"To Valieva, I wish she had the courage to accept her heart's choice."

After an amazing career that included a world title, a medal at the Sochi Olympics and even a disqualification from WADA, Caroline Kostner has started to appear at international tournaments as a coach and choreographer. And Costner is definitely not a wedding general - she sets programs for Korean Lee Hae-in, vice world champion of 2023, Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama, silver and bronze medalists of the European Championships Rebecca Gilardi and Filippo Ambrosini. In an interview with Izvestia and SE Carolina talked about her coaching career, her vision for the future of figure skating, her work on clothing design and said hello to Alexei Mishin.

"I don't prioritize the flag."

- Karolina, after sports you chose a career as a choreographer rather than a coach. Why?

- There was nothing like that in my plans. But a life situation happened (smiling). In general, I wanted to perform in ice shows and develop my artistic skating. But then I started helping [Canadian choreographer] Laurie Nicol. One of my main goals was to give young skaters a chance to make our sport more beautiful. I spent time with the young guys, helping them roll programs. Especially with Yuma [Kagiyama], it started before the 2022 Olympics. After his injury, he asked me to be part of his team. I was very surprised.

- Yuma is the leader of the Japanese national team after your work.

- Even before his injury, we saw that he had great potential and that his father had put amazing basic skills, technique and skating into this skater. We wanted to find his style, show his personality. That comes with experience. There is a difference between someone who is competing in the World Championships for the tenth time and a debutant. Although the second time is even more difficult than the first. And he's interested in mastering quadruplets, in improving the clean skating. Sometimes my role is reduced to patting him on the shoulder and saying "it's OK, don't worry". Even now, it's not an easy experience for him to be first. He wins, but he's still not satisfied. When I work with a skater, for me it's about giving him the tools to stand on his own two feet, to figure out for himself what kind of person he is. This allows the athlete to realize that he has something to say not only to the judges, but also to the public.

- Was that your philosophy while performing in the sport?

- I was very fortunate to meet some cool coaches. Each of them brought something different to my professionalism, artistry, intelligence. I will always consider it a great honor. They have become life teachers for me. I hope I can pass on the same to the younger generation.

- Do you spend a lot of time in Japan?

- This year, I think about four months. But I've been used to living away from home since childhood. The current situation is not much different from my schedule when I was performing in ice shows. Working in Japan is a real pleasure, figure skating is appreciated there. The situation with foreign languages is like in Russia - there is an opportunity to get to know the society and people better. I remember the first month of training in St. Petersburg I would come and say: "Good morning, buongiorno". I got zero response. But then the children would come to hug me - I could feel myself becoming part of their lives. And in Japan, too, I've been received very warmly.

- You are an ambassador for the 2026 Olympics in Italy. You have students from different countries. Who will you be rooting for in the team competition at the Games in Milan? Both Japan and Italy have a chance.

- As a coach, a mentor, I don't prioritize flags. Whoever I work with is an individual. For me, it would be a victory if all my students skate great and the judges decide. But for Italy, an Olympic medal in team skating could be historic. And I wish the guys to experience it at home.

"It's an honor to work with Mishin."

- Since you left the sport, a lot has changed in women's skating: there was the quadruple revolution, now post-revolution. What do you think about the current women's singles skating?

- When something new comes along, it takes a few years to find a new balance. We are in the process of finding it now. Women's skating is looking for a new identity, quadruples are being done, triple axel is no longer jumped by one Midori Ito or Mao Asada. We need to find a way to do these difficult elements, but without losing the interest, the personalities, the uniqueness of each program. And I hope the girls can find their skating without trying to become something they are not for the sake of winning. Since the age limit has been raised, there is more time for personal development. Instead of remaining girls who just listen to the coaches and follow their instructions, there is a chance to gain an understanding of who they are, how they feel, and what figure skating is for them.

- Do you like any of the current figure skaters?

- I've been lucky to work with young Japanese figure skaters. The development of some of them is fun to follow. On the adult level, I'm very impressed with Amber Glenn. I remember seeing her in Texas at an event - she was very young then! Now I'm watching her at competitions how she has maintained her determination to not give up in spite of criticism. Amber brings life to figure skating, she is a strong individual. I wish all figure skaters love what they do and never feel like they are not good enough.

- You trained in Russia with Alexei Mishin. Do you keep in touch with him?

- I send him birthday and New Year's greetings, sometimes we exchange messages. This is an experience that I keep very fondly in my memory. I learned a lot, and in general it is an honor to have had the opportunity to learn from such a great professor. I send him my regards.

- In Russia, probably the main event of the year was the outcome of the Valiyeva case. Kamila says she wants to return to the sport, just like you did after her suspension. What would you say to her?

- Every athlete's path is unique and special. What would I wish for her? To really listen to her heart and have the courage to follow what it says.

- Basically, in Valieva's case - and yours - were there, say, nuances that make you think about the anti-doping system, changes in it?

- I don't think that's for me to decide. I'm not immersed in it enough to comment.

"In order to develop the sport, you have to develop the individual"

- What do you think about the popularity of figure skating? Like there was more attention in your days, I remember wanting to go see you skate in Sochi in person.

- Look, when I was skating, I kept thinking that the golden years were during the Katharina Witt era. We all tend to remember the idols that shaped our youth. The current generation may be doing things a lot differently than we expect. But we must trust the path they have chosen. We should let the youth surprise us sometimes. I feel blessed to have skated in a generation that has pushed the limits of the sport in their own way. New things move them in new ways, it's inspiring.

- Is there anything you can do to make a difference in terms of popularity?

- We have a sport that is immersed in very early on. When you're a little kid, you don't have the life experience and the ability to convey certain emotions that come with disappointments, pain, joy, pressure. When you're a little girl, you try to portray them, but you don't know what it truly means. I think fans want to see real feelings, the difference between personalities. We need the new generation to develop personalities, different images and enjoy each one here and now. We need to help them, guide them.

- And these personalities will move the sport forward?

- I wish I had that secret recipe. Personalities increase popularity, but in general and dry records play a role. And the champion is the one who successfully combines the two. We have a very complicated sport. Sometimes your career is decided in a few minutes at a very young age. It's hard for a lot of people to accept that. There has to be a balance between perseverance, determination and a "no risk no fun" approach.

- You have your own clothing brand and have collaborated with a famous fashion designer like Roberto Cavalli. You've even designed your own dresses. How did it start?

- A childhood dream. I was playing designer, I had a little box. I would create some sketches and lock it up with a key, and my brothers thought it was just dumb. But I knew they were very valuable! And I wanted to keep them forever, thinking that someday I would create my own brand, my own line. Sagester made my first performance dress, and we teamed up for my first clothing release, which happened during the pandemic.

- Did you directly act as a designer yourself?

- Yes. For the first few years I had professional consultants and they sourced the materials. It was fundamental to me that the environment did not suffer and that all the products were made by Italian women. For example, their schedules are flexible, because there are young mothers among them, they can sit with a child at the same time. This is a trend in fashion now: we buy things and throw them away, buy and throw them away. I wanted to create something that can shape dreams. I'm not a professional in this field yet, I'm still learning. But I hope to have my own full-fledged brand in the future.