— Alexey Nikolaevich Mishin said that many people in the group fell ill. How did you prepare for the Russian Championship? Have you caught the virus?
“The preparations did not go as planned, there were difficulties. Regarding the disease: We managed to prevent it, but there were other problems. Fun fact: Last year at the Russian Championships in Krasnoyarsk, I got sick the day after the free program. If it had happened one day earlier nothing would have happened. I am grateful to fate for this to happen (smiles).
— After winning the last Russian Championship, you mentioned that you like Krasnoyarsk and have won there several times. How are relations established with Chelyabinsk?
— In general, Chelyabinsk is an interesting city for me. I experienced one of the worst short programs of my career at the 2016 Russian Championships, where I was one of the youngest participants in the tournament. But the next day it was one of my favorite free skates, I managed to do a triple Axel. At the end of 2020, I performed unsuccessfully for the first time at the Russian adult championship in Chelyabinsk. Then there were the open skates, where I skated the short and free skates cleanly. I am happy that the good trend continues.
— How important was Tatyana Nikolaevna Mishina’s presence at this tournament for you?
— Tatyana Nikolaevna is a much more special person for me than a coach. I am very happy that he was able to participate in this championship and even happier that I was able to please the entire coaching staff and especially him with my performance. In general, it’s nice to see people standing on the sidelines holding their fists for me.
– Five people beat you in this championship – Alexey Nikolaevich, Tatyana Nikolaevna, your general physical training coach Egor Cheloshkin and two more people who are little known to the public. Can you tell us a little more about them?
— Massage therapist Andrey is a new addition to our team. Nikita Pchelyakov is a skating coach and also a new expert.
— The next big tournament on the calendar is the Russian Jumping Championships. How will you prepare for this and what do you plan to show?
“I don’t want there to be high expectations.” Everything will depend on the regulations as we don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll try to surprise you with something (smiles).
— Would you like to participate in the show program tournament this season?
– Definitely. It seems to me that it is worth going there not to fight for a place, but just to try something new, show a fresh, unusual program and please the audience.
— Did you have this idea because of the way last year’s tournament went in terms of refereeing, or was it that way from the beginning?
— Priority for the season goes to other competitions that I want to win, but here you need to be creative in creating your show.
– Your iconic show numbers are connected by one detail – first in the tournament of show programs there was “Frost”, then “Phantom”, in the summer a program about the Faun appeared – all with the same letter. What to expect next?
— I didn’t notice, it’s a funny coincidence (laughs). In the evening I’ll go into music, enter “F” and see what’s there.
— What are your immediate plans?
— Now we need to rest for at least a day, then prepare for the show and perform. After this, you will be able to get some rest at home and then you will need to return to your normal lifestyle.
— Will you be spending your first time on the ice on December 31st? Is there a special feeling about taking to the ice on the last day of the year?
— That day I slipped on the ice; When we were little, we had holiday training with Santa Claus (smiles).