“Trusova and Kondratyuk are like cartoon characters about pure and sincere love.” Interview with Yana Rudkovskaya

Last Saturday, a charity hockey match took place in Moscow, organized by the Artemy Panarin Foundation. Stars of Russian hockey and show business participated in it. The event brought together a large number of celebrities, including bloggers, comedians, as well as figure skaters Alexandra Trusova and Mark Kondratyuk.

Producer and co-owner of the Angela Plushenko Academy Yana Rudkovskaya was also among the guests. It turns out that she has long been friends with the captain of “Washington” Alexander Ovechkin.

“Sasha Ovechkin invited me to this match,” Rudkovskaya told a correspondent. “I am very rooted for him and his family. I love hockey, I love watching Sasha play, because he is a man who is already a legend in his lifetime.

Do you believe Ovechkin will break Wayne Gretzky’s record?

– Sure! I think it will take him a few years to do that. I thought it was about three or four years.

– He just had a contract with Washington until 2026.

– I think he will beat Gretzky’s record before the end of the contract. Because Sasha is a Russian knight, here is Ilya Muromets. Not Alyosha Popovich, namely Ilya Muromets. Sasha can do anything, I’m sure he will set a record that probably won’t be broken by anyone in the future. In Ovechkin, I have no doubt, we have been friends for 17 years.

– After the end of the contract with Washington, will he return to Russia? Will he play another year for his native Dynamo?

Sasha is a great patriot. I don’t know his plans, but I’m sure any club would be happy to see Ovechkin in the line-up. Ovechkin is a box office, he is a reader, these are the emotions he gives not only to hockey fans. All the kids at this event wanted to take a picture with him, I couldn’t even come up. But first let him break the record there, then come back. I’m sure Sasha will also do something brilliant in Russia.

– Everything you just said about Ovechkin can certainly apply to Sasha Trusova.

– Without a doubt ! Sasha is an outstanding athlete, I like her very much. He’s my favorite skater! With my husband, we invited her, and she traveled with us the entire tour of the “Union of Champions”. Trusova’s stamina and perseverance are incredible. No one in this world can be like her.

To date, there is no second “Russian rocket”. There are skaters who do quadruple jumps, there are those who skate beautifully, but there is no longer such a girl who was in Beijing 2022 with five quads.

Trusova has crazy popularity, I bow to her. No one believed that Sasha could do five quads, only herself. She believed in it and was able to embody it at the Olympics. It’s something from the “impossible – possible” series. This is the jackpot, at which Trusova worked hard, making every effort.

You just have no idea how much kids love it! In every city, wherever we went, they were everywhere waiting for the “Russian rocket”! I’m sure Sasha will declare herself more than once. She has a wonderful family and a wonderful friend – Mark Kondratyuk.

What do you think of their union?

– Great guys – very kind and sincere. I watched them the whole tour and rejoiced. They make a very nice couple. I believe that having a daughter like Sasha Trusova is a great responsibility and a great success.

– Is that to say that these relations can have a positive impact on the career of the guys?

“Mark has a special way. Currently, he is absolutely the best Russian singles skater. Mark jumped a lot of quads throughout the Union of Champions tour. In each performance, he made at least two quadruple salchows. Yes, there were drops and underrotations, but they were mostly clean jumps.

I think in the coming season Kondratyuk will be the best again. I’m really rooting for this guy. Mark did not immediately develop a career, but this year he shot wildly – he won all possible titles. I think at the world championships without Nathan Chen and Yuzuru Hanyu he would have competed for the top 3.

I believe in this pair, Sasha helps Mark and Mark helps Sasha. They cannot be separated. They are both strong and ambitious. They look like the heroes of a cartoon about a sincere and brilliant love for each other and for the sport that bonded them.

– We see that Trusova is now in great demand. She has already participated in athletic competitions, she is invited to rowing, diving, hockey. Because of what can he prove himself in other sports?

– Because of “physics”. My husband said Trusova’s “physical” was better than Cristiano Ronaldo’s. These are the words of the great Plushenko! Not every man could stand the physical training she underwent with us. Sasha can flourish in any sport thanks to the natural and acquired data in the sport.

– That is to say that it is not only about genetics, but also about the right preparation?

– Without a doubt. Sasha’s father is very athletic. He instilled in her the love of sport. What is the love of sport? It’s a daily job. Nothing is given to anyone like that, luck can only happen once. Nothing was brought to Sasha on a silver platter. He is the athlete who achieved everything thanks to titanic efforts.

– You said that Mark could compete for medals at the World Championships. Are you worried that due to the current situation, our athletes may miss their peak and not get the titles they deserve?

“We are currently in a difficult situation. We need to think not about how many medals our athletes might lose, but how to quickly get back into the world elite and change the situation with sanctions.

We spoke with our sports minister Oleg Matytsin. I think the situation will change with the easing of sanctions. Yes, this year will be difficult and we will miss it. But I really hope that next year, as Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova said, our people will come out and tear them apart with even greater anger. Tatyana Anatolyevna is absolutely right – you cannot make Russian athletes angry. I wish our guys more sports anger. I want them to completely occupy the bases after they return.

– Do you expect a full return of our athletes or will there still be restrictions?

“I’m not sure the flag will be allowed. But, as far as I know, there is such an option as speaking in a neutral status. This should somehow save the situation before the Olympics.

I really hope it will only be a year from the pass, because my son is still growing. He will not qualify for the next Olympics, but after one. And yet, my heart skips a beat. I really want him to perform on the world stage. Sasha himself dreams of going to the Olympics and coming there not just to ride.