- Joined
- Feb 19, 2021
what does she say about Kamila?
Team Eteri Tutberidze
- Thread starter GS Forum Staff
- Start date
She's the best skater ever and there will likely never be anyone like her.
It's quite juicy the excerpts I've read. It's all very factual and setting the record straight when asked questions. People who didn't like her to begin are going to find reasons to get upset of course.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2021
- Country
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I’m not translating from the very beginning, because Eteri’s story about her childhood, the beginning of her career and misadventures in America has already been published in another interview. Therefore, I will translate a small excerpt from this introductory part, and then I will start from the moment when Eteri was several months away from moving to Khrustalny. At that time, she managed to train several young skaters, but then Mishin took almost all of them to him, which was extremely annoying for Tutberidze.
from introductory part:
Once again I was waiting for a partner, a partner appeared, but he... Well, it was already my mistake, I freaked out again, left one coach for another, and already when I did this, I realized that I had made a mistake, because [a suitable for me] partner, and they started to persuade him to create a couple with another girl... So you make this transition, but the new coach doesn’t care about you. That is, “now you are already here, and that’s all, now I can no longer promise you anything.”
-Yeah, so this is where the stage of “courting an athlete” ends?
-Yes, and then you just remain on your own. But when you're a teenager, you don't understand this. It seems to you that since you were promised that everything in your life will now be fine, then it will be so. But the same thing is happening now: athletes leave because they are given generous promises, and after they officially appear on the ice as part of another group, it immediately turns out that no one needs them there. This happens all the time. Well, the same story happened to me.
Before coming to Khrustalny:
And then Svetlana Petrovna Kandyba calls me... The fact is that the Serebryany skating rink is located close to CSKA and I often joked that I was supposedly waiting for the next “purge” to take place in CSKA. They periodically kicked out children from the group there, and these children came to us. And very often these were not bad children. And again, some special situation arose in CSKA - it seems that the coach went on maternity leave, and her group was “cleansed”. Zhenya Medvedeva also came under this “purge”.
- Indeed?
-Yes. And so Kandyba called me and asked me to take Zhenya. She said that Zhenya’s mother also once did figure skating, apparently also at CSKA...
-And that’s how you got Zhenya?
-Yes, and then Zhenya came to us. Since Kandyba asked for her, I immediately understood: whether she is a weak figure skater or not, I will still take her, because this is a request. Well, the girl is still small, she needs to be checked...
-How old was she at that time?
-She came around the end of September, when the “purge” took place, and in November she turned seven years old. She was very thin, her legs were sluggish and weak. Looks like she could do 1A somehow.
-This is the first time I’ve heard that Medvedeva was considered “unpromising” at CSKA and they tried to get rid of her...
-Yes, she came under the “purge.”
-And how much time was left before your transfer to Khrustalny?
-Well, she came at the end of September, and just at that time it became very difficult to schedule classes at Serebryany, we did not have enough time on the ice. We needed more and more ice training because Shelepen was preparing for the Russian Junior Championships. But there is no ice, and it is impossible to travel to other skating rinks; it is impossible to prepare a program. And although we received medals in various competitions, it did not have any impact. And so I once again came to training - before that we had no ice for a whole week, and now, finally, training - but no, it was at that moment that [the owners of the rink] decided to paint the ice...
-That is, put markings on the ice?
-Yes, apply the markings, correct the previous ones - and as a result, we are again without training. I freaked out, and since this school [Sambo-70] had been calling me for a long time, I... I have a very hard time with moving, it’s stressful for me. Of course, even before this, in August, my former athletes left me, and this in itself stressed me out, and I was already thinking about moving. It’s just that I’ve already tried to come here [to Khrustalny] several times, and it seemed to me that it was very far away - while you drive through all the traffic jams, you can go crazy. Nevertheless, the current situation was so extreme that I called the director of Khrustalny and asked: “Are you ready to accept me?” He replied, “Yes, but I don’t have the authority.” It was the end of December.
[the following is an uninteresting short story about a visit to an official who solved the problem, and Eteri ended up in Khrustalny. I'll skip this and move on to the main part of the interview]
-I, of course, understand that this is very important - for there to be Olympic champions, for athletes to win, and so on, but it seems to me that for you, as a creative person, it is very important that people remember the programs. “Girl on a Ball,” for example, was memorable. If you ask me what was the first of your programs that I remember, I, of course, will name “Schindler’s List” by Lipnitskaya, because everyone remembers this coat and everyone remembers this story.
-I found this music, and then I tried to persuade her for a long time, looking for a choreographer for this music.
-Well, it’s important for you that programs subsequently exist, regardless of whether the skater was able to become a champion with this program or not.
-Of course, when you are producing a program, it is very important for you to get a response from the audience. For me, the last program that received such a strong response was Kamila Valieva’s Olympic short program.
-I was told this story... At Kamila’s short program, as you know, there were no ordinary spectators, but the eyewitnesses who were present told me this. And everyone who was in the ice palace at that moment - stewards, journalists, everyone who was nearby - they ran to look at this program, because they understood that they had to witness some kind of miracle. And as they say, at the almost empty skating rink there was such an incredible, tense atmosphere, an atmosphere of inspiration - everyone wanted to touch the history, this short program.
-It even seems to me that these children... In any case, I call them children, just as for a mother her children remain children, even if they are already 50-60 years old. So it seems to me that our children sometimes don’t even understand what exactly they are skating. Maybe it's not even fair that we convey our own, already lived stories through them. When this succeeds, when you manage to convey and explain through their gestures how it should be done, what you need to feel... And sometimes it happens that you look and still think: “No, here we need to do it differently, we need to show this look differently , change the gesture - then it will reach the audience.”
-Do you understand that you are moving this sport forward? Well, for example - as I already said, I myself was in Pyeongchang for women's single skating and I saw what an incredible discussion there was about the fact that Alina Zagitova had all her jumping elements moved to the second part of the program. That is, no one, when they came up with the rule (about bonuses for jumping in the second part), even imagined that this was possible and that...
- That someone uses this rule?
-Certainly. Nobody expected that it would be used literally 100%. And after that there was an incredible discussion, and you forced to change this rule, so that now only three jump elements can be transferred to the second half of the program and receive an appropriate bonus for them. How did you come up with this, how did this idea come about?
-I kept thinking... They tell me that I or our entire team moved this sport forward. But in fact, we weren’t moving anywhere, we were always trying to dodge the competition, somehow get a number of points that would allow us to break away from our rivals as much as possible. In the beginning it was a story with jumps in the second half of the program, it was an attempt to make the most of the 1.1 factor by which the base value of the element is multiplied. Then, when you realize that this is no longer enough, you begin to insert quadruple jumps [into the program]. Well, insert it if possible, because not every athlete is capable of this. That is, in principle, we avoid competition every time.
-And every time they come up with new and new things against you: “Yeah, now you won’t perform all the jumps in the second half,” or...
-Well, yes, or the value of quadruple jumps was taken and reduced.
- And they just took the quads and removed them from the short program.
-No, this was not in the short program before.
-Well, okay, that means they didn’t include these elements in the short program, which is actually illogical. Why is this allowed for men, but not for girls, only the triple axel can be performed as the best element, that is, they constantly limited you.
-Although the triple axel is one of the most difficult elements for girls.
-You know, I sometimes go to sports.ru to laugh at the comments, and...
-Oh, this sports.ru – they just [infuriate] me.
-I'm not talking about that now. You understand that now the community of figure skating fans is even more aggressive and, as it seems to them, more knowledgeable than the community of football fans, which generally seems impossible. And you understand because of whom this happened? Because of you.
-I don’t know who caused this, it’s just...
-Because it was you who raised Olympic champions, you raised interest in figure skating to an incredible level. And today, when I read in the comments something like: “Here was underrotated jump,” I see that now everyone considers himself an expert. Previously, no one could distinguish a toe loop from an axel, but now they are even trying to determine in the comments whether the spin was performed at the 4th level of difficulty. They talk about underrotation, the position of the skater's foot, and so on. That is, you are actually your work... That is, you, of course, just worked, but at the same time you created a huge audience of people who argue, quarrel among themselves, consider themselves experts, bring their children, especially girls, to figure skating...
-Now they are bringing fewer children...
-Well, that’s understandable, the circumstances are a little different now. Fine. Have you watched the series “The Last Axel”?
-No.
-You didn’t look. But surely you've heard about it?
-I didn’t watch it, but yes, I heard about it. It’s just that when this advertisement started and I realized that they were trying to parody me at some points...
-But it was not a parody...
- It disgusted me, and that’s why I didn’t watch a single episode and don’t want to do it.
-You may not look, but this is already such popularity that exists outside of you and outside of your desires. That is, the image of a person is really copied from you...
-Well, how can this be copied from me?!
-They tried to copy it from you. Well, you don’t go out in a black scarf...
-Well, I also sometimes go to this sports.ru and read some comments. That's when I read some deputy Teryushkov, if I remember his name correctly... Is there such a deputy?
-Yes, he exist. By the way, he worked at the Khimki football club.
-Well, I don't know him. And so I read what he said: “This Tutberidze comes into the skating rink, the children greet her, and she tells them all to go to hell, and even uses obscene language.” And how should I perceive this? Who are you anyway? I haven't seen you in person. Am I crazy to go into the skating rink with all that?
-Well, you understand that these are the costs of popularity...
-No, he’s giving an interview, and then there’s...
-You give birth to myths and legends.
-If we talk about legends, then the figure skating legend Rodnina also tells some stories about me, and Bestemyanova did the same. I respect them all, I couldn't achieve what they achieved. And so they talk about how cruelly I train [athletes]. Well, find the strength and time, come to the skating rink and sit and watch at least one training session. Why are you talking about training without seeing it, without knowing anything about it - how is that even possible? It's a lie!
