“I have passed that age when you are afraid of something” – figure skating coach Linichuk about starting work in Russia

Figure skating coach Natalya Linichuk told that she was not afraid to start working in Russia from scratch, since she already had such experience.

In December it became known that Linichuk would begin working with dance duets at the Plushenko Academy. Arina Ushakova and Valery Angelopol became students of the 67-year-old specialist.

— How many dancing couples are there in the group at the moment?

— There is no dance group yet. We announced that we were opening a school. We invite all children from ten years old. The level of training and experience of pair skating, category does not matter. Even if you didn’t pass the level before a certain age, you can catch up.

— Is it scary to start all this from scratch?

– Why should I be afraid? After sports, I started working from scratch. Oksana Grischuk, Rita Drobyazko and many others appeared in my group. I started with children. Oksana was 12 years old, Anzhelika Krylova was about 13. I have had couples who won the junior world championships several times: twice by the same couple and three times by different couples.

— The Russian dance world did not receive the news of your return with much optimism. And that’s why the question is: aren’t you afraid to start fighting again?

“I’m not that age anymore where you’re afraid of something.” I have experience, knowledge and my own vision. I want to pass all this on to the younger generation of coaches and athletes. If they want to take it, let them take it, if they don’t want it, that’s their business. The fund that has been transferred to us, that we have developed, must not disappear, it must be transferred. This is my main task,” Linichuk told .

Linichuk, partnered with Gennady Karponosov, won gold at the 1980 Olympics in ice dancing and also won the World and European Championships twice.