Medvedeva: in the Olympic season I will do everything strictly according to plan

- This season was pre-Olympic, - recalled the president of FFKR Alexander Gorshkov. - It started with the Grand Prix stages and on six of them, our figure skaters won seventeen medals, six of which were gold medals. In the final of the Grand Prix, Russia won two gold. The second time Evgenia Medvedeva won the first place, in pair skating she managed to get ahead of the competitors of Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov. At the World Championships, our team's assets were gold and bronze. I note that this year only six countries won medals. The struggle between the leading powers on the eve of the Olympics is exacerbated.

We should also say about the European Championships. This year we won six medals out of 12. And the next European Championship will be held in Moscow, it is scheduled for January 15-21, 2018. That is, just before the Olympics. In preparation for it, an inspection visit by the International Skating Union (ISU) will take place in mid-May.

- Is there an explanation why Maxim Kovtun is so unsuccessful at major tournaments?

- In training, he looked good but apparently does not cope with nerves. We need stability in the performance of complex elements. This is not for Kovtun. At the same time, he has two or three quads in the program, and some figure skaters do already five.

- At the World Championships, we saw how Evgenia Medvedeva was "dragged" by two canals. How are you going to defend our interests in this direction?
- You know that judging in figure skating is subjective. At the last European Championship of the year, there was an incident - the technical team changed the result in a short dance. Then there was a re-enactment. Later, the ISU decided that more should not be. Protests for judges' assessments are no longer accepted. It is clear that no one can be insured against anything. Therefore, we must be stronger than our rivals, so that superiority will not cause doubts. Like Medvedeva's.

- How will our team prepare for the Olympics?

- We are considering different options, Maybe the whole team in the final stage of preparation will be somewhere close to Pyeongchang, in the same time zone. And it's possible that the race will be stepped so that the athletes are not in the Olympic village because it's psychologically difficult. It is not excluded that the last stage will be held in this Japanese Niigata. But if there is a whole team, then we need at least one completely unloaded on time ice rink.

- And how will you prepare for the first Olympic season for you? - We are interested in the current world champion Evgenia Medvedeva.

- The next season is special so it will start earlier - in early June, - the 17-year-old sportswoman shared. - I pass the exams and return to Novogorsk.

- Will you listen to the opinions of your new program?

- Our sport is aesthetic and to hear objective opinions is very important. My main task is to do my job well and with pleasure.

- And fooling around, making extra elements, like it was in the last season, will you be again?

- No, in the Olympic season I will do everything strictly according to plan. When I jumped an extra jump during the execution of the program - it really was amateur performance. During the rental, comparing all the pros and cons, I realized that I have the opportunity to show a little more than everyone else, even realizing that because of this, estimates will be lowered. But then they made it clear to me: this is no longer worth doing.

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