“We once again became the leaders of ice dancing in Russia” – Stepanova and Bukin after their victory in Krasnoyarsk

Russian figure skaters Alexandra Stepanova And Ivan Boukine said they returned to the sport in order to become leaders in ice dancing in Russia.

On Sunday, Stepanova and Bukin won the duet dance competition on the stage of the Russian Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk. The skaters missed the 2022/23 season due to their partner’s pregnancy and after returning, they began training in Alexander Zhulin’s group.

Boukine: We were now standing on the pedestal and discussing how long it had been since this had happened, how much we missed those sensations. Today was even more nervous than yesterday. At this point we are happy, but we have to work, work and work some more. We’ll come home, take a break for a few days, then hit the road again.

Stepanova: There is still a lot of work to do. There will be the stage of the Moscow Grand Prix, the Russian Championship… We really hope that step by step we will show progress and personal growth.

Boukine: Now we just go back to the shape we had before. Of course, we want to show the progress of the Russian Championship.

— Before the start of the season, there was a lot of talk that you would probably again be the leaders of Russian ice dancing. Were you nervous when you received your first grades after returning?

Stepanova: We didn’t really think about it…

Boukine: We came back to be dance leaders. We work and want to improve ourselves to not only defeat ourselves, but also win competitions.

— You are an example among dancing couples. Perhaps you could say a few parting words to the young people?

Boukine: I have an answer: there must be very good mutual understanding between the couple. Without human relationships within the couple, without friendship and support, the magic will never happen, and there will always be some kind of obstacle to achieving the goal. If you have a unifying objective, that is not enough, you also need to devote time to relationships. You have to support your partner somewhere, have fun somewhere, be stricter somewhere… Sasha likes to be stricter with me, she is a very strict girl.

Stepanova: To be more specific, so that these are not vague sentences, I will give an example. It’s like in a family, where you have to understand that you are not against each other, but you go somewhere with each other and build something. And then all these moments disappear. Even at the slightest argument, you have to break down. Yes, everything happens, including anger, but you still need to come to the conclusion that you have a common cause, and it doesn’t matter whether it is in life or in sports.

Boukine: I completely agree. It is impossible to walk perfectly, not argue and be like robots. There are misunderstandings, but they need to be overcome and dealt with more simply, because there is a goal and a path,” the skaters said according to the press service of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR).

Stepanova and Bukin are two-time Russian champions, two-time silver and three-time bronze medalists at the European Championships.