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Olympic figure skating champion Kamila Valieva in an interview with Sport spoke about what helped her not to break down psychologically after the events in Beijing, how she copes with the hate and what motivates her to continue her career to this day.
“I don’t remember Eteri Georgievna being wrong”
—This season you have appeared in new images. Do ice shows help develop this?
— Of course, it seems to me that ice shows are the best way to try something new and unusual. I have already participated in “The Sleeping Beauty”, and in “The Scarlet Flower”, and in “Scheherazade”, and now there will be “Evenings on the Farm”. All the roles are very interesting.
“To remain loyal to the coach, you just have to really believe in him. I believe Eteri Georgievna and am incredibly grateful for her work.
— What is unique about Tutberidze?
— She is an absolute workaholic and very demanding. She knows how to set a goal for you in such a way that you want to achieve it.
— How to find compromises when contradictions arise during the work process?
— Just like in a family, you need to talk.
— If you compare your style of communication with Tutberidze at the age of 15 and now, has it changed? Have they started listening to you more?
— Of course, the attitude has changed a little, but not radically. Previously, we only talked about figure skating, now there are other topics, we just started talking more with Eteri Georgievna about different things. But the distance between coach and athlete cannot be broken; it must exist. I understand that.
— Can Eteri Georgievna admit that she was wrong about something, or is the coach always right?
— Complex issue. It is difficult for everyone to admit their mistakes. But, to be honest, I don’t remember a case where Eteri Georgievna was wrong.
Does she give you advice about life off the ice?
—I wouldn’t say that this is some kind of advice about life. There are simply conversations about a lot of things.
“I should have lost my phone at the Olympics”
— Figure skaters always receive a lot of attention, including negative attention. How do you deal with hate?
— At first it was difficult. I tried not to even read the comments, but, unfortunately, sometimes I came across some news. Now I can already understand where there is criticism, which you can listen to, and where there is simply negativity. This comes with experience.
— I know that some coaches take away athletes’ phones during important competitions, thus trying to protect them from negativity. Are they doing the right thing?
“Now I understand that this is very correct. I should have lost my phone during the Olympics. Disconnecting from social networks during competitions is the best solution.
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— Last season, some focused on the fact that you have grown, your figure has changed. How did you go through the growing up stage?
– I haven’t passed it yet. Last year I was like, “Oh my God, what happened?” And this was just preparation for this season. I'm still growing. Even since last season she has grown even more. The body changes, but this is normal, because everyone goes through this period.
— In your opinion, should a coach monitor a skater’s weight or is it up to each athlete?< br>
“They started weighing me regularly from the age of eight, they monitored every gram. Now our group has weigh-ins every day. Of course, the coach must monitor the weight of the athletes, but gradually this should become a personal matter for each skater.
— How to see this line and stay within reasonable limits?
“It’s very important that people around you don’t say that you’ve gained 200 grams when you haven’t fully grown yet.” You need to understand that every child grows and weight can fluctuate. And it is important for an athlete to focus not only on the numbers on the scales, but also on his reflection in the mirror.
— Now many athletes – for example, Alexandra Soldatova, Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva – openly speak out about the topic of eating disorders. Do stories like this surprise you?
—No, they don’t. To avoid such moments, coaches and parents should tell children about the importance of proper nutrition, and not prohibit something.
“I want to experience the euphoria of quadruple jump”
— You have already shown that you are capable of winning without ultra-si elements. What then motivates them to restore?
— An internal feeling, no matter how strange it may sound. You can’t imagine the euphoria you experience during a quadruple jump. I really want to return this wonderful feeling of a completed quadruple.
— For you, figure skating is more about technical complexity or components?
– This is an age-old dispute. This is the difficulty of figure skating, that you need both technique and components. If there are a large number of jumps, but the sliding is not very good, then watching such skating is not very interesting. And at the same time, if you skate very well, but you don’t have jumps, this is not enough for prizes or victory.
— Doesn’t it seem that with the removal of Russian athletes, the race for quadruples seemed to be on the decline?
– You probably mean girls? Because boys with quadruples are doing more than fine. The race hasn't slowed down. It's just a change of generations. Most of the girls I competed with are not competing at the moment, and the juniors are fine with quads, but they can’t compete with adults yet. Quite a bit of time will pass, they will grow up and make some noise!
— By the way, Ilya Malinin performed a quadruple axel. How would you rate this attempt?
— Admired by Ilya. It's so easy to jump and do it… Incredible! I would like to give him a standing ovation and thank him for his dedication. Everything came together here: technique, his natural abilities and the athlete’s inner feelings. It seems to me that Ilya is simply special, he is very talented.
— Do you think we will see a quadruple axel from our guys?
— Probably, there is something inside me, some kind of core, which, perhaps, I myself am not aware of. Of course, there was a moment when one gave up. But then the love for my work, the support of coaches, family, and friends helped. This especially helps when they don’t turn away from you at a difficult moment.
—You look very confident now, despite all the circumstances. What helps you to abstract yourself?
– No matter how difficult it is, you need to move on with your life. I just want to do what I love, to which I have devoted so many years.
— What motivates you to continue your career?
— I love the ice, I love skating, and I also like to compete. Well, I just want to please my coaches, my loved ones, my fans.
— The IOC announced that it has admitted Russian athletes to the Summer Olympics in Paris in a neutral status. Is this encouraging news for you?
— I would like to wait for news about the Winter Olympics. It is not yet clear what the admission criteria will be, how many athletes can go…
— Would you like to compete at the Olympic Games in Milan?
— At the moment, due to certain circumstances, I cannot set any goals. But I want to ride for as long as my health allows.
—You are now trying yourself in completely different directions. Do you see yourself in secular society?
— I’m 17 now, and every day my opinion changes in different directions, but for now yes – I want to try myself in different directions.
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— Alina Zagitova opens her figure skating school in Kazan. Would you like to open your own school in the future?
—I don’t think that far ahead. This is not a matter of one day or even one year. But I would definitely be interested in working as a coach. I hope I can give some advice to the skaters, so I definitely wouldn’t rule out this option.
—What would you wish for yourself in the new year?
—Have more confidence and do everything possible to achieve your goals.
Olympic champion Tatiana Navka's New Year's ice performance “Evenings on the Farm” will be held from December 22 to January 7 at the Megasport Sports Palace ” in Moscow.
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