Alena Kostornaia

[vesperalvioletta]

I hope that her team will revisit the composition of her FS before IdF. She obviously did spectacularly well, and I'm so pleased for her, but I feel like her program was much more nuanced at test skates. She hit so many wonderful moments on the music, and I miss them. Since she only started landing the 3A consistently two weeks ago, I'm sure they had to sort of cobble things together, but it would be nice to see some of those touches come back.

 

[JazzUp]

Alyona and Daniil after the VC

Daniil:

Congratulations to Alyona Kostornaya on her victory in her first senior tournament and on showing her character and jumping 3 Axel! Congratulations to everyone in our #teamtutberidze. Thanks to everyone who roots for and supports us! We always feel your support!

 

[Scott512]

I was trying to undo my jinxing with this, and by not writing any post up until now, and it worked!

You practice reverse psychology like I do.

I am so happy I can't explain it! Congratulations to Aliona on that massive score, she breaks the boundaries in her own way, and I'm super excited to see what her future holds. [emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7]

for sure Alena deserves heartfelt congratulations for winning her first senior competition Finlandia. And to do it in such brilliant and beautiful style makes it even better. This year is important so is next year but the season 2 years from now is much more important because that's the Olympic season and that's when she needs to be at her healthiest and with all the tough moves like triple axels and quads incorporated into her skates. There is no need to rush things now which is why I'm a little surprised they put the triple axel in already. She's so awesome though. I don't think puberty will hurt Alena at all. I don't see her getting much bigger than maybe another inch or two and maybe five pounds heavier. But that won't break the bank with her physically.

This Grand Prix season is going to be amazing and tiny Alyiona will be a big part of it.

 

[moonstruck]

Congratulations Alena on winning gold at Finlandia, with two wonderful performances! She reminded everyone out there - never underestimate Alena Kostornaia!!

 

[JazzUp]

I hope that her team will revisit the composition of her FS before IdF.

They definitely will. I'm sure you've noticed that neither Eteri, nor her team AND the skaters themselves are ever 100% satisfied no matter how successful the current skate might have been for them

 

[Totentanz]

Congrats to Alyona! My hopes for her making the team got higher after these two clean skates. She is really a rare combination of great athleticism and artistry. Can she catch Trusova if she makes the axel triple in the short program?

 

[Azikin]

Can she catch Trusova if she makes the axel triple in the short program?

Well she got almost as many points as Trusova in Nepela, while still being quite underscored in PCS department..

 

[Frag]

Agreed.
Even if she has been technically very strong, the interpretation of the piece needs some mileage. The first part of the program feels a bit underwhelming, considering her potential (understandably so, she has major technical content section).
I have honestly been impressed by her blade skills: even towards the end of the program her edges were incredibly precise!

 

[Edwin]

Kostornaya: “ Need to improve stability. So far in my free program I did the maximum "

Russian skater Alyona Kostornaya shared her emotions after winning her first senior tournament Finlandia Trophy 2019 in Espoo.

The 16-year-old athlete won with a total of 234.84 points. The second place was taken by another representative of Russia Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva, the third was Japanese Juhan Yokoi.

Q: Your first senior tournament, your first victory, two triple axels. How do you rate your program?
A: I am very glad that I was able to improve my results, that from the first competition on I was able to prove first of all to myself, I can learn new elements and can skate them out.

Q: There was a feeling of surprises when you saw your score.
A: To be honest, I only saw the total amount.

Q: You can say that triple Axels are your signature weapon?
A: Probably, not many girls are jumping Axels yet, but it cannot be said that this is my weapon, because it is this same element that someone else can also learn. And I cannot deal with myself and not do them.

Q: How difficult is it to work in a group where the world's current strongest skaters are gathered?
A: It is very motivating to work, to go out every time to train and do better, because you see how Sasha (Trusova) jumps three, four, five quadruples. She jumps, jumps, jumps, and you stand at the boards and look on, because you've done all three triples and that's it. And Sasha jumps and jumps and jumps. Anya (Shcherbakova), too. Everyone jumps, everyone works. Naturally, it’s very disappointing when everyone does it, but you alone don’t. So you try to change something in yourself, to improve.

Q: You said that last season you had problems with learning the triple Axel, because you couldn't get yourself together mentally to work on them. Was this due to injury?
A: No. When a person who never sat behind the wheel and suddenly gets in a car, he doesn't know what to do. It is fraught with the fact that you'll kill yourself and kill people around you.

Q: Was there any fear?
A: Rather, yes, fear of getting injured.

Q: And now there isn't?
A: No.

Q: Are there any plans to strengthen your content?
A: I think it is necessary to improve stability. So far in the free program, I have done the maximum, because I don't have any elements more difficult.

