In plain spring we go back to winter, the occasion calls for it. Our guest today is Evgenia Medvedeva: Russian, European and World champion in figure skating, in ladies’ singles.

O: Evgenia thank you for accepting our invitation and coming to talk to us. If, 10 years ago, someone had told you that, in a single season you would win every possibly title (non-Olympic), would you have believed it?
E: Even if they had told me two years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it.
O: Was it that unexpected?
E: You could say so.
O: But it’s what every athlete aspires to, right?
E: Yeah, of course.
O: What’s it like to win everything at once? What does a person who has reached such a high level and is at the top think about?
E: I still can’t believe what happened a couple of weeks ago (laughs) Many think that, when you win everything in a single season, you can lose motivation. I haven’t lost it, I go into the rink with the same attitude.
O: One of the competitions many athletes want to win is the Olympic Games, in which you can still win something. Are the Games your biggest motivation for the next few years?
E: I think so
O: And don’t you still wish to win again the European or World Championships? Are these competitions different or do they hold the same value to you?
E: It would be weird if I’d say I wouldn’t want to win Europeans or Worlds again, but why would I win them again? (That last phrase sounded weird to me, considering her next answer. The Spanish translations said “win” but I’m not sure if she meant something else)
O: For some they win it once and it’s enough.
E: No. I will keep working on the following season, and the following. My plans haven’t changed, my coach and I keep working at the same pace. And I hope we can keep understanding each other like we’ve done until now, and even more. To get better results.

O: It hasn’t been long since you won the World Championships, but have you noticed any changes in yourself or the relationships with your friends or family? Because you’re a crowned queen now.
E: At the moment, No one has called me “queen”, and I don’t think that word is for me. Or at least is not adequate at the moment (laughs)
O: “Princess” is better suited for your age.
E: I don’t think there’s any need to give me any titles. I have many friends and people whom I’m close to that keep treating me the same way. For them I’m still Zhenya Medvedeva, a girl who is a friend for some, for others I was and still am, a sister, and a daughter or granddaughter for others. For them, I’m not an athlete who has a bunch of titles, and I like that. I don’t want them to change their attitude towards me.
O: And from other athletes? Has something changed?
E: The people who I compete against and train alongside are also my friends. That’s why nothing has changed at all.
O: They say that there’s jealousy between the athletes who compete against each other, specially in singles.
E: I don’t know if there’s jealousy, but of course there is (a sense of) competition, but only on the ice. The sport is one thing, and the private life is different. You could say we live two different lives, one outside the rink and one on the ice. When the competition starts you’re not in a mood to make friends and when we leave the ice everything changes (laughs). There is always a friendly and warm environment, but sport is sport.
O: Two years ago, during the Olympic season, your coach, Eteri Tutberidze introduced another skater: Yulia Lipnitskaya. The year after her victory in the Olympic Games in Sochi, everyone was talking only about her. How did you interact with her in the same group? Was there any sort of competition between you, subconsciously, or jealousy because Eteri paid special attention to Yulia?
E: As I said, there’s always competition, even between boys and girls, like in our group. But it’s a healthy competition, not the way people usually think. And it helps us to work better, it motivates us. “You have got it, well now I will do it, too.” I didn’t have jealousy or anything of the sort, because I understood that Lipnitskaya and Tutberidze were a “tandem”, that they had gone down a road together. And my main job was to listen to my coach’s advice and work to the maximum. I think there was no space for jealousy, at least I didn’t feel it.

O: How do you explain these truly wonderful results? What did you start to do last year to get these results? I’m sure there are few skaters in history who managed to win all those titles in a single year: The Russian Championships, the European and World Championships and the GPF.
E: Well, since a couple of seasons back, including this one, my coach and I understand each other very well. We have worked in absolute tune. And when she pointed out my mistakes after the training, I knew exactly what she wanted from me and I corrected it. It’s necessary that the coach and the athlete understand each other, if not, there won’t be good results.
O: Are your personalities similar? They say that Eteri has a strong personality. I don’t want to say that’s either good or bad, just complicated.
E: Yes, Eteri is a woman with a lot of character, a sport-like character.
O: And you?
E: Yes, I think I’m like her, in that sense. I have some qualities that come from my parents, and other qualities that come from my coach (laughs)
O: Is it hard to work with her? Did it take some time for you to click?
E: Well the process took its time, but the understanding was always there. But I think we reached a better level of understanding 2 seasons ago.