-Eteri Georgievna, this is because you have radically increased the level of sports - and now everyone wants to find some flaws in your work...
-Flaws that could explain [the results obtained].
-Yes, they want to understand how you did it - you’re not Olympic champion Rodnina, you’re not even deputy Teryushkov...
- You know, all these Olympic champions, as a rule, are less diligent in their subsequent work, because they have already reached their maximum - so why do they need to scoop up this shit here with spoons? They don't need it.
-This happens in all sports. It’s the same in football - former football players speak disparagingly about me as a coach, they say that I’m a random person who, for some unknown reason, ended up in my position. Nobody saw that I started training children, that I had a long and hard journey, that my mother did the laundry, cooked food and cleaned for these children. Well, it’s the same thing that happened to you - you also started with children. But they always want to say about me: “undeservedly, unfairly, there is no need to idealize a person” - although it is necessary to idealize a person who, thanks to his work, has reached such a high level.
Therefore, I will now ask you the most pressing question from all these admirers of yours in quotes. Can?
-Well, try it. What if I answer the way I sometimes want to answer?
-You are free to do whatever you want. In this interview you are a queen, and in life too. The main complaint against you from the “community” is this: the sports path of Tutberidze’s students is a very short period of time. They say that with your methods you slow down sexual development in girls, they do not reach puberty, and at this age they are most easily able to do jumps and spins, and setting up a program in general. You get the best out of girls and then they end their careers. Examples are Lipnitskaya, Zagitova, Medvedeva...
-Medvedeva performed at the Olympics when she was 18 years old!
-Well, I’m not saying that I think so...
-She came to me when she was less than seven years old. Well, now calculate the duration of her journey with me to the Olympics.
-Well, that is, this is a myth that is simply spread [through the media]?
-Firstly, about sexual development. Please watch the warm-up of the strongest group of figure skaters at the 2018 Olympics. In which of them can one notice developed female breasts? Only Zagitova and Medvedeva. Then who inhibits sexual development?
-Who is the youngest Olympic champion? Tara Lipinski, with whom you, fortunately or unfortunately, have nothing to do.
-Yes, and she ended her career immediately. And then this path - so I counted, it turns out that Zhenya Medvedeva’s path to the Olympics lasted almost 13 years - and this is only with me, but she was also in figure skating before me.
-She was in figure skating both before you and after you. And although not entirely successful, she still received a bronze medal at the World Championships, when Orser was her coach.
-Yes, she could... It’s just that, in fact, everything was always quite difficult for her. I always emphasized the fact that she is a workaholic, and I understood that as much as she worked with us, she would not work anywhere else, because there would not be the same conditions and such opportunities. That’s why everything was much more difficult for her later.
What else was there? What is their shortcut? No, this path is not short. If they, having received a medal, then no longer want to work as hard, what should I do? Should I force them?
-This is the main point.
-Fine. Here is Alina Zagitova. In order to skate like she did at the Olympics... After the Olympics, even at the World Championships where she won gold, she was no longer in such good shape. So - no lies - in order to skate like at the Olympics, she came to the skating rink at 8 o'clock in the morning and went home at 9-10 o'clock in the evening. All this time she either worked in the gym or on the ice. Before the choreography, she had an hour and a half of general physical training. Then this choreography, then training on the ice, then stretching, then work in the gym again, then training on the ice again, then general physical training again, and at the end of the exercise so that the muscles cool down. She lived in this mode for a year and a half in order to get into the top of the best skaters.
- And if she had not lived in such a regime, she would not have made it to the top?
-No. For her, this was the only way. She had to train a lot to stay in shape. So many. That is, in order to conduct choreography classes normally, she needed an hour and a half of general physical training with ropes and other exercise equipment. Well, think for yourself - why should I force her to continue living in this way? She is tired. And in a softer mode she would not have had such a result. Do I need to force her? Maybe I need to deprive her of something to get her back to training?
After they take the medals, the main ones for them, it is their decision - to continue training in the same mode, or not to train. Living in such a regime when she comes home at 10 o’clock in the evening and goes to bed... Plus you still don’t allow yourself to eat anything extra, you don’t allow yourself to go anywhere. She went to bed in order to get up on time and come here again. And she lived this way for the sake of a goal - that is, for the sake of the Olympics.
-My personal opinion, as a coach... Your explanation is quite logical, but many of them, in order to become Olympic champions, have to work in such a regime that then, when you already have this medal, you think: “Why do I need this again?"
-Probably, it’s not even a question of “Why?”. They just don’t do anything... Well, let’s be honest - they don’t study at school, they don’t see anything at all in their lives while they go to these medals. They see nothing except the gym, choreography room and ice. And then ice again. Some more physical procedures, because everything hurts. Everything hurts! Alina’s feet were so bloody during the Olympic season that I felt nauseous when she took off her shoes. But I didn’t tell her about it, because if you make it clear that it’s bad, then she might not find the strength to tolerate it. I don't understand how she tolerated it. All this was for the sake of one goal - for the sake of the Olympics, in order to perform well. They don’t skate in order to... In general, I think it’s a little wrong to go specifically for a medal. You need to show your best skate - this is main goal. You still won't be able to jump above your head.
-All your athletes always say this: “I’m glad that I had the best possible skate”...
- That's how it should be! Here are two athletes who were going for a medal, but their results were not as good as they could have been. This is Zhenya Medvedeva, who went for a medal, not for a skate, and...
-And Sasha Trusova?
-And Sasha Trusova. She also went for a medal, not for a skate. Therefore, their result did not coincide with their desire. Well, then, there is one thing that they do not fully understand - in reality, our life is decorated by the path to the goal, and not by the goal itself. Because after achieving this goal... Well, this is how Anna Shcherbakova said: “It seemed to me that after I received a gold medal, I would wake up every day and feel the happiest, but this is not the case, there is just emptiness”...
-And after the Lipnitskaya medal, do you wake up every day the happiest?
-After the Lipnitskaya medal? No, for me it was the other way around; I immediately realized that Yulia would not skate well in individual competitions. Having received a medal in the team tournament, she told her mother that it was all over.
-Perhaps it’s not the most pleasant topic – successful students who then choose some other path. This was with Lipnitskaya, whose name was associated only with you, this was the story with Medvedeva, and before the 2022 Olympics there were stories with Trusova and Kostornaya. That is, from the outside it seems that the athletes who went their entire way without throwing from side to side are Alina Zagitova, Anna Shcherbakova and Kamila Valieva, that is, three athletes. How did you even experience it? I understand that after something like this you can literally lie down and die. You just said that you were upset about the girls and boys who went to Mishin, and now the Olympic champion and medalists are leaving.
-Yes, at the same time you get upset, you get very upset.
-You justified them, you understood this, maybe you thought that the reason was their age? Or was there some other reaction?
-Well, let's start with Yulia Lipnitskaya. Her mother loosened her control a little after the Olympics. Maybe it was even right. Julia is a complex girl with a complex character...
-Are there any simple girls?
-Well, some are a little simpler, but some are really very complex.
-And she was very difficult?
-Yes, she was difficult, she was capable, at the age of 11, of simply turning around and telling the invited choreographer to go to hell - because she didn’t want to work with him, and she couldn’t be convinced. That is, it was necessary to find an approach to Yulia. However, that's not the point. I will not force anyone to work in the mode that is required in order to achieve some goal. I won't force you. The skater is offered conditions - if you want, then there is a warm-up, choreography, training. If an athlete begins to shirk the loads, or he appears on the ice and does nothing, I’m not talking about Yulia specifically, these are general considerations, but to some extent this also applies to her. At some point she began to go into conflict. I think there are a lot of “good people” around. They wrote to her: “Go away, you need to change your coach!” And then they also wrote to Zhenya that she needed to change her coach, “the coach put you in a losing position”...
-Who wrote this?
-Assholes!
-That's the point. Who are these people?
-If I now name one of these people, well, I probably shouldn’t name him.
-As you wish. But I want to say - they were not able to appreciate... We will now return to Lipnitskaya, but not a single student of yours who left you has ever achieved anything anywhere. And Zhenya Medvedeva at the 2019 World Championships was so happy about the bronze medal, as she had not been happy about gold medals before.
-Although she lost to an athlete from Kazakhstan.
-Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. Don’t they understand that they are growing with this coach, that he gives them so much? Parents should probably understand.
-I don't even know. Probably, at some point they begin to think that they have achieved everything on their own. I am sure that if Zhenya Medvedeva sincerely digs into her head... She and I know this truth, we both know this truth. Maybe even Dudakov and the others don’t know this. We achieved some things together, together with her. And we must give her credit - she knew her problem areas very well. And if it is difficult for some other athlete to explain that she is making a mistake in some place, then Zhenya immediately understood everything; she did not need for detailed explanations. Therefore, it is strange to me that there were these interviews about the “new family”, or simply about the family, about the fact that she found this family there.
Well, okay, they all leave and they immediately have an individual approach and “new families”, they are loved, and Sasha is also loved there, “in the family”. They probably still love her.
-They loved, and then, accordingly...
-Well, no, she’s still talking about her new family...
-Well, let’s do this, Eteri Georgievna...
-Firstly, the one who loves you is not the one who strokes you, kisses you and tells you how great you are and “how great everything will be with you and me.” The one who leads you to medals loves you. Maybe she forced you to do something, maybe she scolded you, maybe she didn’t listen to your complaints about how bad you were feeling, but simply turned on music for you and made you perform the program again. The one who loves you is the one who spends her nerves, her strength, part of her life on you. He wastes his energy, which no one can replenish later. That's who really loves you.
