is such that you cannot perform - how do you cope with this?

- I cope thanks to moral and strong-willed qualities.

-How does it work?

-I use moral-volitional qualities (that is, I force myself).

-What after?

-Need moral-volitional qualities and experience. That is, you simply program your brain, telling yourself - do not react to pain, do not react to what is happening - the body knows how, the body remembers, there are muscles - then everything is in order. And what about the bones - it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that the muscles work, push you forward. And now you just go out on the ice, turn off your brain somehow. At the same time, you need to think about anything, but not about the performance - and the body does everything by itself.

-Give advice to those guys who look at you, your fans, those who, perhaps, also go in for figure skating or other sports - what you need to develop in yourself in order to achieve success.

I'm going to say tough, nasty words that maybe a lot of people wouldn't want to hear. Maybe these people expected to hear something else, but there are no lyrics in life. If you want to achieve something, you need to do it through sweat and blood. Yes, of course, you need to constantly dream, you need to dream about something that is beyond your control at the moment. Don't dream about buying a car. Such a purchase should be just a goal, it is possible, it is in your hands. You can earn money and buy a car, to put it simply. You need to dream about something else, for example, about love to the grave, that in 100 years doctors will learn how to treat brain cancer. That is, you need to dream about something that cannot be held in your hands, about intangible things that exist somewhere in the Universe. Therefore, cars, houses, expensive clothes - all these are not dreams, these are goals, and my advice is this - be able to distinguish between goals and dreams.
 
I think this wasn't posted here yet. She's so pretty! :love2:


I should probably talk about this video. It's not an interview, it's a TV game. The meaning of the game is as follows: Zhenya is asked a question, which should be answered not by herself, but by one of the people in the contact list of her mobile phone. And I think that already the first of the riddles proposed to Zhenya will cause complete bewilderment among the vast majority of the participants in this forum.

This question was: "What can a bald head give you?". And correct answer is "little pie". After, however, there were more understandable questions for foreigners, for example, about the actors who played the role of Batman, but in general it was not a very interesting show.
 
I should probably talk about this video. It's not an interview, it's a TV game. The meaning of the game is as follows: Zhenya is asked a question, which should be answered not by herself, but by one of the people in the contact list of her mobile phone. And I think that already the first of the riddles proposed to Zhenya will cause complete bewilderment among the vast majority of the participants in this forum.

This question was: "What can a bald head give you?". And correct answer is "little pie". After, however, there were more understandable questions for foreigners, for example, about the actors who played the role of Batman, but in general it was not a very interesting show.

Thank you, I was able to understand some of the questions but definitely not the first one. Anyway, I loved the phonecall with Alina (starting at 11:36), it was was so cute. :)
 
Thank you, I was able to understand some of the questions but definitely not the first one. Anyway, I loved the phonecall with Alina (starting at 11:36), it was was so cute. :)
conversation with Alina was peculiar. She was asked the question "George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck - who is next" (the actors who played the role of Batman are listed, the correct answer is Robert Pattinson). Alina first said: "Well, you chose the most suitable person for such a question!" Then she asked to repeat the question, adding that she was currently in a car. But after that, keyboard sounds were heard - Alina was clearly trying to use Google or another search engine. She managed to say "Now I will answer" - and the time is over.

I'll try to tell about the mystery of the first question. In Russia, the saying "Лысая башка, дай пирожка!" (Bald head, give me a little pie!") is well known. If you open Google translator, select Russian language and copy the original phrase there, you can listen to how it sounds - it resembles a very small rhyme. This is a phrase used by children in kindergarten or elementary school to tease someone who has had their hair cut too short. This is a generally stupid, but rather harmless joke that is not bullying.

But time goes by, people grow up and forget about children's pranks, forget this phrase too. That's why the first call was unsuccessful - the plastic surgeon suggested at first that a bald head gives good ventilation, then she suggested the answer "good mood." The second call also did not immediately bring success, because in this case the veterinarian Yulia answered "Sunstroke", and only then remembered the children's saying.
 

Evgenia as SailorMoon is being re tweeted in Japan.
 
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