http://www.team-russia2014.ru/article/2382.html
TRANSLATION /shortened/:
Before upcoming surgery on the meniscus a doctor asked me if a three years quarantee would be enough. I answered that I do not need three, even two would be enough.
- What are your emotions being 7 times European champion?
- It is as if I am 10 years back. I started a new period in my career. I am not one of those, who when they win one Olympics start earning money from their gold. A sportsman wants to do what he can do best – to compete. For me now the most important motivation is the 2014 Olympics. These will be my 4th Olympics. I don’t know what the result will be, but only my participation in them will be a victory for me.
- Is it more difficult to fight with your competitors or with yourself?
- I don’t fight with my competitors for long ago now, although the competition in the figure skating grows up with every year. There appeared many strong sportsmen. I try to overcome myself, sometimes with force. For example, at training I can do one and the same jumps sometimes without pain, and sometimes with unbearable pain. I do not mercy myself and it works up normally.
- Are your injuries as a result of the difficulties of your cascades “4-3-3”
- They are more as a result of my long time skating now. I do trainings every day, these are constant physical loadings. The figure skating is not only “4-3-3”, which no body except me did at Europeans and Worlds.
- Didn’t the Olympic champion Alexey Jagudin jump this cascade?
- Not at competitions. At the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City and at one more competition he did “4-3-2”. Till now I am the only one to whom the most difficult cascade submitted. I was also learning how to jump quadruple Lutz, the cascade “triple Axel – quadruple Toeloop”, a combination of two quads. One cannot do such difficult elements without everyday training. Unfortunately, you cannot substitute the old leg for a new one or buy a new back.
- When one is nearly 30, is the training the same like when you are a beginner?
- No, it is different. When I start the season, I do the complete training circle. Just before the competitions I train very shortly, pure technique. But the intensity is like 10 years before.
- Has your life style changed for 10 years?
- There was a moment, when it changed, yes. But now it is again like before, it is aimed towards the direction of achieving success in sport. This season I refused to participate in any shows, except 2 in Italy – on 31st December and 1st January. But it was good for me to show some elements, which I did not do quite well in Saransk. It was necessary, because we took the decision to participate at the Europeans.
- Did you have many invitations for shows?
- In the Summer only Japan invited me to do 50 performances. I refused, the way I refused China and Korea, whose invitations were financially very profitable. I preferred to train. I did not go to social meetings too. I went only to those, organized by my business partners. My life had a very merciless time table : morning training, rest, evening training or relaxing procedures. We had a plan for fulfilling our goal and our team followed it closely.
- Who took the decision to participate in Sheffield?
- The final word had the leader of the Russian Figure Skating Federation. They had in mind also the opinion of my coach Alexey Mishin. There was one more problem – I had not enough rating points. It was solved thanks to the efforts of the Federation and the good will of the International Union of Skaters ISU.
- How did you feel having to do the qualifications?
- There was a time, when at the Europeans every body had to do the qualifications, no matter their titles and rating. Now it was a chance for me to participate at the Europeans and understand if I can stand the competition with this physical condition of mine. It was an extra training at a competition level. Like a prelude to the main start.
- Wasn’t you tempted to do a more easy program at the qualifications, without the quad?
- No, just the opposite. I had to do the quad at any cost. In those times, when the qualification was a part of the triple battle I did not give up any difficult element. I jumped even “4-3-3” and a second quad. One more time to check yourself and the fulfillment of the difficult elements doesn’t make any harm.
- Was the training in Sheffield successful.
- It was a very hard training. Before the qualifications they made me 5 injections – 2 in the back and 3 in the knee. Physically I was not ready for a long performance and at the end it was hard.
- In the short program it was obvious, that you skated with a great courage.
- I had such a task. If I do not jump the quad, I had to show perfect lines and good emotions. I skated with pleasure and out of my soul. Although I am not used any more to perform so early. It is very hard to get up at 5 in the morning to do the training.
- At the 2006 Olympics in Tourin you said that winning the Olympic golden medal you had to search for a new motivation, new stimuli. One of your aims was to experiment with choreography and a second one – to master new difficult jumps. Now your injuries do not allow you to do quadruple Lutz or Flipp, but your program reminds the Olympic one.
- I do not agree with that. Yes, I skate tango again. But at the Olympics it was the dance of passion and love and now it is the dance of suffering and disappointment. It was in no way connected with the Olympics. I just like the tango and now I skate in this rhythm. I like the expressive, cruel, but melodical music. And I think my musik is exactly like that.
- You are never unfaithful to your choreographer David Advish and arrangement maker Edvin Marton. Don’t you want to experiment with another team?
- I adore my team I will not change it. It does not mean, that I will not try different things. Before the beginning of this season I worked with Stephane Lambiel. I have some ideas for the production of the program and I will surely realize them. But Avdish and Marton and all of my team will stay with me.
- How could you work with your old competitor Stephane Lambiel, who at any competition had the aim to win over Plushenko.
- It was very pleasant to work with Stephane. He is a real professional, he produced a very good program for me. It was unlike anything I did till now. But when I saw the final result I told my coach and choreographer “We are doing the tango”. But many of the movements, on which we worked with Lambiel were included in the program.
- For a long time only Mishin could decide which program you will skate. Is now the final word yours?
- Except in the very first years of our work together , we made the decisions together. I am thankful, that Alexey Nikolaevich listens to me too and gives me much freedom in the choice of music and choreography.
- You mentioned, that you will do an operation. Why did you chose Germany?
- In Germany I made all my operations. The German doctors know my body thoroughly. I thrust some Russian doctors too, who recovered me for some responsible competitions, including this Europeans. Unfortunately, in Russia there are no such conditions for rehabilitation. Now they work much to improve them. I receive much help, as other skaters and other sportsmen, from the Ministry of sport, tourism and youthful politics RF. But I prefer Germany after all. Although my last operation there was not very successful. I suffered all season long.
- And after that you take the risk to go to these doctors again?
- They advised me not to do an operation, but I insisted. The doctor played it save – cut the meniscus only a little and smoothened the rest. Now the intervention will be more serious. The doctor asked me if a three years guarantee would be enough. I answered that I do not need three, even two would be enough.
- After The 2010 Olympics you made a surgery knowing that may be you could not do quads in the next years.
- I did not plan at all to participate at competitions! But it became clear I cannot do without the adrenalin they give me. I hope the next operation will be successful and I will go back to training after half a month.