-Here athletes need to decide on a goal - either they want to just skate, or...
-They don’t understand this, they think that there another coach hugged her, said something [affectionate] to her, smiled at her - this is love. But here the coaches don’t smile at her, which means they probably don’t love her.
-Lipnitskaya, as you said, has a complex character, after the Olympics...
-She began to gradually move away from me. My last tournament with her was when I already knew for sure that she was leaving - it was the Grand Prix stage in France, where the skaters performed only a short program, after which there was some kind of attack or some kind of explosion - and they gave away medals athletes based on the results of the short program. So, for this Grand Prix in France, despite the fact that she behaved somewhat distantly towards me, I planned to go with her, because it was honest. I used to always be with her when she received medals, and I had to go with her in this case, too, when I probably would have had to eat shit with spoons with her. The fact is that she was definitely not ready to perform the free program. In this sense, what happened was even beneficial for her.
And just imagine - tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we already need to go to France. My sister has been living in this country for a long time, which I have talked about more than once before. She knew that I would come, she bought us plane tickets, she booked a hotel room, assuming that I could spend part of the time with her. And then there was a phone call, and from the federation they told me: “Dudakov will go to this stage of the Grand Prix with Yulia, not you. That’s what Yulia wanted.” And at this time Yulia is on the ice right in front of me and I am working with her. Well, even if that’s what you wanted, come up to me and say: “Eteri Georgievna, I’ll feel easy this way, allow me to go with Sergei Viktorovich.” That's why the federation should call me and tell me about this?
And so Dudakov went. And immediately I read on the Internet in the comments: “What a bastard she is, this Eteri, she left Yulka to the mercy of fate”...
-But she immediately went to Urmanov, right?
-Yes, and immediately after returning from this stage of the Grand Prix, she already announced that she was leaving for Urmanov, who... That is, when Yulia brought a bouquet of flowers and said: “Thank you so much for everything you did,” as soon as the door closed behind her door, I looked into the media - and there was already a huge article by Vaitsekhovskaya, in which Urmanov gives her an interview. And he says that he has already made a plan to work with Yulia for the year ahead. Seriously? So fast?
Therefore, it was more of a joke when they later said that when leaving, you should give the coach at least a bouquet and a chocolate bar. I said something similar about Zhenya Medvedeva, because at one time we helped her sell an apartment somewhere on Rizhskaya, buy another apartment not far from here, make renovations there - all this so that it would be easier and closer for her to get to the ice rink palace She lived here in a neighboring house, so it was not difficult for her to just walk to the skating rink and thank not even me personally, but the school, which did a lot for her, solved all her problems, helped with exams at school and with everything else. Why is all this forgotten?
-Okay, Eteri Georgievna. You said that they did not study, they do not have such a good education, they are very young. At the same time, they are ambitious, and they have many “advisers”. I'm not making excuses, but...
-Very often we have ambitious parents, and then this is somehow passed on to the children. That is, it is somehow interconnected.
-For me, this was an incredible story: a trio of figure skaters preparing for the Olympics, as it seemed to me then. I still didn’t know anything about Valieva, who was a junior. These are Kostornaya, Shcherbakova and Trusova. And they end the season like this: Kostornaya wins everything, including the Grand Prix final, and...
-Kostornaya withdrew from the Junior World Championships.
-No, I’m talking about senior competitions, before transferring on to Plushenko. When the two of them transfered there, before that Kostornaya won absolutely everything with her triple axels and excellent programs. That is, the three figure skaters who, as I then thought, were supposed to go to the Olympics were Kostornaya, Trusova and Shcherbakova.
-We thought so too then...
-And Kostornaya is the best. Trusova jumps everything that is possible and everything that is impossible, and it’s even difficult to find words. And then two of these three leave, and...
-Moreover, I’ll add it now. I also made some plans in my head. I was thinking about the Olympic team tournament, about who should compete there. And I already understood that Kostornaya would perform the short program, because she has a triple Axel, because she skates differently than others.
-It was completely impossible to get ahead of Alena in the short program.
-Yes.
-And what happened? I think it was such a stress and such a challenge for you, and the next season becomes Shcherbakova’s season. She wins everything, she is ahead of both Kostornaya and Trusova - but she had never been able to do this in adult competitions before [this is an obvious mistake by the interviewer - by the beginning of the 2020-21 season, Shcherbakova was already a two-time champion of Russia and was always ahead of Trusova in adult tournaments]. And, accordingly, the other two girls return back a year later, realizing that they may not only not win anything at the Olympics, but simply not get there...
-Wait, at this time Kamila Valieva is already starting to appear...
- Of course, someone always starts appearing for you. Even now you have Bazylyuk. But how was it? When someone criticizes you, I want to say: this coach's figure skaters perform excellently, then they leave, already having a certain status, having received a high rank, they are known as real superstars, the best skaters in the world - and a year after leaving they fall apart. And the one they beat, the one who remained on Tutberidze’s coaching staff - she becomes the best. Moreover, she subsequently wins the Olympics. It is clear that the story with Valieva occupies a separate place here, but nevertheless. Did you internally celebrate [Shcherbakova’s victory]?
-Oh no, in such cases you don’t celebrate anything. On the contrary, the best...
-I won’t believe that you didn’t enjoy it. And that the Russian Championship and the World Championship were a special event for you when Plushenko had them and lost to Shcherbakova.
-Well, for me it was a kind of “revenge”.
-This is professional...
-This is the best dish you can present.
-Well, this is so obvious that all the critics should have simply fallen silent after these transitions to Plushenko and the reverse transitions. What happened then?
-Sashka came and, as usual, looked with such a “guilty” look, a little averting her eyes to the side. Her eyes wander a little when she can't look at you. She said: “I don’t know, I’m kind of just tired of everything, I need a change of scenery somehow.” I tell her: “Are you saying that you are tired of us?” She replied, “Well, yes.”
-And when she returned, you asked her how she to rested? Maybe she's missed for you?
-And I already realized at the World Championships that she would return, because she began to no longer look away, but, on the contrary, to look for that gaze.
-I know what is it.
-And she was already looking for my gaze. I already realized that she would return. And moreover... I don’t know, she somehow didn’t behave very nicely towards her coach. She ran away from him, and he ran after her, trying to pretend that he was with her, but in reality she was not with him. She warmed herself up before the performance, prepared herself, went out on the ice and didn’t even come up to him. And from training she herself took her things and left. It wasn't pretty, but it was clear. At this moment she was already looking at me. I knew they had an obvious conflict. It was readable.
-Let’s take Kamila Valieva “out of the brackets” for a while. What would the top three medalists at the Olympics be like if Trusova and Kostornaya had stayed with you?
-It’s difficult for me to give an exact answer. Before Sasha left, she declared very difficult content for herself. We had to deal with it, and it’s difficult when an athlete says: “I want to jump this, this and this.”
-So she actually created a work plan for you?
-Yes. And we tried to explain to her that for now this is physically and functionally unrealistic, because here, after all, the brain must quickly reconfigure from one jump to another. It's such hard work. And so she told us this content, saying that she wants to perform exactly this and nothing less. We couldn’t cope with this, we couldn’t “digest” such content, and before the 2020 World Championship, which was eventually canceled due to coronavirus, we published a video of her new program for the first time, because she was able to achieve a clean skate . And this, of course, produced a “Wow!” effect.
-Still would. How many quadruple jumps did she have in that program?
-It was approximately the same program as at the Olympics.
-But she also had a triple axel!
-At that time she was able to do this jump a little better, but then she somehow lost it. But she didn’t want to skate the program without a triple Axel. In this case, we were also not sure that we needed to dissuade her, because one day she listened to us, refused the triple axel - and she had a step-out on the double axel. And this is a gross mistake, you immediately lose three points and move away from the podium. That day she left the ice, angry with us and said: “My program cannot be simplified. If I do this, I will lose concentration and will make a mistake anyway.” She was very angry after finishing her performance.
-She always said that the double axel is a very simple jump. I remember how often she repeated this.
-It's true, for her it is so.
-That’s why she was throwing between a double and a triple axel in her head – that’s probably why this step-out happened.
-Well, it happened differently for her. At the worlds, where she took third place, she also made a mistake, it seems, on a combination in the short program, and as a result fell below tenth position. That is, she really shouldn’t simplify the program, probably.
-Could Trusova still win [at the Olympics]?
-Now, if everything had developed as it did at that time [at the beginning of 2020], then perhaps Sasha Trusova would have won, because she became more and more perfect, she really improved.
-And when they returned, what state were they in? And how did you even find the strength to say: “Okay, I’m taking you back”?
-Well, Sashka always continued to train and do physical exercises. It’s just when you are already less disciplined... You see, there is such a truly golden phrase: “Discipline determines the result.” That's all. And when the necessary discipline is not there, when you can already afford different things, you can go to choreography or not go, go to modern or not go, when they have already “let you go”, considering you old enough, it is very difficult to go back to your previous course. And this makes the result a little worse.
-When they returned, I argued with different people and said: “No, Eteri Georgievna will not take them back.”
-Why? For example, if Zhenya Medvedeva returned a month or two after she left, I think we would talk to her and I would invest everything I have in her. Just like I invest in other athletes. But I don’t have that kind of thing – “I won’t take it back, I won’t forgive you.” If an athlete comes to me... Can you imagine what it’s like for the athlete himself? They are all so proud, they love themselves much more than us, and for them it is humiliating to come to me like this.
-So you appreciated this act [return]?