O: Could you say that, precisely 2 seasons ago, is when you make the definite decision to being a figure skater and dedicate yourself to professional sport?
E: I decided when I was more or less 12 y/o, when I took part of the Russian Championships for the first time. And I liked that feeling a lot, it was my first important competition and it caused me great excitement. I realized I wanted to dedicate myself to the sport.
O: It’s interesting and perhaps one doesn’t give it enough time to think it through. Because this is a risky career, on the big leagues no one guarantees you you’ll get the results. Perhaps you like to take risks?
E: Yes, you could say I’m a person who takes risks. If I see that I’m executing something (a jump) well and I’m about to touch the ice, but I feel like I can do another jump, I do it. I mean, if after two triples I feel like I can do another one, I do it. And for me it’s like a game, I love it and the truth is you could say I am a risky person.

O: What do you like best, trainings or competitions?
E: Training sessions can also be considered competitions, that’s why I wouldn’t set these two apart.
O: Why?
E: They are competitions for me, specially official trainings. Those are the ones right before the competition.
O: But you have said it yourself, that there are both boys and girls at your group. So what sort of competition could there be with the boys? The have other programs, or do you want to surpass the boys, as well?
E: Perhaps competition is not the right word, I don’t know how to call it. I think the right word is “Adventurous spirit. It’s like….like a game.
O: But this is your career, your life.
E: You have to enjoy everything you do.
O: I see enthusiasm in your eyes. It’s clear that you enjoy it to the fullest. Evgenia, have you ever stopped to think that the ladies’ singles in Russia and in general, have gained so much strength in the country that almost every year there are new athletes, like you for example, who win the most important competitions, including the World Championships? This year, it was another Russian girl, but not Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. In the Olympic Games, a Russian girl won but it was Yulia Lipnitskaya who competed in the team event and Adelina Sotnikova who won in singles. Do you worry about this happening to you and that next season suddenly turns out to be less fruitful?
E: We are all at the same level and we have similar conditions, more or less. But each has their own fate, their path, that’s why no one can guarantee that we won’t suffer a silly injury. No one is protected from it. Of course, we are not robots, we are ordinary people and each can have their own problems in life.

(PAUSE)

O: We are back in RT and we keep talking to Evgenia Medvedeva, World figure skating champion. You haven’t been much time in the senior circuit. But you have competed at the Russian Championships for 2 or 3 years already.
E: Four
O: Even for 4 seasons. And at the same time you competed in juniors. Could you compare the senior and the junior level? The atmosphere during competitions between both levels, how are they different?
E: The atmosphere at junior competitions is more childish. I mean, there isn’t that level of burden and responsibility. The atmosphere is completely different.
O: Is it more chilled?

E: At junior competitions?
O: Yes.
E: I don’t see it that way either. At the European Championships in Bratislava, at least for me, there was a lot of tension. I mean, this doesn’t depend as much on the Championships, but on where it takes place and the response form the audience. I was very nervous at that event and it was noticeable. But I felt at home at the World Championships. The audience received us with a lot of warmth, like we were family. And that’s why it was more pleasant to compete there.
O: So, from your point of view, it’s impossible to prepare yourself psychologically for any competition. I mean, to have the mentality.
E: I didn’t say that.
O: The World Championships is a very serious competition. But it all depends on the place and the audience, not the tournament. Is that right?
E: A part of it it’s true. When you’re on the ice, you don’t stop to think if this is about the World Championships, the Olympic Games, or any competition where you just have to show your program. Once you’re on the ice you focus completely on what you’re doing, you give yourself fully, and you just think about delivering your program as best as you possible.
O: So the European Championship and the European Title was the one in which you suffered the most?
E: Yes, this season,for me, the European Championships was the most stressful, the one in which I suffered the most. The environment was very tense.
O: In which moment, a victory, or a performance because in your case they were all victories, in which you felt the greatest satisfaction? Or even true pleasure?
E: Of course, the FS at the World Championships, I have never skated so well not even during trainings. I was totally satisfied with my result in the FS at the World Championships.
O: Do you think it was thanks to your emotional state?
E: Yes, thanks to my emotional state.