Q: After the Open Test Skates, you said that you weren't sure that you would work on a triple Axel, but in the end we saw it. What was the turning point in this decision?
A: On my day off after Test Skates, I decided that something needs to be changed, I decided to try the quadruple Salchow. Dasha Pavlyuchenko helped me a lot in this, she came and said: “You can, you can.” I was upset because I skated my program badly in training. I sat at her house listless, she came up to me and told that I need to change something, so everything will work out. The next day I came to training, and Sergey Alexandrovich Rozanov suggested trying the Axel again”.

(c)Konstantin Lesik.
-----
From: https://sport24.ru/news/other/2019-...o-v-proizvolnoy-programme-ya-sdelala-maksimum

Alyona and Dar'ya, BFF's, sisters in arms, that's what friends are for. Also, Rozanov is the strong man holding the rod with harness the girls to when they need to learn ...

Kostornaya: “It would be nice if Tutberidze stood at the boarding, but she cannot be everywhere”

Q: At what point did you decide to try the Axel? After yesterday's short, you said you didn’t know yet.
A: Only about the second Axel was a question mark. If I did not get my cascade, I would not do the second Axel, the program would fall apart.

Q: Was there any kind of courage after the cascade, or is everything worked out this way?
A: In training, I performed the first jump more often, so I just skated and did as I should.

Q: Does it matter to you which of the coaches is behind the boarding?
A: Of course, it would be nice if Eteri Georgievna were here, but, unfortunately, she cannot go to all competitions. Probably, it’s not so important which coach supports you, the main thing is it's is the person who works with you.”

(c) Konstantin Lesik
-----
https://sport24.ru/news/other/2019-...yala-tutberidze-no-ona-ne-mozhet-yezdit-vezde

Apparently the interview was split in many parts? Could there be more still? There are:

Alyona Kostornaya: “I gave up my dream of becoming a doctor. If you compete and win at a high level, you won’t be able to do much else”

Russian skater Alyona Kostornaya spoke about how fast she is growing, about rivalry with Aleksandra Trusova and about her dream of becoming a doctor.

About growth

“I had to miss the last junior World Championship due to injury. During that time that I didn’t perform, I grew by 6 cm. Maybe even 3-4 were added in the last month.

Of course, changes do not pass without leaving a trace. We had to reassemble the already learned elements. Just try not to get fixated on this too much. It turns out that I’m growing only when I’m not training.”

About whether it is possible to defeat Trusova

"Everything is possible. I do not claim in the next competitions I can beat Trusova. In general, I will never allow myself to make such statements.

But you can’t say that difficult jumps alone guarantee victory in any competition. At the tournament in Japan, Aleksandra with quad quads was only six points ahead of Alina Zagitova, who had none of those in her program at all. ”

About the desire to become a doctor

“I already gave this dream up. I understand that if I want to perform at a high level in figure skating and win, I won’t be able to do something else seriously. I had to change plans”, said Kostornaya.
-----
https://www.sports.ru/figure-skating/1079095079.html

 

[eppen]

I have been watching Alena since she appeared in the juniors and hoping she will be able to continue to develop and turn into a good senior skater. I saw her live in the Moscow Europeans gala and was impressed. Friday and today I had the chance to witness her senior debut live in Espoo and I am almost at a loss for words for what I saw. In the past 5 years or so, i have seen most of the current top women skate live (some many times), but I don't think I have ever seen anyone quite like Alena. Her speed and flow on the ice are just in a class of their own, the ease she does every element is just ridiculous, but what I loved most is her refined movement, the finish of everything she does.

The SP is good, but there was some weirdness in the last part - the steps looked small, slowish and convoluted in particular. Part of the armography felt also unrelated to what she was doing in general. I think I was also hoping for the 3A to appear in it, and was slightly underwhelmed.

But she did not fail me in the FS. I did not like the test skate version of the program very much at all - I could not read the story from the movement, there was very little difference between the human and vampire Bella esp. with the quite different styles of music. I still think they should really accentuate the moment of transformation to get it to be more understandable, but the second part had been made different in movement which pleased me. It probably develops further in time. I was also delighted to see a slightly different side of her as a performer. I would not want to see her be a one trick pony when it comes to performance.

Some people did understand to give a standing o at Finlandia - I was on my feet and so was Jimmy Ma who was sitting in the row behind me.

I think she said sth about not having had the time to put the 3A into the short yet. This is quite understandable if it is really true that she started to work on it after the test skates. Also, the entry into the 2A is very particular and they would have to change a lot to make space for the 3A. But I hope they will do it, because that could be her cushion against her peers esp. in the Russian nats. None of them can add anything technically into the short, but she can get slightly ahead with a clean 3A.

Her PCS were through the roof, but for once I agree with all the highest scores Medvedeva got 27+ PCS in her senior debut for SP (what a different world that was?!), Zagitova 31+. Both went on to raise their SP components score by close to 6 points during the season - if Alena gets the same treatment she would end up at 39-40 in the short.