-Yes, I understand how difficult it is. At one time, I myself could not take such a step when they called me and said: “You are being called back.” It was already a year after I left, I was already in America. They told me that they were calling me back - and I imagined that I would have to come now, and somehow I would have to look the coach in the eyes. Despite the fact that they told me: “You have a partner, everything will be fine, just come back,” I could not do it. It seemed to me that the coach would hate me, and I didn’t take this step. And they did.
-I will now give a very small example from my own biography. When I won my first trophy at a serious level - it was the Russian Cup, and we beat CSKA - it seemed like a victory, everything was great, but on the same day I had a very serious fight with the leading player of the team, Alan Dzagoev. And it seems like you are standing on the pedestal, you have this Russian Cup, but the thought has stuck in your head that we had a quarrel with Dzagoev, and to put it mildly, we actually quarreled to death. So - the last two Olympics, Kiss & Cry, and it would seem - the job is done, Olympic gold was won, you led people to victory, to medals, two of your students are on the podium in both 2018 and 2022, but as I understand it, there was a huge the problem was also at the 2018 Olympics - I don’t know where exactly in Kiss&Cry, or somewhere else - with Zhenya, who could not cope with her emotions and nerves, did not come to terms with the fact that she became second, and so on. And now history repeats itself in Beijing - and then the whole world saw what Trusova did in this Kiss&Cry...
-She didn’t do this in Kiss&Cry, it was a little further away...
-Well, that is, everyone saw it. If in 2018 we can only guess about what happened (if you want to tell us, then do it), but in Beijing everything was open. What happened, and how can you even compare that big goal that you have been working towards for four years, and this behavior of your other student?
- To be honest, I couldn’t be happy at all. Not because I’m not happy for Anya. I congratulated her, although I was accused of not congratulating her. It’s just that the events that happened before, all of this so overshadowed the victory. But let's start with Zhenya Medvedeva.
-Let's.
-It was like this: the season begins and some metamorphoses begin with Zhenya herself and with her mother. You feel how they are moving away from you. And someone begins to influence the athlete’s opinion, someone begins to influence the athlete’s behavior. And you understand that this is an external influence.
-And all this happens during the Olympic season, when...
-Yes, Olympic season.
-She was already a two-time world champion and dominated figure skating for two seasons.
-Yes. For some reason, Tatyana Anatolyevna [Tarasova] suddenly decided to interfere in her preparation and began to give her some advice. It’s not for me to give advice, but for Zhenya right away. Well, you can call me, come, give your advice here. But no, the advice came from somewhere behind my back. The influence on the athlete begins, the impact on her. That was all, and she approached the Olympics, frankly speaking, not being so sincere with us. And it seems to me that I spoke several times about the “clean tail”, but here it is exactly what happened. It wasn’t that she became an alien to us, she was no longer with us a little.
-But I’m wondering, when you feel that an athlete is moving away – do you switch to another athlete or not?
-No, I’m not switching to anyone, you’re just trying to do something in the current situation. That is, an athlete comes to you - and at first she doesn’t want to weigh herself, then she immediately gains an extra kilogram and a half. I don’t know how this is even possible in one day; you still have to be able to gain so much weight. Moreover, this is done intentionally, and her mother also supports her, and you suddenly understand: that’s it, time is up, there are still two or three weeks left until the next stage of the Grand Prix, and at this stage there will be selection for the finals, and we have countless underrotations. And all this hysteria begins during training. And all you have to do is go with the flow, do what is useful that can be done directly today. Or, let’s say, today we have a free program run-through, because it’s time to go to the competition, and the athlete refuses to do the free program run-through. And again, this is very strange behavior, because you have been with this athlete for 13 years, this has never happened before, as if this person was replaced.
-The chemistry is lost, and this is very important... Well, okay, here is the Olympics, and she loses. Conditionally loses, in fact it is a victory. You did a miracle, because she did it after such an injury. She still skates great, everything is fine...
-No, she didn't skate great. Perhaps this is the consequences of the injury, but for her it was one of the worst skates she has had in recent times.
-Yes, but she’s crying with happiness there...
-She cries with happiness, because it was still a very difficult path. It was really very difficult, and it was no longer clear to me how to get her out of this state of hysteria and stress.
-Alina becomes an Olympic champion. What is happening at this moment with you and Zhenya?
-Well, Zhenya has already started with us... Well, somehow she began to move away from us even more during the preparation for the Olympics. We were in Japan for a training camp, and she had already clearly distanced herself. There she became friends with Ekaterina Bobrova and it was as if Zhenya became a different girl. It's as if she's not answering you the way she should. As if she deliberately wanted to create a conflict, but there is no time for conflicts here. All this is very strange, because it probably didn’t come from Zhenya. And then I asked the federation to put us in an apartment. And there, at the Olympics, there were apartments with three rooms.
And then Zhenya comes up to me on the day of moving in and says: “I can’t live with you.” Why? I won't talk about this reason because it's not a pretty reason. And that’s it - I started to worry that now someone would be moved in with us, and it wouldn’t be very good: Alina Zagitova, me and some other person. But, thank God, no one moved in with us, so we lived together. That is, at that moment Zhenya also seemed to be trying to pull away. I don’t know why, but it seems to me that this did not have any positive effect on her skating. Because I lacked purity and sincerity in her skating. That’s what I lacked, but I’m demanding, I see it all thoroughly. I saw that she could do better. And she could have performed the short program much better.
-Well, how did she react to the silver medal?
-Well, she was there, in Kiss&Cry, and started congratulating us on the gold medal. She said that we did everything to ensure that Alina took first place. We really did everything to ensure that Alina became the first, but at the same time we did everything to ensure that Zhenya became the first too.
-Was that sarcasm on her part?
-I repeat once again - we cannot lead athletes to places on the podium, we can lead to better skating. If, for example, we have already laid a certain reserve in this skating in advance, then in the future, naturally, my dream and the dream of the whole team is for the athletes to compete at the tournament and show their best program, and let the judges deal with the distribution of places.
-So your task is to ensure that each of them performs their best program at the Olympics, at the most important start of the season?
-Yes, the best performance at the most important competition - and then how the places will be distributed is another question. Yes, this statement to her was sarcastic, and then she did not want to communicate with us. We then tried to talk to her and approached her, but she was already there talking with Orser. At that moment, oddly enough, I almost didn’t react to this. It’s not that I didn’t attach any importance to it, but somehow... Of course, it was unpleasant, but I couldn’t say for sure that she was already going to leave. It's a hard decision after all...
-After this Olympics, probably the biggest Internet bomb of all possible exploded. Fans of Zagitova and Medvedeva - what they did online was simply something incredible.
-I was then accused of publishing correspondence on the Internet, but this was not the case. I was asked a question because Zhenya said somewhere in an interview that no one tried to contact her, that we did not try to talk to her. And it was a lie, because I tried, I texted her many times, I called her. And there was a moment when I called her mom. I asked her: “Zhanna, what’s going on?” At the same time, I hear that Zhenya is somewhere nearby. I knew that the two of them went to filming together. That's why I called her mom, knowing that Zhenya would be somewhere next to her. I asked to pass the phone to Zhenya, but her mother replied: “Don’t involve me in your affairs, these are your affairs and your showdowns,” and immediately interrupted the call.
-Well well!
-Yes…
-Well, then we know this story - Brian Orser, Zhenya’s statements about how cool and wonderful all this is, but, in essence, this was the end of her career.
-Well, no, I think that the end of her career [has nothing to do with this]. It’s just that things were heading towards this – she’s been at the top for so many years, but that’s also hard.
-Well, now the second story – Trusova. Everyone has seen this story and it’s probably easier to tell about it here.
-She had a fixed idea that if she performed her free program cleanly, then with a 100% probability she would become the winner.
-Even with such a short program, with this lag in the score?
-She believed that in the free program she would score 20 points more than her closest rival and that would decide everything. Probably, the athlete does not realize that in one place there was a step-out, in another the level of the element was reduced. But it all adds up, point after point accumulates. Plus the fact that the basic value of quadruple jumps has been reduced [in this Olympic cycle]. And even completed quads are not rated as highly as we would like.
In general, I do not agree with the reduction in the basic value of quadruple jumps. I completely disagree. I think 4Lz should cost a lot more than it does now. And the fact that mistakes are made on quads... Well, Sasha Trusova once took second place at the junior stage of the Grand Prix (Kostornaya took first place). At that time, Sasha’s second 4Lz, on which she fell, received a score of 0.19 points. And I wanted to ask the judges: are you serious? Well, what is it? It turns out that I can just skate beautifully, receiving 0.25 points for components from each judge. Just skip a jump, do a beautiful pirouette towards the judges and blow them a kiss - and for this they will give more than for 4Lz? Yes, there was a fall, but this is a quadruple lutz! Are you crazy? What kind of ratings are these anyway?
I talked about this with Lakernik, asked him how this was possible. Well, they came up with this - if after the first jump it was not possible to complete the cascade, it turned out to be REP, and a fall was added. But this is all nonsense, I don’t agree. They should reconsider this. Otherwise, what's the point of taking risks, working as hard as you can, if it costs nothing. Well, I'm a coach, but then I didn't agree with her second place in the Grand Prix final, because I think she should have been in first place. I showed it, I swore, I tried to explain that this could not possibly be rated at 0.19 points.
-Fine. She had already imagined this 20-point gap over her rivals – and it didn’t work out.
-Yes, and she didn’t get that either. That is, she believed that the results of the short program were not so important - if she performed her free program, she would become an Olympic champion. Therefore, for some period of time she had this reaction. But this is Sasha! She also pushed me away there, pushed me, and then in the locker room she started throwing her skates at me, taking them off her feet, and I dodged these skates. Well, Sashka is like that! (smiles)
To be continued...