O: Evgenia, could you say that figure skating is your favorite hobby?
E: Yes, it’s true because I spend most of the day at the rink. I mean, I wake up in the morning, I stay at home for an hour and a half. Then I go to the rink and I spend 9 hours there, I go back home and it’s bedtime.
O: A full work-day
E: Yes.
O: And it’s what people would call a true work-day? Or are there moments when you can relax, chat, and have a good time?
E: The communication is there, of course. Without communication it would be impossible to work with the coach, for example. I also speak to other kids even during trainings. This helps us relax, is much more easier to train when you’re in a good mood. It’s not like we go step into the rink in silence and skate, it’s not that way. If it were like that, the environment would be too tense, for me it’s hard to work that way. I’d rather be on a good mood when I go out and skate, everything with a good emotional state.
O: For you, this season is also special because both of your programs were created by renowned figure skating choreographers. I’m talking about Ilia Averbukh and Alexander Zhulin. How did you feel when you found out you were going to work with them? What did you think? Where you pressured by so much responsibility?
E: I had already worked with Alexander the previous season, we made two programs, the short and the free. So when I was in juniors I got…let’s say…
O: A full harvest of medals, right? At the junior competitions.
E: Yes, at the junior competitions, this season we made the SP. And when they told me that I would be working with Ilia I thought it was very interesting because I had never worked with him before. Alexander and Ilia are very different, in their personalities and the choreographies they make. But they are both incredibly creative. For them, creating a program is like painting a picture, they involve themselves a lot, because it’s impossible to create a beautiful painting without inspiration and the same thing happens on the ice. Inspiration is necessary to create a beautiful program.

O: And did you obey them all the time or did you, even though the are renowned choreographers, collaborate with them, suggesting some things?
E: Of course. It’s impossible to obey in everything because there can be elements that are simply uncomfortable to you. The ice and the skates depend completely on physics and if you make a movement too difficult you may become disoriented or make a wrong turn. It’s simply uncomfortable to you and you can’t keep quiet or the program might look confusing and it will leave a confusing impression. (laughs)
O: That’s more of a technical matter. Have you ever disliked the music or the idea of the choreographer, or does that never happen with choreographers who are so famous?
E: It happened to me once, with the music. If the athlete doesn’t connect to the music or doesn’t like it, he/she will skate reluctantly. You can’t give yourself fully to skating if the music doesn’t reach your soul and you think it doesn’t suit you. But sometimes the coach and the choreographer just have to explain the meaning of what you’re doing, then you start to connect with the music and that vision and that draws in the inspiration.

O: Evgenia, I would like to make a question in which I’m personally interested in. How can you perform a program enthusiastically all season long? Even if we like a song and add it to our mp3 player, when you listen to it 10, 15, 20 times, it stops exciting us. But in your case you listen to your music in all the training sessions and you still have to deliver it all during the competitions, how do you avoid getting bored?
E: Performing a program is like living a whole life on the ice, and how can life bore you? It’s a story that you live again every time you’re on the ice. You perform your program from beginning to end. It cannot bore you because, whether it’s a true story of fantasy, it’s life. It’s a story in which we take part and it just can’t bore you.
O: You mean you always have to five it some flavor.
E: Yes. I’ve had many programs and I miss each one of them because each program carries a part of my soul, the coach’s soul and the choreographer’s.
O: What’s the most pleasant part when you go out there to do your program at an important competition? What is the moment that stays in your memory?
E: When you’re at an international competition and they announce “On the ice, representing Russia, Evgenia Medvedeva” you get goosebumps. But when you take your starting pose and your music starts, it’s a great relief. You calm down, breathe and you start living the story.
O: It’s a great pleasure, isn’t it?
E: The most stressful moments during a competition are before you go out on the ice and after you leave it. While you’re skating, you only think about how to send the message, how to make the judges and the audience like you, and even yourself, and how to deliver the program on a good level.

O: You already have fans who follow you, they were surely in Boston.
E: Yes, they were there.
O: How do you see them, in general? How do you live with the fame?
E: They often ask me if the pressure of the fans, the media, all of this, is a burden. Regarding the fans, I can say with confidence that their attention is not a burden. I get that, the more people who know you and go with you, the more supported you feel. I don’t see it as a burden at all. When you go out on the ice on a foreign country and you hear audience say “Go Zhenya!” in Russian, it’s incredible (laughs). In America, there were a lot of these expressions. When Anna Pogorilaya and I were on the podium, the stands behind us were full of Russian flags, and these people sang the Russian Anthem with us. I can’t even imagine how many Russians were there with us. It was in Boston, USA, very far from home, and this was very pleasant for us, we were very impressed. We didn’t even think that something like this was possible

O: Evgenia, last question. What do you need to do to make this victorious season a victorious era? What do you need to do for your career to stay in such a high level? Have you thought about it?
E: You have to give yourself fully to what you do, understand the coach very well and most of all, work everyday and not get carried away by laziness.
O: And the pleasure?
E: Well, this is the pleasure!
O: Thank you very much for you time