Khabibullina and Knyazhuk: “We felt responsible, it was alarming to take the music to which Volosozhar and Trankov skated”

Skaters Natalia Khabibullina And Ilya Kniajouk said they felt a responsibility to perform in the short program to the music the Olympic champions skated to Tatiana Volosojar And Maxim Trankov .

On Thursday, Khabibullina and Knyazhuk became the first in the short program of the pairs sports competition of the Moscow Championship with a score of 74.57 points.

In April, the couple left Sergei Dobroskokov’s group to join Nina Moser’s coaching team. Khabibullina and Knyazhuk perform a short program this season to “Carmina Burana”. The first short program by Volosozhar and Trankova, trained under Moser, was staged to the same music.

—Why did you decide to start here?

Khabibullina: Because this launch is taking place in our city. Before the Grand Prix stages, you have to skate, try it out and see.

— If you compare it with the test skates, where did it turn out to be better?

Kniajouk: It’s much easier for us to play with an audience. It’s a bit stressful to play in front of such empty stands.

Khabibullina: We like it best when there are a lot of spectators and support. It doesn’t feel like a competition, but rather an opportunity to show our fans what we are capable of, to show how much we love everyone. And here the stands are empty, but it’s a very good start for the test screening of the programs.

— What steps are you going to take?

Kniajouk: Towards Kazan and Saint Petersburg.

— Your short program “Carmina Burana” is a sort of dedication. How did they react when they learned that there would be a dedication to Volosozhar and Trankov?

Kniajouk: We felt a certain responsibility. We know Maxim and Tatiana’s schedule.

Khabibullina: It was a little alarming to take this music. As Nina Mikhailovna (Moser) already said, we should skate no worse than Tatiana and Maxim. We will try, we will have to try hard to make it happen. We did not discuss this with Volosozhar and Trankov.

– Is it going to get more complicated?

Khabibullina: At the moment, we do not intend to complicate things. You need to deploy your content purely, then everything will be fine.

— What goals do you set for the season?

Kniajouk: The main start is the Russian Championship.

Khabibullina: Confident, clean and powerful skating.

— Isn’t there such a thing as you approach the season with the desire to regain the Russian championship?

I really would like to. We find ourselves angry with ourselves. This helps us,” reports the correspondent, according to the words of Khabibullina and Knyazhuk.

Last season, Khabibullina and Knyazhuk took fourth place at the Russian Championship and the Spartakiad of the Strongest, and became silver medalists at the stages of the National Grand Prix in Moscow and Omsk.

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