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part 2:
-I would like to talk about Kamila Valieva. Can you tell us something? At least something – it was such a shock for everyone.
-You know, I was turning over possible options and questions in my head. If the truth ever came out... Firstly, I would like everyone involved in the process to be tested with a lie detector. Because I want to know the truth. I want to know where it came from, what it even is, why and how. I have a lot of questions and I think that I will probably never get answers, and I have to live with this somehow.
-To begin with, I have a very simple question: how is a conditionally not clean athlete...
-How did such an athlete get to the Olympics?
-Yes, I have exactly this question.
-You know, when the teams of the USA, Canada, Japan - no matter which country - go to the Olympics [this is led by the president of the national federation]. And, firstly, we do not have access to the athletes’ personal accounts, where any documents with test results are located. But we know for sure that if they are admitted to the Olympics, this means that they are all clean. Once they arrived there, they received a special Olympian passport. Further, when the Americans, Canadians and others decide who will compete in the team tournament, they can choose any athlete. This is being kept secret, because if, say, we find out that the US team did not choose the strongest athletes, maybe we will do the same, we will not use our trump cards. But since no one knows anything, everyone usually tries to field the strongest. Well, because you don't know who's going to be there, whether they choose Nathan Chen or not.
And everyone is guessing - this is how it is in any team. But what difference does it make if it is implied that all these athletes are clean? How did it happen that an athlete whose tests were stuck in the laboratory got to the Olympics?
-Theoretically, she could get tested after her performance and after the fact they could say: “he came clean, but already at the Olympics she took doping.”
-Wait please. After the Russian Championships, she took tests at the European Championships. In this case, the results were obtained - everything was clear. Then she took the test again - everything was also clear. After that, she was tested at the Olympics after the short program in the team tournament, and then she was tested again - and in all cases she was clean. And I have a question: if her old analysis was stuck, how was she allowed to continue to further competitions and to the Olympics? They must to do everything they could to verify this analysis in order for the results to be ready. Such an athlete simply should not have been allowed into the Olympic village. This shouldn't have happened.
-Then why did this happen?
-That is, my personal opinion is this: I believe that there should be no revision of the results of the team tournament at all. Whose fault is it that such an athlete took part in the competition? Is this our mistake? No. Was the athlete clean at the Olympics? Yes. How did she end up there (in Beijing) - to whom is this question - to WADA, to whom, I don’t even know. Maybe this is a question for laboratories? Let them then print new medals or do what they want, but it's their fault. This is absolutely not the team’s fault, because we had an athlete, she should have been clean, she performed, she was clean at this competition - which means the results should not be revised.
-It's clear.
-It's my opinion. Then - let's say, if they said that she was found to have doping on February 2, 3, 4, 5 - Anna and Sasha would have competed in the team tournament. And the overall result would be exactly the same. They would have won
-Certainly. Did you even know that there was something wrong with testing at the Russian Championship? Or did you know nothing?
-No, I only knew that all my athletes, all three prize-winners, would be strictly tested for doping and that some of the other skaters who took lower places would be tested.
-Does this happen all the time?
-For the first three this is strictly mandatory, and in general this is done at all competitions. The winner is checked accurately, and at the Russian championships all three winners are necessarily tested. My daughter Diana and her partner Gleb are also subject to this rule. They took second place. They were not yet in the doping control pool, but they were immediately notified that they should enroll in the pool. It’s not that easy; you need to undergo authorization within a strictly defined time frame. As far as I remember, they had to do this by December 28, 2021. And already on January 4 at five in the morning the doorbell rang and doping officers came. Subsequently they still continued came. In the time remaining before the start of the Olympics, they had to undergo three doping tests.
And all the athletes who took part in the Russian Championship and were tested received the results. Why did this particular analysis get stuck?
-How did you react when you found out about this? How did Kamila, who was 15 at the time, react?
-Let me tell you this story then. Not only did I have girls there, I had couples train with me, and I had a boy from the Georgian team train with me, Maurice Kvitelashvili. And to get to training, you had to travel 40 minutes by bus, 10 minutes to walk to the bus, and you also had to pass all these tests [for Covid]. That is, the whole day is completely busy, you don’t even have time to go eat. And so I come from one training session, I have an hour left, and then I need to go to the next training session - and then someone from the federation calls me. A very stern voice says: “Come to headquarters immediately!”
But I didn’t want to go to headquarters. By the time you get there, by the time you lift on another floor up, a lot of time will pass, and I only have an hour. I wanted to drink tea and eat something. So I answered: “No, let’s not now, I don’t have time at all.” But no, he said it was urgent. And I went to this headquarters, I got up. The first thing I see is Kamila sitting, absolutely pale, white, swollen, and tear-stained. She is 15 years old at that time!
And we had the following story: I want the parents of my athletes to accompany them everywhere. Well, wherever possible. Because I cannot be responsible for them after the competition or even just in the evening - after they have eaten, it is necessary for them to go home to the hotel room to rest. I won’t accompany them, because if I start accompanying them, as I did with Yulia Lipnitskaya, the relationship will begin to deteriorate. This happens because I start to forbid her something, she snaps back, the relationship deteriorates, and then it turns into the training process. I don’t want to get involved in their personal, private life, I want to be a coach on the ice. So I practically demand that their parents accompany them.
Kamila’s mother went with her to all the competitions, or rather, they all went with their parents. And in Krasnoyarsk they (the parents) were also accredited and also passed all these tests every day. And so I look - the training has started, everyone has left, and Kamila’s mom is sitting in the locker room and she’s a little strange. Somehow, like this, she leaned back, leaned her head against the wall, and somehow fell over. I also thought: “Why did she come here if she doesn’t even go to the ice to watch training?” As it turned out, she had a severe form of coronavirus; she was hospitalized in the Krasnoyarsk hospital, where she even ended up in the intensive care unit. She was in serious state for some time. And when I saw Kamila... I was always afraid to ask her about her mother, but sometimes I still timidly asked. And she is so modest, she somehow answered very quietly. And when I saw her face, my first thought was that there was something wrong with her mother. What else could it be?
Then they began to explain to me that she had been interrogated here for an hour about doping. What kind of doping are we talking about and why is she interrogated for an hour - alone?
-And she is a protected person!
-Yes! Why was she interrogated there, all these men were sitting there. It even seems to me that even when we were interrogated there later, when we sat there... Alexander Georgievich Gorshkov, the president of the federation, was there, and it seemed to me that his heart was about to stop, because he was sitting there very pale. And when they told us about this, at first, to be honest, I didn’t even understand what kind of drug it was, and why we talk about the Russian championship, somehow all this... Then they said: since they found doping in her, she needs to be taken out urgently outside the Olympic Village. But all this happened during a pandemic, this is closed Olympics. Where to take she out? Where can I take she out alone? And when is she in this state?
I say: “What do you mean take her out? She is 15 years old! They say: “Well, now we will find some hotel for her where she will be accommodated.” I said: “No, are you serious? And who will be responsible for it, what does it even mean to take she out?” In general, I told them: “No, you won’t take her anywhere. Do what you want, but we will leave her here.”
Then I asked to talk and allow us to do this. Well, they discussed it and after some time they allowed us to keep her. And then I said: “Well, okay - then allow us to take her with us to training.” So we can bring her so she can ride on the bus with us. And then we will go on the ice, and she will stay in the hall, or maybe she will change clothes and be with us, because this is her state - it worried me. It was some kind of hysteria...
-Well, that’s understandable. More precisely, it is even impossible to understand what exactly is going on in her soul.
-But at first they told us that there was an Olympic village, a bus, how could that be, and I said: “Well, well, she’s not a criminal, she’s 15 years old - are you ready to take responsibility for her?”
-She wasn’t a leper, after all...
- I say: “Are you ready to take responsibility?” - no, among them there was no person who could be responsible for her. Then I say: “There are no planes now.” These are only charter flights, the closest of which, it seems, will took off only on February 16th. The nearest charter flight on which our Olympians flew.
Well, we agreed that she would be able to come to the hall. At the same time, they told her not to go on the ice under any circumstances. Okay, she won't go on the ice. They set up security around the perimeter, with a guardman every five meters.
-Who did all this? Was this what WADA did?
-I don't know. Maybe. They checked there to make sure that under no circumstances did she jump over the side and jump onto the ice. At that moment, I saw that Kamila, even in the hall, was no longer in such shape. That is, this stress, all this [affected her]. There was a noticeable lack of motivation; she became noticeably slower in the gym. And suddenly they tell us: “You know, they want her to go on the ice.” Because all these media, they filmed all this, and for them it is also, apparently, important. In general, they want Kamila to go on the ice and practice. And she can already train. And at that moment she herself did not understand whether she wanted to train or not. I saw in the hall that she was out of shape.
Well, we told her: “Kamila, you were allowed to go on the ice.” I tried to encourage her to try to get the most out of her time at the Olympics. It is unknown whether we will be able to get to the second Olympics - that’s what I told her. So, there’s even a video of her skating, falling, doing something, and then coming up to me and crying on my shoulder. And she tells me: “I’m skating and I don’t understand what I’m doing here.” This is how it was - she herself no longer understood why she was here.
All these media, which begin to destroy her with their questions, mock her... Moreover, many of our journalists wrote a lot: “How is it possible, we abandoned the child, she walked through the media zone alone, and she should have been accompanied.” But this is the Olympics. The coach has one accreditation, the athletes have another. We are allowed to stand in one place, enter through a certain entrance, where everything is divided into zones. The athletes exit the ice and immediately pass through the [media] area, they go there and end up in their locker rooms, which we cannot enter. This is the Olympics, everything is strict here. There is no such thing here - you go where you want and with whom you want.
