“I don’t rule out some of my young skaters jumping over Malinin.” Interview with cheerful Evgeny Plushenko

— Congratulations on Veronika Zhilina’s victory. Let us know your impressions of his rentals and more generally of this stage of the Junior Grand Prix.

– I’m very happy for Veronica, I’m happy that she won. Satisfied with its axis in three and a half turns. We didn’t succeed for a long time, so we couldn’t include it in the free short programs. But at this point in the Grand Prix, Veronica did a triple axel in the cascade short program, and in the free program too.

– So you’re completely satisfied with what she showed?

Of course, there are nuances to be worked on. Veronica hurriedly put on a quadruple sheepskin coat – she got out and did a few push-ups, but had to sit down. In general, you still have to work on endurance. The main thing is that Veronica has confidence. This is the number one quality that athletes in our sport should have. You cannot sit on a bench to be played by another player. Here you are alone. How complex is individual sport.

How did you work on trust?

– Here I want to say a huge thank you to Veronica’s mother for her help. She trains her, helps me. Thanks also to my coaches: Sasha Abt, Artem Znachkov and all our teachers. A lot of work was done, in which Elena Radionova and Sergey Verbillo also took part. But this is only the beginning, the whole season is still plowing and plowing. There are many important milestones ahead of us.

– This win will surely give Veronica even more confidence. After all, training well is one thing, but winning with such an advantage is another.

– Of course, Veronica won by a wide margin. She has a very decent arsenal: she already has a flip, a lutz and a loop – all quads. Now we have to go gradually and most importantly – without injuries. At this age, with the current pressures in the world of figure skating, you have to do it without damage. It’s very difficult.

– Do I understand correctly that in this case a qualitative diagnosis of the form in which the athlete is in order to avoid overload is necessary?

– One million percent. Veronica usually stops us. She can go out and plow through five or six workouts a day.

– At the same time, Veronica gives the impression of being a person who is always focused to the maximum. How does she not get tired?

— Now, a little confidence will take hold. Then it will be very difficult for the competitors. I believe that next season Zhilina and I will go to adult skating. It would be time.

– What about the age limit?

– We will skate in Russia, there is such an opportunity here. We see Sofia Akatieva at adult competitions. Therefore, we have such a task for next season.

– Is it possible to say that with this victory Zhilina strengthens the reputation of one of the most promising figure skaters in the country?

– Veronika skated beautifully at the tournament in Kosice last year with three quads and won. Then there was the problem – injury. The whole following season we suffered, the results started to decline. That’s why I say stop the child. Sometimes she, like a running machine, begins to bomb these quads. And now Veronica is healthy and starting to prove that she is the leader of the national team.

– In addition to Zhilina, you have a lot of strong juniors.

– Yes, I also have Sofya Titova, who also won the first start. And Masha Mazur, who already has two quads in her piggy bank. There are very good girls.

All your girls always have amazingly beautiful dresses. It turns out that a lot of work is going on in terms of the visual design of the program…

– It’s figure skating, performance, theater, ballet. It’s an art, not just a sport! Therefore, the dress should shine, shine. The main thing is that it be moderate, refined. Indeed, the dresses of all my students are very beautiful.

– Do you always make the final decision on the costumes, or does the voice of the team carry the same weight?

– As for Nika, her mother, I and Yana Alexandrovna (Rudkovskaya) make decisions.

Is your wife also active in this regard?

Of course, she’s still in the process. Yana Alexandrovna, together with me, is a co-owner of the academy. She is therefore directly involved in all organizational aspects, in financing with me. Fully. It’s normal, especially since Yana is creative with us, she has good taste. I think the best. So this team is working. Also, it is impossible not to note, of course, designers, workshops.

– You put absolutely all of your students on the ice in the junior stage, although you can delegate this to other coaches in your academy. Is that how it was planned?

“I originally intended to do it. Always went with all the athletes. I just started training. It’s just that now you see more skaters than me. This time it’s five, eg. Indeed, it is quite difficult to do this non-stop. After all, it is necessary to transfer energy and not somehow get out.

I’m sitting here now, and my legs are buzzing terribly! I already spoke with my assistant today that it would be easier for me to skate on my own. However, they are all girls in my group. There are other specialists who are not directly related to my group, I do not date their athletes. But with two of his groups, he should go out, definitely. I feel like I’m needed here.

We have a lot of great kids. A little time will pass and you will see. There are very good young girls. While they are still small, 10 years old. But I guess from next season they will already be at these competitions. They already have a 3.5 turn axle. And another at this age already has a quadruple sheepskin coat.

“Wow, are there such people already?”

– That’s what I’m talking about. It’s the kids now. Geeks, unique. I can name one of them – Sarnovskaya, Sofa’s sister. Already jumping a triple axel.

– Soon, Malinin will be overwhelmed.

– I don’t rule it out. It can be difficult to jump over. Nevertheless, it is possible to reach the same level in multi-turn jumps. For example, Parsegova at the age of 10 makes me a quadruple sheepskin coat. There is still Milana Goritskova – quadruple lutz, quadruple loop, triple axel. In other words, they are not at these competitions yet, but they are very close. And here it is important to approach correctly so that everything goes without injury. And then you can jump into this tank and constantly hammer …

– But the body does not have enough resources…

— You have to stop somewhere in time to go to another job. But the fact is that there are such children now.