Looking forward to the GPs!!

E

 

[Seruleane]

I hope that her team will revisit the composition of her FS before IdF. She obviously did spectacularly well, and I'm so pleased for her, but I feel like her program was much more nuanced at test skates. She hit so many wonderful moments on the music, and I miss them. Since she only started landing the 3A consistently two weeks ago, I'm sure they had to sort of cobble things together, but it would be nice to see some of those touches come back.

I agree with this, and I'm sure her team will work on getting the choreo+nuances perfect. Aliona also strikes me as someone with meticulous attention to detail. I think this time, with the excitement of the 2 triple axels, she lost some degree of control over the step sequence and some of the other movements. It wasn't bad at all, it was just less stellar than usual. I loved her energy at the end though, and the wink she gave to the audience. This girl has sass!

 

[sclloyd]

Agreed.
Even if she has been technically very strong, the interpretation of the piece needs some mileage. The first part of the program feels a bit underwhelming, considering her potential (understandably so, she has major technical content section).
I have honestly been impressed by her blade skills: even towards the end of the program her edges were incredibly precise!

The first portion of the program did seem somewhat plain, but I think this was more due to preparing for the 3A’s as you noted, as opposed to interpretation. We saw some fantastic interpretation and some more complexity at the test skates, so the task now is to slowly reincorporate that as she gets comfortable with the new jumps.

But, with an improvement in that regard, I think she has the capacity to beat Trusova, especially if she can get a 3A in the short, and the landings are better. (Assuming the talk of Trusova also training a 3A for world’s isn’t true)

 

[Edwin]

Alyona's official FFKKR interview from Finlandia Trophy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0-IqDQNFco

You can switch on the auto generated subtitles in the language of your choice. There was lots of background noise and I could barely hear the questions.

Almost a year ago, this biography of Alyona was posted: https://sport24.ru/news/other/2018-...v-final-serii-foto-video-instagram-biografiya

 

[Lunalovesskating]

Aliona has given up on her dream of becoming a doctor in order to focus on competing at a high level.
https://twitter.com/hanyuzverev/status/1183481131594846210?s=20

 

[Seruleane]

Aliona has given up on her dream of becoming a doctor in order to focus on competing at a high level.
https://twitter.com/hanyuzverev/status/1183481131594846210?s=20

It’s a shame if she really thinks this. While I get she needs to focus on skating now, she can still probably complete her studies, get into med school, and be a neurosurgeon (or whatever doctor she chooses to be) after her skating career is complete. If she is a bit older than her other classmates, that’s ok. Many US medical schools actually like non-traditional candidates, as the life experience they gain compared to someone who just completed 4 years of college and went straight into med school is invaluable. Maybe she can look to Nathan Chen for inspiration. Debbie Thomas also went on from being an Olympic medalist in figure skating to becoming an orthopedic surgeon. So, it is possible if she really wants it. Not an easy path, but I’m sure competitive figure skaters would have what it takes in terms of competitive mindset and grit.

 

[Good Vibes Only]

I just watched Alena's free program...wow. That first triple axel combo was so good. I loved seeing her smile a little bit after the second triple axel and then fully show her joy during that last music cut after she jumped the lutz. Alena has such a special talent with her musicality. Her score was so huge and if her PCS continue to grow throughout the season then she is going to be hard to catch. I was so happy when she had the unicorns in the kiss and cry. Good job Alena and team Tutberidize, that performance gave me chills

 

[largeman]

Amazing

 

[nussnacker]

https://youtu.be/yoek2K4A6wQ
Daniil watching Alyona skate. One can say whatever they want about that team, but watching them you can tell how worried he is up until she finished.
Even at the stsq, which is a pretty easy element for a skater like Aliona, Daniil was constantly nodding through every step, saying “good”, “good”. You can tell the level of attention to details in their team is top notch, and it’s so heart warming to see them so nervous for their girls.

 

[astaphta]

I must say I for one, despite not knowing anything of Twilight (maybe because of that, actually), love this program. I thought it she skated more cohesively at Russian test skates, but here with the 3As added in, she just reaches another level. Despite the rather uninspiring music, at least in the first half, and the meh dress, her fire, energy and passion really translate in a way I never saw in her junior programs. I love the last part as well, which shows off a different side of her personality she's fun and stylish. Her skating, as usual, was mesmeric. Overall I found it enchanting.
I can't wait to see the Trusova v Kostornaia duel that will surely unfold now for the big titles!

 

[skatergurl7]

Aside from the bent picking toe and slight wrap (hope her team can fix these), literal perfection! I know she said she was training 4S in the interview, but her 3T is super high in the combo.... could be a potential next jump?