Later, when I saw in the video that she had covered herself with a hood, I told the next day to be accompanied. Well, they came up with something, and they began to accompany Kamila. And on the first day she really walked alone.
And then we were suddenly informed that that’s it – she was allowed to compete. And we didn’t even understand anymore... Well, she, in general, was no longer ready. All these days she did not skate any programs. There you also need to keep in shape, stay at the peak of your form, and this is lost very quickly. And here is this stress, lack of training... In general, we didn’t even train her much anymore. So she went to the training room and did almost nothing there. She was allowed to compete, but Kamila showed me on the day of the free program... You know, there is such an online scoreboard, and at the bottom of this scoreboard... It was Kamila who showed me this, told me: “Eteri Georgievna, look.”
And down there it was written in large letters: if Kamila Valieva gets into the top three, then the awards will not be held. And so I have a question: did this have to be displayed on the online display, it could not be shown somewhere separately, or reported directly to us...
-That is, make it internal information, right?
-Yes, make it internal information. Was it necessary to display this on the online scoreboard? It means they did it on purpose in some way, they weren’t lazy. I read this, and even my heart sank. I don’t know, if I were her I wouldn’t go on the ice at all.
-Nevertheless, she was the leader after the short program, she performed the short program perfectly...
-No, there was no longer perfect execution, there was a step-out. It was there that she no longer had the same scores. But the free program is still a little different thing.
-In my amateurish understanding, Kamila Valieva is the best figure skater in women’s singles skating in the entire existence of this sport. She is the best in all components - in jumping elements, in aesthetics, in spins, in natural talent, in charm, in the ability to be different. And the question always arises: “Why does such an incredible talent need such trials?” Moreover, we don’t understand, like you probably, how it will all end, even if we talk about her future as an athlete.
-Well, I don’t even know... I think that this influenced her in general, and her whole life as well. In our country, life is not limited to professional sports; life goes on. I think it really changed her a lot. Before that, she was such a sincere child... Even when she was interrogated, I also told her: “Kamila, quickly tell me what you had on the day of the short program [at the Russian Championships].” She said that some volunteer treated her to ice cream, some masseuse Chekmareva treated her to Lipton tea, someone else gave her something. I tell her: “Are you serious about all this, this ice cream and tea you ate and drank?” She said: “Well, I don’t know...” It’s something like this... We teach them, we teach them, and they...
-She will become different now, Eteri Georgievna, because...
-Well, that's all. Now she probably doesn’t have trust in anyone. I think that’s all – she’s already changed. And regarding the fact that she is the only one - now the slippers of Medvedeva and Zagitova’s fans will fly at me...
- Of course, this will happen, that’s why I said this phrase.
-Firstly, all these fan groups... Maybe all of you, on the contrary, need to love and respect us, our coaching staff, because we created for you those whom you loved and love, idolize...
-Or even they hate them, it makes no difference.
-It doesn’t matter, the main thing is that we painted your life, at least some part of your life [in bright colors]. Why this hatred, where did it come from - this is some kind of stupidity. As for Kamila Valieva, it seems to me that the combination... She is a universal athlete, she combines so many things. She skates beautifully, that is, you understand that she engulfs the ice rink with her glide. She is one of the few who can do this. Here is Kostornaya skating beautifully with her glide. Sliding is very difficult; it happens that an athlete simply cannot do it.
-It's something genetic...
-Yes, genetic. Some feel it, some don't. Kamila has glide, she is naturally well-stretched, she is flexible, she... But most often, well-stretched and flexible skaters do not jump well. And she has a jump. She knows, or at least used to know, the triple axel and quadruple jumps. She is beautiful, she feels the music, she conveys emotions. Of course, she is universal. In this she is exceptional. And I don’t know if another athlete like this will appear. Maybe there will be other athletes, but we have never had one like her and probably never will. Probably, no matter how much someone tries to parody or be the next Michael Jackson, most likely they won’t succeed either.
There is such an athlete, Yuzuru Hanyu - and I think that there will not be another one like him either. Well, Kamila Valieva too. What befell her, that such great love for her was transformed into some kind of hatred - well, we can only regret this.
-I would like to talk about the parents of athletes. I understand that this is a separate topic that can be devoted to a scientific dissertation, but for sure all the parents of all athletes will watch you. You can give them some universal advice, some wish, you can add to this some examples of when parents influenced the athlete positively or negatively...
-Well, this is a very general question... I can simply give this advice: here you have a child growing up in your family - it doesn’t matter whether it’s a boy or a girl - and in your family there are disputes between husband and wife. Do you argue right in front of the child, or do you solve these problems behind closed doors, and show the child that the wife completely trusts her husband, and he completely trusts her? This is necessary so that the child obeys [the parents], so that the child understands that there is some common line of his upbringing and that there is mutual respect in the family. In this sense, the parent and coach should also behave like husband and wife. Which one is the husband and which one is the wife is unimportant. It is important that it feels like family. And when the child comes home and the parents start talking over a cup of tea or talking on the phone with their grandmother, they start talking about the coach: “You know, the coach made a remark today, this is complete madness, the coach gave the wrong task, the child was overtired, but the coach didn’t notice.” “and so on, the child hears all this and, as a result, trust in the coach disappears. And the next time the coach gives the task to redo something, to skate the program again, the child will perceive it like this: “What is this, I’m being overexerted, I’m being treated with brutal cruelty, this coach has gone crazy.”
Thus, the child loses confidence. And if trust is lost, then the child will no longer obey the coach and will not complete tasks, or nothing will work out because there is no desire. And parents do this [undermining trust in the coach] in passing, without noticing their action. Here they are talking on the phone with relatives, discussing something while driving, sometimes even they think that the child cannot hear - but all this has an impact. But the efforts of the coach and parents must be united. Even in cases where parents do not agree with the training load or with the punishment of the athlete. Sometimes you see inappropriate behavior of a child - and you kick him out of training - this should be beneficial, not harmful. In such situations, it is best for parents to support the coach, and only then, if they do not agree, they can approach the coach and express their complaints. And you shouldn’t express doubts about the coach’s decisions in front of a child. Otherwise, the student will stop obeying, progress in learning will stop, and that will be the end of it.
Very often, unfortunately, this decomposition in the head and what we see next - for example, when they leave us - all this is initiated by parents. Parents begin to interfere or influence, or do something else. I believe that all these athletes, no matter how they feel about themselves, were brought to medals jointly by their parents and coach. Maybe they were manipulated, but they were led to medals. For example, Lipnitskaya was led to Olympic gold by her mother and coach. Mom - because she led her correctly. She kept an eye on Yulia and did not allow her to do something. In any case, even if she treated her strictly, she led her to a medal.
Next is Alina Zagitova’s grandmother. These are all those hours during which Alina trained - her grandmother did not leave her side. That is, if Alina went down to the gym, then her grandmother sat in the corridor. If Alina was on the ice, her grandmother stood over the side. And if something didn’t work out for Alina, then grandma would make this gesture (shows). This is serious. When Zhenya Medvedeva began to lie on the ice, her grandmother literally danced over the side - she tried to jump, shouted something, Zhenya answered her. But somehow she inspired Zhenya up. As a result, Zhenya got angry, adjusted herself and did something.
That is, this is, in principle, a joint process [of learning]. That's why parents are sometimes helpful. And sometimes it's quite the opposite.
-Eteri Georgievna, I have a million more topics to discuss, starting with the current situation, about the future Olympics...
-What Olympics? In 2030?
-I don’t know what the next ones will be...
-Well, God willing, we will prepare someone else by 2030.
This is followed by gratitude for the interview, flowers, and so on.
-I would like to talk about Kamila Valieva. Can you tell us something? At least something – it was such a shock for everyone.
-You know, I was turning over possible options and questions in my head. If the truth ever came out... Firstly, I would like everyone involved in the process to be tested with a lie detector. Because I want to know the truth. I want to know where it came from, what it even is, why and how. I have a lot of questions and I think that I will probably never get answers, and I have to live with this somehow.
-To begin with, I have a very simple question: how is a conditionally not clean athlete...
-How did such an athlete get to the Olympics?
-Yes, I have exactly this question.
-You know, when the teams of the USA, Canada, Japan - no matter which country - go to the Olympics [this is led by the president of the national federation]. And, firstly, we do not have access to the athletes’ personal accounts, where any documents with test results are located. But we know for sure that if they are admitted to the Olympics, this means that they are all clean. Once they arrived there, they received a special Olympian passport. Further, when the Americans, Canadians and others decide who will compete in the team tournament, they can choose any athlete. This is being kept secret, because if, say, we find out that the US team did not choose the strongest athletes, maybe we will do the same, we will not use our trump cards. But since no one knows anything, everyone usually tries to field the strongest. Well, because you don't know who's going to be there, whether they choose Nathan Chen or not.
And everyone is guessing - this is how it is in any team. But what difference does it make if it is implied that all these athletes are clean? How did it happen that an athlete whose tests were stuck in the laboratory got to the Olympics?
-Theoretically, she could get tested after her performance and after the fact they could say: “he came clean, but already at the Olympics she took doping.”
-Wait please. After the Russian Championships, she took tests at the European Championships. In this case, the results were obtained - everything was clear. Then she took the test again - everything was also clear. After that, she was tested at the Olympics after the short program in the team tournament, and then she was tested again - and in all cases she was clean. And I have a question: if her old analysis was stuck, how was she allowed to continue to further competitions and to the Olympics? They must to do everything they could to verify this analysis in order for the results to be ready. Such an athlete simply should not have been allowed into the Olympic village. This shouldn't have happened.
