“During competitions, we are not a couple, but partners. Whether we kiss or not, it doesn’t matter, we have to convey images. Interview with Khavronina and Narizhny

For Irina Khavronina And David Narizhny The 2023/24 season was the first full-fledged pair, but they immediately became one of the best dance duets in Russia. At the national championship, the skaters won bronze and repeated the result at the Spartakiad of the strongest in February. The duo also performed at two stages of the Grand Prix, where they twice climbed to the second step of the podium. The athletes skillfully convey images and are one of the most charismatic couples in the country. Before the start of the new season, journalist Maxim Khorenkov visited the training of Denis Samokhin’s group and talked with the guys.

— Your free dance for the upcoming season is lyrical and deep in terms of theme. Tell us about it.

Khavronin: We skate on life, on the struggle of a person for himself. The program is about overcoming difficulties, recessions, falls. There is no motive for love.

Narizhny: In this program, I play the role of a “disease” that drags Irina with it, and she tries to resist me, look for positive moments and enjoy life. I will be the dark part of the program, everyone will see it. You don’t need to rely on stories, you don’t look for meaning in every piece or song. Feelings and personal perception when watching are important.

— You were at the Saransk training camp for a long time. Did you have the impression that it was a bit sad there?

Narizhny: We found a lot of cool places there: an outdoor pool, a great sauna, various games. Some guys went on excursions to play in VR. We worked a schedule of four days on and one day off, and managed to get somewhere during the day. On the first day off, I went to take exams, I was supposed to miss the next day of training, but the arena burned down. I took my diploma, Ira sent me a video of the rink on fire.

I studied in Smolensk, but there are no direct flights from Saransk, only with a transfer in Moscow. Three terrible days on the road, after which I had to go to training.

Khavronin: There was very tasty coffee, cheesecakes, good cafes. Overall, it was fun in Saransk, like summer. I liked the atmosphere, architecture, sunsets. Gastroculture is well developed in Saransk.

— You had a great holiday, was it difficult to change?

Khavronin: Before Saransk, we were still in Moscow and changed the subject. We spent our holidays in Thailand, near Phuket, in the Khao Lak district. We lived in a separate hotel, in a green area, with healthy food and a gym. Tropical vacation, good rest. I liked it very much, I visited many places: Dubai, the Maldives, I was afraid of what it would be like in Thailand.

— What did you like most about Thailand?

Khavronin: The food is delicious, I liked the spicy dishes: tom yam, seafood. The weather was also nice, there were few insects.

Narizhny: Atmosphere, crazy nature. We didn’t go to the islands, we wanted to lie down more, swim and not spend extra days actively entertaining ourselves.

— The new theme of the season’s programs is 21st century music. How do you like this choice? Which track would be fun to skate on?

Narizhny: Lots of cool songs. We are from this century ourselves; we listen to all the music since childhood. It is very difficult to name just one.

Khavronin: If you fantasize, you can listen to Lana Del Rey, Rihanna, Chase Atlantic.

– What if they are Russian?

Narizhny: Yegor Creed, of course. We love his music.

Khavronin: Now there is a musician called Toxis, Anna Asti, who is also interesting.

— Last season went well for you. Now there are new ones, the “old ones” survived. How do you assess the competition, do you count on tournament gold?

Narizhny: We always count on the highest places. How can you say that you aim for second place? We are athletes, we kill ourselves every day to be better. And there is only one best place. Second or third place is a reward after a defeat. Consolation, “hold the candy”.

Khavronin: Last year we didn’t aim for bronze, we aimed for first place. We keep the same attitude.

— How do you deal with failures?

Narizhny: They got angry, shouted, held hands and left.

— Were there any cases where, for example, they threw skates?

Khavronin: We take care of the skates, it’s sacred. You can give the ice a light kick with a tooth, or you might even fall (laughter). It would be stupid to break your arm because of anger. We try not to show anger outwardly, at most we widen our eyes.

Narizhny: Let off steam, shed a few tears and keep working. So as not to continue this nonsense.

— Does being in a relationship help you on the ice?

Narizhny: During competitions and training, we are not a couple, we are partners here. We only come to work, there is no babysitting. When we come off the ice, we hold hands and can cheer each other up.

It’s up to the audience to see if this gives us extra chemistry. We are actors, we have a specific task, a specific program. And we would do it with other partners as well. They once explained to me that even if you are paired with a boy, you have to do the task they tell you. It doesn’t matter whether we kiss or not, the emotions have to be transmitted in any case.

Khavronin: On the ice, we understand that our results depend on each other. We take this seriously as business partners. We feel good together, we feel good and it helps us.

More sports news in our telegram channel .