"Djokovic and Ronaldo can — why am I worse?"

At the 2026 Olympics, Russia is represented in the short track by two athletes. But the team leaders were not allowed to participate in the Olympic selection according to the rules of neutral status. Among them is the continuing Sochi 2014 champion Semyon Elistratov, who continues to take gold at the national level. He admits that the loss of the opportunity to go to Milan has hit the best of Victor Ahn's successors hard psychologically, but he is not abandoning plans to reach the Olympics in 2030. Yelistratov spoke about burnout, correspondence with Cristiano Ronaldo and the unrealization of the potential of the Sochi Games in an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express.

"We crossed paths when all the Olympic champions carried the flag of the Russian Federation together"

— Semyon, you are currently performing in the Ice Age. With an experienced partner who won it. Does that make you feel better?

— I found out from you that Tanya was winning the project after recording the first issue. When they said that Tanya Volosozhar would be with me, I was overjoyed. We know each other in absentia, but the last time we saw each other was in Sochi, at the 2014 Olympic Games. Wow, that's not even ten years ago, but more! It's in these circumstances that we meet. I have a great partner. We had four training sessions together before the first performance. In shock, as something passed.

— Do you remember the meeting in 2014, under what circumstances did it happen?

— I remember that we were together at the closing ceremony, we crossed paths, because all the Olympic champions carried the flag of the Russian Federation together. We exchanged a couple of phrases in the style of "hello – bye".

— And how was the meeting now?

— Before the first meeting with Tanya, I skated for a week with the wonderful coach Nastya. She trained me so that I wouldn't lose face in front of the two-time Olympic champion in figure skating. We met with Tanya, hugged, smiled at each other and immediately got to work.

— It's been three shootings, do you feel the progress?

— Absolutely! We are already doing complex support. However, I still worry before every rental. I don't have a goal to win the project at any cost, the main thing is that Tanya returns home safely. I feel responsible to her family.

— What do you think will change in your professional activity after the project?

— A lot of people here tell me that I have good acting skills, and they laugh that now I will finish in the short track with a smile on my face and bow to the audience (laughs).

"Sports are sports, but relationships between people should be human"

Russian short track champion Ivan Posashkov — on preparations for the debut Olympic Games in Italy, selection and specifics of his sport

"There has been a complete burnout over the past year"

— Let's go back to Sochi. Are you nostalgic for those times? Or whatever is being done...

— ...Is that for the best? It's hard to say. I'm already comfortable with this. Philosophically. In February 2025, I learned that I would not have the Olympic Games. During this year, I experienced, as it is fashionable to say now, complete burnout. In December 2025, the Russian Championship was held, I don't even know which one. Emotionally, it wasn't easy for me. Probably, two gold medals looked easy from the outside, everyone said — well, I won calmly again. And I had an incredible internal struggle with myself.

Yes, there is a new challenge now — the "Ice Age". I'm enjoying the new emotions in the project. It's like I'm living a small life. There's a lot of work here. When I went out for the first practice session and went to the right for the first time, I fell. I got up, drove again, and fell. I tried to go back, but I also fell. I've only been driving straight and left on a short track all my life (laughs). Despite all the difficulties and long training sessions, I get high. For me, it's emotional, like the fifth Olympic Games.

— Can't they do clockwise skating in the short track? Just for a change.

— This is impossible within the framework of professional sports. We have a curved blade, somewhat similar to speed skating, only our heel does not come off. Our bend is stronger because the oval is different. That's why I had to learn right turns for a long time (laughs). But trying to roll in the other direction as a show in a short track is a great idea!

— Based on all of the above, what about sports then?

— I don't want to guess. There are thoughts of aiming for another four years. I'll be 39, but with the right training system, you can show results. This is proved by many top athletes. Ronaldo is now 40, and Djokovic has shown such beauty at the Australian Open. It's important for me to be honest with myself. After Beijing, I told myself that I would make it to the Olympic Games in Milan, no matter if they were held or not. One day left, he kept his word. I probably didn't expect that a year before the Games, I'd already find out that I wasn't going. I understood it with my head, but my heart said something else.

"If you're the Russian short track champion, you're unlikely to earn money for a car"

— Is there something that has disappointed you in the short track over the years?

— The issue of media coverage is very important in sports right now. There are sports that are widely covered, but short track is not one of them (laughs). For example, the Russian Biathlon or Figure skating championships are broadcast on the country's main TV channels, but unfortunately there is no short track. I dream of seeing our short track guys on Channel One as well.

— Although the short track is unlikely to be inferior specifically in entertainment.

- yes. To be honest, in recent years I have tried to do everything I can to promote the short track. He participated in the Titans show, reached the finals there, and tried to cover the training process on his social networks. When the short track competitions were held in my hometown of Ufa, I tried to participate as much as possible in the preparation of all events. In my opinion, it turned out to be spectacular and interesting.

In general, the short track was on a wave after our victory in Sochi in 2014. Unfortunately, we have not been able to realize this full potential. Now, after a long time, I understand that just training and showing results is not enough, you need to cover and talk about your sport as often as possible on all available platforms.

— Can you earn a lot with a short track? By car, for example?

— Yes, if you are a top athlete and participate in world championships and Olympic Games. Back in Beijing in 2022, I said that the Olympic Games are also a great opportunity to earn money, but still, for a professional athlete it should not be in the first place. Returning to the question, if you are just a champion of Russia, even multiple times, it will be difficult, even despite the excellent state support that we have.

"I declined an offer from the USA — I wanted to return to Russia"

Lokomotiv newcomer Lukas Vera — about weight, debts of Khimki and time in the UAE

"He said Ovechkin is not the athlete of the year. What's the big deal?"

— By the way, did Ronaldo respond to the invitation to Ufa?

"He's an asshole, no. By the way, I write to him sometimes.

— "Messi is the best"?

— You know, there's a chat with yourself where you drop some information for yourself. At first, I explained to him in English about the short track, invited him to try it. Then he decided — why English, if he could use a translator? I started writing in Russian (laughs).

— One day after the end of his career, he will go to clean up the rubble on social networks and stumble upon this chat with a dumb question...

— It will be so. And he'll answer, I'm telling you exactly! We will also discuss longevity in sports with him!

— You said vividly that Ovechkin is not the athlete of the year, but Melnikova. You go to Yandex and search for "Semyon Elistratov" all about it.

— Yes, I consider Angelina Melnikova to be the best athlete of 2025. You can even write that she is my idol!

— It's about the tilt towards football and hockey in our country. Although gymnastics is a major Olympic sport, and there are more victories in it.

— Yes, we have been living in this paradigm for many years, you turn on any sports channel — it's mostly either hockey or football. I'm interested in how this system works. If we go back to Ovechkin and Melnikova, then for me personally, what Angelina did in 2025 is very cool. Do you even understand what it's like to miss four years and not compete internationally, and then come back and immediately win two gold medals? This is a huge amount of work, not only physically, but also psychologically. I think I can imagine how Angelina felt at that moment.

— Are you going to watch the Olympic Games?

— Of course I will. There are 13 of us, and I wish each of them great luck. By the way, I will comment on the short track together with my colleague and great friend Emina Malagic. So listen and watch us, we will cheer for our guys Ivan Posashkov and Alyona Krylova together.