-Then why did this happen?
-That is, my personal opinion is this: I believe that there should be no revision of the results of the team tournament at all. Whose fault is it that such an athlete took part in the competition? Is this our mistake? No. Was the athlete clean at the Olympics? Yes. How did she end up there (in Beijing) - to whom is this question - to WADA, to whom, I don’t even know. Maybe this is a question for laboratories? Let them then print new medals or do what they want, but it's their fault. This is absolutely not the team’s fault, because we had an athlete, she should have been clean, she performed, she was clean at this competition - which means the results should not be revised.
-It's clear.
-It's my opinion. Then - let's say, if they said that she was found to have doping on February 2, 3, 4, 5 - Anna and Sasha would have competed in the team tournament. And the overall result would be exactly the same. They would have won
-Certainly. Did you even know that there was something wrong with testing at the Russian Championship? Or did you know nothing?
-No, I only knew that all my athletes, all three prize-winners, would be strictly tested for doping and that some of the other skaters who took lower places would be tested.
-Does this happen all the time?
-For the first three this is strictly mandatory, and in general this is done at all competitions. The winner is checked accurately, and at the Russian championships all three winners are necessarily tested. My daughter Diana and her partner Gleb are also subject to this rule. They took second place. They were not yet in the doping control pool, but they were immediately notified that they should enroll in the pool. It’s not that easy; you need to undergo authorization within a strictly defined time frame. As far as I remember, they had to do this by December 28, 2021. And already on January 4 at five in the morning the doorbell rang and doping officers came. Subsequently they still continued came. In the time remaining before the start of the Olympics, they had to undergo three doping tests.
And all the athletes who took part in the Russian Championship and were tested received the results. Why did this particular analysis get stuck?
-How did you react when you found out about this? How did Kamila, who was 15 at the time, react?
-Let me tell you this story then. Not only did I have girls there, I had couples train with me, and I had a boy from the Georgian team train with me, Maurice Kvitelashvili. And to get to training, you had to travel 40 minutes by bus, 10 minutes to walk to the bus, and you also had to pass all these tests [for Covid]. That is, the whole day is completely busy, you don’t even have time to go eat. And so I come from one training session, I have an hour left, and then I need to go to the next training session - and then someone from the federation calls me. A very stern voice says: “Come to headquarters immediately!”
But I didn’t want to go to headquarters. By the time you get there, by the time you lift on another floor up, a lot of time will pass, and I only have an hour. I wanted to drink tea and eat something. So I answered: “No, let’s not now, I don’t have time at all.” But no, he said it was urgent. And I went to this headquarters, I got up. The first thing I see is Kamila sitting, absolutely pale, white, swollen, and tear-stained. She is 15 years old at that time!
And we had the following story: I want the parents of my athletes to accompany them everywhere. Well, wherever possible. Because I cannot be responsible for them after the competition or even just in the evening - after they have eaten, it is necessary for them to go home to the hotel room to rest. I won’t accompany them, because if I start accompanying them, as I did with Yulia Lipnitskaya, the relationship will begin to deteriorate. This happens because I start to forbid her something, she snaps back, the relationship deteriorates, and then it turns into the training process. I don’t want to get involved in their personal, private life, I want to be a coach on the ice. So I practically demand that their parents accompany them.
Kamila’s mother went with her to all the competitions, or rather, they all went with their parents. And in Krasnoyarsk they (the parents) were also accredited and also passed all these tests every day. And so I look - the training has started, everyone has left, and Kamila’s mom is sitting in the locker room and she’s a little strange. Somehow, like this, she leaned back, leaned her head against the wall, and somehow fell over. I also thought: “Why did she come here if she doesn’t even go to the ice to watch training?” As it turned out, she had a severe form of coronavirus; she was hospitalized in the Krasnoyarsk hospital, where she even ended up in the intensive care unit. She was in serious state for some time. And when I saw Kamila... I was always afraid to ask her about her mother, but sometimes I still timidly asked. And she is so modest, she somehow answered very quietly. And when I saw her face, my first thought was that there was something wrong with her mother. What else could it be?
Then they began to explain to me that she had been interrogated here for an hour about doping. What kind of doping are we talking about and why is she interrogated for an hour - alone?
-And she is a protected person!
-Yes! Why was she interrogated there, all these men were sitting there. It even seems to me that even when we were interrogated there later, when we sat there... Alexander Georgievich Gorshkov, the president of the federation, was there, and it seemed to me that his heart was about to stop, because he was sitting there very pale. And when they told us about this, at first, to be honest, I didn’t even understand what kind of drug it was, and why we talk about the Russian championship, somehow all this... Then they said: since they found doping in her, she needs to be taken out urgently outside the Olympic Village. But all this happened during a pandemic, this is closed Olympics. Where to take she out? Where can I take she out alone? And when is she in this state?
I say: “What do you mean take her out? She is 15 years old! They say: “Well, now we will find some hotel for her where she will be accommodated.” I said: “No, are you serious? And who will be responsible for it, what does it even mean to take she out?” In general, I told them: “No, you won’t take her anywhere. Do what you want, but we will leave her here.”
Then I asked to talk and allow us to do this. Well, they discussed it and after some time they allowed us to keep her. And then I said: “Well, okay - then allow us to take her with us to training.” So we can bring her so she can ride on the bus with us. And then we will go on the ice, and she will stay in the hall, or maybe she will change clothes and be with us, because this is her state - it worried me. It was some kind of hysteria...
-Well, that’s understandable. More precisely, it is even impossible to understand what exactly is going on in her soul.
-But at first they told us that there was an Olympic village, a bus, how could that be, and I said: “Well, well, she’s not a criminal, she’s 15 years old - are you ready to take responsibility for her?”
-She wasn’t a leper, after all...
- I say: “Are you ready to take responsibility?” - no, among them there was no person who could be responsible for her. Then I say: “There are no planes now.” These are only charter flights, the closest of which, it seems, will took off only on February 16th. The nearest charter flight on which our Olympians flew.
Well, we agreed that she would be able to come to the hall. At the same time, they told her not to go on the ice under any circumstances. Okay, she won't go on the ice. They set up security around the perimeter, with a guardman every five meters.
-Who did all this? Was this what WADA did?
-I don't know. Maybe. They checked there to make sure that under no circumstances did she jump over the side and jump onto the ice. At that moment, I saw that Kamila, even in the hall, was no longer in such shape. That is, this stress, all this [affected her]. There was a noticeable lack of motivation; she became noticeably slower in the gym. And suddenly they tell us: “You know, they want her to go on the ice.” Because all these media, they filmed all this, and for them it is also, apparently, important. In general, they want Kamila to go on the ice and practice. And she can already train. And at that moment she herself did not understand whether she wanted to train or not. I saw in the hall that she was out of shape.
Well, we told her: “Kamila, you were allowed to go on the ice.” I tried to encourage her to try to get the most out of her time at the Olympics. It is unknown whether we will be able to get to the second Olympics - that’s what I told her. So, there’s even a video of her skating, falling, doing something, and then coming up to me and crying on my shoulder. And she tells me: “I’m skating and I don’t understand what I’m doing here.” This is how it was - she herself no longer understood why she was here.
All these media, which begin to destroy her with their questions, mock her... Moreover, many of our journalists wrote a lot: “How is it possible, we abandoned the child, she walked through the media zone alone, and she should have been accompanied.” But this is the Olympics. The coach has one accreditation, the athletes have another. We are allowed to stand in one place, enter through a certain entrance, where everything is divided into zones. The athletes exit the ice and immediately pass through the [media] area, they go there and end up in their locker rooms, which we cannot enter. This is the Olympics, everything is strict here. There is no such thing here - you go where you want and with whom you want.
Later, when I saw in the video that she had covered herself with a hood, I told the next day to be accompanied. Well, they came up with something, and they began to accompany Kamila. And on the first day she really walked alone.
And then we were suddenly informed that that’s it – she was allowed to compete. And we didn’t even understand anymore... Well, she, in general, was no longer ready. All these days she did not skate any programs. There you also need to keep in shape, stay at the peak of your form, and this is lost very quickly. And here is this stress, lack of training... In general, we didn’t even train her much anymore. So she went to the training room and did almost nothing there. She was allowed to compete, but Kamila showed me on the day of the free program... You know, there is such an online scoreboard, and at the bottom of this scoreboard... It was Kamila who showed me this, told me: “Eteri Georgievna, look.”
And down there it was written in large letters: if Kamila Valieva gets into the top three, then the awards will not be held. And so I have a question: did this have to be displayed on the online display, it could not be shown somewhere separately, or reported directly to us...
-That is, make it internal information, right?
-Yes, make it internal information. Was it necessary to display this on the online scoreboard? It means they did it on purpose in some way, they weren’t lazy. I read this, and even my heart sank. I don’t know, if I were her I wouldn’t go on the ice at all.
-Nevertheless, she was the leader after the short program, she performed the short program perfectly...
-No, there was no longer perfect execution, there was a step-out. It was there that she no longer had the same scores. But the free program is still a little different thing.
-In my amateurish understanding, Kamila Valieva is the best figure skater in women’s singles skating in the entire existence of this sport. She is the best in all components - in jumping elements, in aesthetics, in spins, in natural talent, in charm, in the ability to be different. And the question always arises: “Why does such an incredible talent need such trials?” Moreover, we don’t understand, like you probably, how it will all end, even if we talk about her future as an athlete.
