

- Hi Zhenya!

- Hello!



- Thanks for coming here today.

Zhenya, Skate Canada just finished. How do you assess this competition and your result, since it is your second competition in the season?

- Of course, the SP was bad, it was just horrible. I made a very unusual mistake for me and it was an unfortunate mistake. But it all was only my fault, I was not able to tune in for skate, but it is also gained experience for me and I am very glad I was able to overcome these obstacles in the FP because after the SP I honestly almost give up. I was in seventh place, 14 points behind from the first place. Frankly, the hope to get to GPF was quite elusive. I was thinking this is the end...Therefore I am so grateful to Brian because he talked with me for half of the night, he was not scolding me saying "what were you doing, wake up". In contrast, we just talked about everything and slowly my head cleared and I understood, I have only two ways: to give up and either withdraw from the competition or skate the FP without trying to do my best, or I have to fight like it is my last time! Because I am a person who respects myself - I know it sounds bold, but I cannot find another word to explain - I cannot allow myself to give up. Therefore, I had only one option: to go there and kill it. Thus, I tried to be aggressive and determined, so that I had a fire in my eyes.



- Yes, I could see that. I know you are a fighter and you showed that.

- Well, I have close ones who are not allowing me to give up. Honestly, I am a very lucky person. I think, unfortunately, not everyone has such people around them who can find the right words and be close to you when you need them the most even if they are a million miles away.



- On the practices before SP you were great, you did everything. However, you made this unexpected mistake SP, could you explain why did this happen?

- I can explain it by that I was working a lot on my body and I relied on muscle memory too much, so my body did 3ltz and 2A, but failed on 3F due to lack of concentration. I want to be honest with myself so I say what really happens, I am not looking for excuses, even if there will be a hole in the ice I should have seen it and skate around it and of course, there were none, it is all my fault. The reason is in my head. Figure skating is not only power and muscles but mind work.



-So as you said you lost concentration. But you managed to come out of this unusual situation. What does it mean for you? You were on the 7th place I don't remember you ever been there.

- Zhenya nodding - Yes, it has never happened (*smiling*)

- but you managed to come back, what does it mean for you?

- It means for me that I could come back from the 7th to 3rd place and I was able to tune up my mind and soul so I had a fire in my eyes. It means I can do everything even if there are any failures. Everything happens at some point, this situation happened to me for the first time, however, it proved to me that there is always a way out from any situation, even though I thought there is no way out after SP and I came here for nothing, no GPF for me. I am happy that Brian helped me. He managed to guide me in the right direction. We have a plan of work. If we will able to combine it all together, we can do everything.



- Already two competition is completed. The next competition will be in France and you have time before that...

- (*Zhenya nodding*) Yes, there is time and we got quite lucky that we have almost a whole month. It is very good and I am happy we have this extra time. Yes, some conclusions have been already drawn. But most importantly, we have not only come to conclusions, but we know what to do with them, how to move forward and fix the mistakes. We know what to do with these mistakes, flaws and how to fix them and on what we must work more. We know there are times when you need to get better and improve. Sometimes there are moments when you do not know what to do and how to move forward as there is no system, but together with the team, we have everything under control and we know what to do.

- (Tatjana) I see, so you will confidently continue to work.

- (Zhenya) Yes.



- (Tatjana) You are showing a new EX. Could you please tell more about it.

- Yes (*smiling*), actually I can tell more about it. I have a friend and think many know him, his name Kristian Kostov. We met around Half a year ago. It is a funny story, I was invited to Russian talk show - Pust' Govoryat during Eurovision. I was seating next to Kristian on the sofa. We were around two hours in the Show but no one spoke with us neither asked any questions, so we were just seating there (*laughing*). So we started to talk, but we had no idea about each other, although it happened soon after the Olympics and TV & media were quite active and started all this mess about "Medvedeva is leaving, not leaving" and also Eurovision was at this year and media were talking a lot about it too, however we did not know each other. So it was nice to get to know each other. When I was seating at the show the song was playing. When I heard it I realized I must skate on this song. I think I have not told Kristian about it yet, but I knew I want to make an EX on it.

So when the time for EX came I remembered it, It is sort of collaboration. I choreographed this EX myself so it is totally my work, I was thinking about costumes all myself too. Please, do not judge harshly, I tried my best. So two eighteen years old teenagers ended up working together in a way. And I want to clarify we are not dating and we are not together. We are very good friends and support each other at hard times. It is a friendship you want to value but again I want to say in advance we are not dating. (*laughing*).

- Tatjana also smiling - yes, it is good you clarified it.





- What is the name of the song?

- The song called "Beautiful Mess". Kristian was second on Eurovision with this song, so I think he understands me like nobody. (*saying jokingly*) As he was second there and I was second at Olympics. So we have something in common.





-You are living in Toronto for several months now. How is everything in Canada? What do you like there?

- Actually, I thought it would be difficult to adjust to a new country. But everything turned out to be much easier. People are very kind-hearted and always ready to help. We have many Russian speaking acquaintances. I already went two times to Theatre. We are going outside of the city to the Lake for bbq. We celebrate some holidays with friends, for instance on Thanksgiving day, we cooked either kilogram turkey for 8h hours! (*showing the size with her arms wide open and laughing*)

I live with my mum and we have two little pets. I do not know how we found them but they are called skinny pigs. Imagine hairless guinea pig so that how they look like. (*giggling*) I laughed my head off when I saw them at the first time. They are so strange, like hairless cats, so funny and hot when you touch them. So one called Sanya (*short name from Sasha*) and the second one looks like an elephant (*in Russian Slon*) so Slonya (*here a figure of speech in Russian: Slon and Slonay*). Sanya is bigger and Slonya is a smaller one for now.





- You said on the press conference that post-Olympics season is very hard for those who went on Olympics. Why is it so?

- The Olympic Games are a very big responsibility. It is the responsibility not only during the Games but during your entire career afterwards. If you got back with a positive result then you must be responsible for your country and you have to keep the bar high. It is mentally hard. No one said it would be easy. It motivates me and I feel a responsibility not only for myself but for everyone who supported us on the Olympics. It was a very difficult Olympics. Even when I went to the IOC meeting, honestly I was 70% sure I would not go to the Games. But I wanted to make at least some contribution for my country. I really wanted to go with our flag but unfortunately it did not work out. However I am very glad we participated in team events, Hockey team was able to compete, and I am so so happy that our hockey team won and we all so proud of them. And I think our country is proud of all our Olympic medalists because these Games were one of the most difficult from the moral point of view. I think I have never told this, but in Lausanne, I was 70%-80% certain I would not able to recover for the Olympics. It was a very difficult time, I could not step on my foot properly, I had to wear a cast. But luckily everything turns out well and we went to Olympics and I felt the magic of this competition. Because the atmosphere is totally different, everything is very different. And yes, I would like to make the whole path to the Olympics once again and experience it all over again. But I’m certain even if I get to the next Olympics it would be a totally different experience because every Olympics has their own "taste" as I was told by those who have been on several Olympic Games.



- Thank you very much, Zhenya. The best of luck and we will see you again in France.

- Thank you!