“Ilya Malinin may already be doing a quadruple jump. Although now it feels like space. Interview with Matvey Vetlugin

It was nice to learn that twenty-year-old Vetlugin will perform solo in Omsk before the start of the Avangard – Lada match. And it was the day when the “Russian Challenge” show program tournament was held in St. Petersburg!

On the other hand, is it worth looking for plotlines here? After all, Matvey was not on the list at the end of February. And why not go visit Avangard? In addition, figure skating fans wrote in the comments: “Oh, Omsk fans will be lucky!”

And the journalists were also lucky – Matvey is very polite, attentive and interesting in interviews. And also emotional. We sat together in the box and watched hockey. So he lit up at every critical moment on the ice. “I was sick with all my soul,” as they say in such cases.

From our conversation you will learn:

“Mishin gives himself entirely to the athletes”

— You played at the G-Drive Arena before the match between Avangard and Lada. How do you like the atmosphere in Omsk?

– Wonderful! Of course, the emotions felt during a figure skating performance and a hockey match are very different. But it was an honor for me to play before such a match, and now to sit in the box and cheer for the team. This is my fourth time here this calendar year. And I always like to visit Omsk. Maybe after this I will become a fan of Avangard.

– But you are a Muscovite. Not CSKA, Spartak or Dynamo?

— No, I have always been a hockey fan of the Russian national team. Since childhood, I have watched our matches at the World Championships and Olympic Games. And so, to encourage a club, I haven’t gotten to that point yet. But everything can be…

— How do you evaluate your season in terms of results?

— It was a very busy national season, with many departures. The start turned out to be quite successful. And then several false starts. Of course, it was upsetting. Now I have to think and analyze with the coaches what this could be linked to. What needs to be improved in preparation, what work needs to be done in the off-season. I hope next season will be better.

— Are there any shows where viewers can see you?

— We started the Ilya Averbukh tour last February. In any city where it is planned, I think I will participate.

— March 8 was the birthday of your coach Alexei Mishin. How did you congratulate him? Maybe in person?

– Yes, I was at training that day. Although the Russian Challenge tournament has already started, Alexey Nikolaevich came to us. There was a festive atmosphere, everyone gave gifts to our ladies and, of course, to Alexei Nikolaevich. We recorded congratulatory videos. The training therefore went well.

—What makes Mishin unique? Working at this level at 82!..

“Such dedication to his work, he gives himself entirely to the athletes. Constantly thinks about how this or that can be improved. Charged with strength and emotions, he transmits this charge to us – and we feel it. It seems to me that’s it.

— Just when you started talking about ladies, do you think Liza Tuktamysheva will return to competitions? How do you find her as a commentator?

— I rarely watch competitions, because I take part in them myself, and then I don’t watch them anymore. I’ve only heard it maybe a few times. But the times I watched Lisa commentate, I loved it. In general, there is no moment that could be uncomfortable for me as a figure skating spectator.

Whether Tuktamysheva returns or not is a question for her. And we wait to see what Lisa decides.

—Why don’t you participate in the tournament on the show program? Your performance last year caused a stir and people remembered it.

“I won’t say anything here.” We are speaking in Omsk during the Avangard match, and I am not in St. Petersburg. And that’s the answer.

“I will never be able to do quadruples in my career”

— A big event for figure skating — Vlad Dikidzhi jumped four and a half laps on Axel during training. Is this a new level in men’s figure skating?

— They showed me the video. I think it’s ancient history for us. Because he is the first Russian figure skater to jump such a jump. And second in the general world ranking.

During the discussion, I was told: as long as this is not done in competitions, it cannot be officially counted. But we have video evidence, and I think it’s a huge achievement.

-Are you learning this jump? Or do you think the risk is unjustified?

– No, I think that in my career I will never get to the point of studying this jump. And it’s scary to some extent, and I don’t have such a good margin on the triple Axel that I could feel the strength to add another revolution.

— Will the evolution of figure skating reach the point where this jump becomes commonplace?

– But there will potentially be quadruple jumps in the future, which will be subject to even fewer people than quadruple jumps. Here you need to take into account the initial predisposition to perform such complex elements. It will depend on talent. But something tells me, of course, that over time the technique will become more complicated, improved, and the general level of figure skating will increase. Therefore, the quadruple is likely to occur more often. Because it will no longer be seen as impossible.

– What, five can really appear?

– Yes. From today’s perspective, this seems to be on a cosmic level. And then, probably, they will start doing it. So I think Ilya Malinin can achieve this. If he hasn’t already. I think we’ll see that in his performance.

— What does Alexei Mishin say about the quadruple axel?

– I don’t know his opinion, but now we have Gleb [Лутфуллин] sometimes he tries to attempt this jump when he is healthy and in good condition. Or Misha Kolyada a few years ago also tried to achieve it during a training camp. And he almost did a really good job. I also consider Alexei Nikolaevich’s opinion regarding the jump in such a way that it cannot be called impossible.

—And when you tried a quadruple Lutz for the first time, were you afraid?

– There was no fear. Like in the free program, where it didn’t work – it only came out in the short program, I went into it understanding what actions I needed to do. And in the short program, it was precisely these actions that made it possible to successfully complete the jump.

“I’m currently in social media detox.”

— Recently, Russian tennis players were allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics, including even their team. Is this progress? Maybe figure skaters will be allowed to compete in the 2026 Milan Olympics?

— In general, the subject was not discussed among those around me. But this cannot be considered a bad sign. Of course, this is good news. We hope this will allow Russian athletes to practice other sports.

— Did you manage to communicate with Kamila Valieva? Did you support her in this sensational story?

— I was not able to speak to Camila personally and I did not write to her. We generally didn’t have a close relationship to talk to each other about anything. But I have already expressed that I personally support her and the entire team that competed with her in the Olympics.

— Figure skating is much more popular than hockey, and this can be judged even by the number of comments under each news about your sport…

— The comments are lively, yes.

– Do you read them?

– Not now, but I have already read it. Now I have such a detox from telegram and other social networks. I somehow live calmly without news.

– So, is popularity a burden or a joy? Maybe protect yourself?

“That’s what I’m trying to do now.” Take a step back from your active participation in the figure skating media sphere. The fact that I will not actively follow all the news, where what is happening and who is writing what. And see how it might affect me.