-Well, I don’t even know... I think that this influenced her in general, and her whole life as well. In our country, life is not limited to professional sports; life goes on. I think it really changed her a lot. Before that, she was such a sincere child... Even when she was interrogated, I also told her: “Kamila, quickly tell me what you had on the day of the short program [at the Russian Championships].” She said that some volunteer treated her to ice cream, some masseuse Chekmareva treated her to Lipton tea, someone else gave her something. I tell her: “Are you serious about all this, this ice cream and tea you ate and drank?” She said: “Well, I don’t know...” It’s something like this... We teach them, we teach them, and they...
-She will become different now, Eteri Georgievna, because...
-Well, that's all. Now she probably doesn’t have trust in anyone. I think that’s all – she’s already changed. And regarding the fact that she is the only one - now the slippers of Medvedeva and Zagitova’s fans will fly at me...
- Of course, this will happen, that’s why I said this phrase.
-Firstly, all these fan groups... Maybe all of you, on the contrary, need to love and respect us, our coaching staff, because we created for you those whom you loved and love, idolize...
-Or even they hate them, it makes no difference.
-It doesn’t matter, the main thing is that we painted your life, at least some part of your life [in bright colors]. Why this hatred, where did it come from - this is some kind of stupidity. As for Kamila Valieva, it seems to me that the combination... She is a universal athlete, she combines so many things. She skates beautifully, that is, you understand that she engulfs the ice rink with her glide. She is one of the few who can do this. Here is Kostornaya skating beautifully with her glide. Sliding is very difficult; it happens that an athlete simply cannot do it.
-It's something genetic...
-Yes, genetic. Some feel it, some don't. Kamila has glide, she is naturally well-stretched, she is flexible, she... But most often, well-stretched and flexible skaters do not jump well. And she has a jump. She knows, or at least used to know, the triple axel and quadruple jumps. She is beautiful, she feels the music, she conveys emotions. Of course, she is universal. In this she is exceptional. And I don’t know if another athlete like this will appear. Maybe there will be other athletes, but we have never had one like her and probably never will. Probably, no matter how much someone tries to parody or be the next Michael Jackson, most likely they won’t succeed either.
There is such an athlete, Yuzuru Hanyu - and I think that there will not be another one like him either. Well, Kamila Valieva too. What befell her, that such great love for her was transformed into some kind of hatred - well, we can only regret this.
-I would like to talk about the parents of athletes. I understand that this is a separate topic that can be devoted to a scientific dissertation, but for sure all the parents of all athletes will watch you. You can give them some universal advice, some wish, you can add to this some examples of when parents influenced the athlete positively or negatively...
-Well, this is a very general question... I can simply give this advice: here you have a child growing up in your family - it doesn’t matter whether it’s a boy or a girl - and in your family there are disputes between husband and wife. Do you argue right in front of the child, or do you solve these problems behind closed doors, and show the child that the wife completely trusts her husband, and he completely trusts her? This is necessary so that the child obeys [the parents], so that the child understands that there is some common line of his upbringing and that there is mutual respect in the family. In this sense, the parent and coach should also behave like husband and wife. Which one is the husband and which one is the wife is unimportant. It is important that it feels like family. And when the child comes home and the parents start talking over a cup of tea or talking on the phone with their grandmother, they start talking about the coach: “You know, the coach made a remark today, this is complete madness, the coach gave the wrong task, the child was overtired, but the coach didn’t notice.” “and so on, the child hears all this and, as a result, trust in the coach disappears. And the next time the coach gives the task to redo something, to skate the program again, the child will perceive it like this: “What is this, I’m being overexerted, I’m being treated with brutal cruelty, this coach has gone crazy.”
Thus, the child loses confidence. And if trust is lost, then the child will no longer obey the coach and will not complete tasks, or nothing will work out because there is no desire. And parents do this [undermining trust in the coach] in passing, without noticing their action. Here they are talking on the phone with relatives, discussing something while driving, sometimes even they think that the child cannot hear - but all this has an impact. But the efforts of the coach and parents must be united. Even in cases where parents do not agree with the training load or with the punishment of the athlete. Sometimes you see inappropriate behavior of a child - and you kick him out of training - this should be beneficial, not harmful. In such situations, it is best for parents to support the coach, and only then, if they do not agree, they can approach the coach and express their complaints. And you shouldn’t express doubts about the coach’s decisions in front of a child. Otherwise, the student will stop obeying, progress in learning will stop, and that will be the end of it.
Very often, unfortunately, this decomposition in the head and what we see next - for example, when they leave us - all this is initiated by parents. Parents begin to interfere or influence, or do something else. I believe that all these athletes, no matter how they feel about themselves, were brought to medals jointly by their parents and coach. Maybe they were manipulated, but they were led to medals. For example, Lipnitskaya was led to Olympic gold by her mother and coach. Mom - because she led her correctly. She kept an eye on Yulia and did not allow her to do something. In any case, even if she treated her strictly, she led her to a medal.
Next is Alina Zagitova’s grandmother. These are all those hours during which Alina trained - her grandmother did not leave her side. That is, if Alina went down to the gym, then her grandmother sat in the corridor. If Alina was on the ice, her grandmother stood over the side. And if something didn’t work out for Alina, then grandma would make this gesture (shows). This is serious. When Zhenya Medvedeva began to lie on the ice, her grandmother literally danced over the side - she tried to jump, shouted something, Zhenya answered her. But somehow she inspired Zhenya up. As a result, Zhenya got angry, adjusted herself and did something.
That is, this is, in principle, a joint process [of learning]. That's why parents are sometimes helpful. And sometimes it's quite the opposite.
-Eteri Georgievna, I have a million more topics to discuss, starting with the current situation, about the future Olympics...
-What Olympics? In 2030?
-I don’t know what the next ones will be...
-Well, God willing, we will prepare someone else by 2030.
This is followed by gratitude for the interview, flowers, and so on.
This is one of the best sports interviews I've ever read. In ANY sport EVER. She is a fascinating woman.
It looks like the English translation is now up on Youtube so I'll watch it at some point on the weekend.
Her life should be celebrated. To be a victim of human traffickers, dumped, left homeless and penniless in a foreign country having to fight for survival to 20 years later starting a decade long period of complete coaching dominance in the sport. There should be a movie made about this.
It looks like the English translation is now up on Youtube so I'll watch it at some point on the weekend.
Her life should be celebrated. To be a victim of human traffickers, dumped, left homeless and penniless in a foreign country having to fight for survival to 20 years later starting a decade long period of complete coaching dominance in the sport. There should be a movie made about this.
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can you give a link to the english version, or are you just referring to english captions available?
The new Eteri's Ice Palace was opened yesterday. The trainings are already underway. 
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В новом Центре фигурного катания Этери Тутберидзе начались первые тренировки спортсменов. Комплекс, в котором для фигуристов созданы все условия, расположен ...
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I agree, I find her absolutely fascinating. no matter how much crybabies hate her, she's changed the sport, and for the better, in my humble opinion.
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Eteri's instagram post translated:
""For two years now, I have not commented in any way on the situation with doping found in Kamila Valieva at the Russian Championship in 2021, despite the undeserved endless hate and accusations in my direction. Our entire team was strictly forbidden to comment or evaluate what was happening in any way, as this could affect and interfere with the investigation. And I probably most of all wanted this story to be thoroughly investigated and that I would have no questions left, even if it was an oversight, mistake or crime on someone's part.For many years now, I have been working sometimes without days off and vacations for the sake of athletes' results, and I, like no one else, want to know what happened to Kamila and how this drug got into her body. All my athletes have been and remain clean, I am for clean sports, otherwise it cannot be.Our athletes have been competing in international competitions since 2010. And it will probably be impossible to count the number of doping tests that have been taken during this time. The samples have always been clean, I hope it will remain so. We have always taught and explained to our athletes and their parents that they need to be more careful when taking even the simplest cold medications and, unfortunately, absolutely no one can be trusted. And after two years, nothing became clear, the origin of this drug was not investigated, and a lot of questions remained. And only accusations from different sides are flying in our direction.I have no questions for Kamila, she is a child and from my side I will continue to support her in every possible way. No offense to all my previous athletes - Camila is the most gifted athlete. And her athletic share was a test that is difficult to describe in words. Regarding the verdict, I have one main question - did at least someone defend Kamila at the hearing, because it couldn't have been worse than the verdict.Camila's story is our pain""
""For two years now, I have not commented in any way on the situation with doping found in Kamila Valieva at the Russian Championship in 2021, despite the undeserved endless hate and accusations in my direction. Our entire team was strictly forbidden to comment or evaluate what was happening in any way, as this could affect and interfere with the investigation. And I probably most of all wanted this story to be thoroughly investigated and that I would have no questions left, even if it was an oversight, mistake or crime on someone's part.For many years now, I have been working sometimes without days off and vacations for the sake of athletes' results, and I, like no one else, want to know what happened to Kamila and how this drug got into her body. All my athletes have been and remain clean, I am for clean sports, otherwise it cannot be.Our athletes have been competing in international competitions since 2010. And it will probably be impossible to count the number of doping tests that have been taken during this time. The samples have always been clean, I hope it will remain so. We have always taught and explained to our athletes and their parents that they need to be more careful when taking even the simplest cold medications and, unfortunately, absolutely no one can be trusted. And after two years, nothing became clear, the origin of this drug was not investigated, and a lot of questions remained. And only accusations from different sides are flying in our direction.I have no questions for Kamila, she is a child and from my side I will continue to support her in every possible way. No offense to all my previous athletes - Camila is the most gifted athlete. And her athletic share was a test that is difficult to describe in words. Regarding the verdict, I have one main question - did at least someone defend Kamila at the hearing, because it couldn't have been worse than the verdict.Camila's story is our pain""
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