Coach Zakroev – about the conversation with Gritsaenko about the broken shoelace: “There were different tones, but we are adults”

Greenhouse coach Egor Zakroev told that after the performance Elizaveta Osokina And Artem Gritsaenko At the Russian Championship, staff specialists had a conversation with the skater about the shoelace that burst during the program.

At the Russian Championship held in Chelyabinsk, Osokina and Gritsaenko took eighth place. During the free skate, the skaters stopped their performance after the first element due to a partner’s broken lace. After resolving the problem, the athletes continued with the program.

— I would like to start with the fact that I spent the most time with Lisa and Artem. Among all our couples, they were the best prepared for the Russian championship and the most reliable. Artem did not always successfully complete the Salchow during training. I was sure that if he landed the first Salchow, then 90% of the rest would be a clean skate.

Maybe my confidence was a cruel joke. I don’t know how it happened. When, after the Salchow, Artem started to make a mess (three and a cross-over instead of an axel), I realized that something had happened. When he raised his hand and addressed the judge, my bar fell. Then I acted calmly. We worked as a team and we didn’t panic. In three minutes they corrected the mistake and did everything so that the guys could continue their performance.

— Is Artem responsible for what happened? Haven’t you noticed?

“He probably hasn’t finished watching.” He’s 21 years old, it’s not the coaches who should control that.

“Then the guys skated pretty well.” There was only one fall.

“I guess due to a weakened skate, Artem could not perform footwork, which is why Liza did not have enough height. We didn’t go to the Russian Championship to fight the loop. I understood that the guys were well prepared and could take a place much higher.

“It is impossible not to mention Lisa, who was not lost and looked quite confident while Artem tied the shoelace.

— Lisa is a wonderful person. I saw that Maxim Bolotin was communicating with her. She walked out calmly, preparing to continue. It was clear in her eyes that she had not passed away. Artem and Lisa stood on camera, well done, but after the performance they were upset. I won’t tell you what happened behind the scenes.

—Have you had a conversation with Artem? What did they say to him after the performance?

“I won’t hide it, there was a conversation, there were different tones. But we are adults, Artem is not a child.

We still have a lot of time to work together, we have not dwelled on this problem. I think we need to quickly turn this page and move on to something else. Honestly, we didn’t even look at the judges’ scores. I hope that at the Spartakiad the judges will be able to see Osokina and Gritsaenko who they are used to seeing this season,” Zakroev told .

Read the full version of Yegor Zakroev’s interview on Sunday on the website!