"It doesn't matter that we won three times in Russia"

One of the few sports at the last Olympics in Milan in which Russians were allowed to participate in a neutral status was single figure skating. Our country was represented by two people: Peter Gumennik, who took 5th place among men, and Adelia Petrosyan, who claimed a medal after the short program. However, a fall in the free skate deprived her of any chance of winning the top three. As a result, Adelia became only the sixth. Daniil Gleikhengauz, the choreographer of the 19-year-old figure skater, explained to Izvestia a number of statements made by his ward, assessed the chances of an early admission of our athletes by the International Skating Union (ISU) and told when the coaching staff, led by Eteri Tutberidze, would adjust to the new assessment system.

— Many people were surprised by Adelia's statement that it would be psychologically difficult for her to return to Russia after such a rental and she was ashamed of herself, the coaches, the federation and the fans. Have you discussed this with her?

— Yes, we talked about this moment with her right away. It seems to me that if you see her now after returning to Russia, you will notice that she is in a good mood. It's clear that Adelia wanted more at the Olympics. But it turned out how it turned out. At first, after the competition, it was emotionally difficult for her, which is normal. But it seems to me that already at the demonstrations and afterwards she was in a good mood and looks forward to the future with a positive attitude.

— Did you understand what she meant about shame and psychological difficulties?

— I don't know. It's hard for me to say. But, probably, we are talking about our classic hyper-responsibility to the fans, to the country.

— Could things have turned out differently for Petrosyan and Gumennik if their international experience before the Olympics had not been limited to a short Olympic qualification?

— We don't know how it would be. We don't see Stephen Strange as a character in Marvel comics and the Hollywood franchise based on them. — Ed.), millions of variants of the universe (smiles). But it would be different if we just compare it with the points that our athletes have always received with a rating.

— Against this background, can we be satisfied with their performance in Milan?

— We showed what we could. We also wanted a little more. But overall, I think it was decent. Both Petya and Adelia, without a rating or experience in international competitions, represented our country at a very high level. Now the main thing is that we should all be allowed in. The sooner we are allowed in, the sooner we will regain our leading positions.

— Is there a feeling that the situation with the non-admission to the ISU competitions may change?

— I want to believe that.

— Based on what?

— Based on people's stories.

"From ISU?"

— Well, no, I don't communicate with them personally. The people who talk to them seem to be saying something about "warming" and some kind of "good vibes". But I think I've been hearing this for three years now.

Quadruple is not for the future: Petrosyan risked, but was left without an Olympic medal

The Russian figure skater could not repeat the success of her predecessors

— In your opinion, has the attitude towards the ban of Russians changed in the world of figure skating compared to 2022-2023? Is progress in this direction possible in the coming years?

— We see that nothing has changed yet. We've been suspended, and we still are. The fact that the IOC has given recommendations to all federations on the admission of Russians has not yet had an effect in the case of the ISU. We'll see what happens to them when the ISU council takes place after the season. If there are any changes, then we will definitely know about it. And it will be in a positive way. If nothing changes again, then there will be no reason to be optimistic.

— From inside the Olympics, do you feel the attitude of the judges in terms of certain assessments of the skaters? Will your coaching staff have to change anything for the next Games if one of your players gets there?

— Nothing has changed yet. After all, we work in Russia using the same system as before. We do not deviate from it. All grades, all scores — we all count it. The scores in Milan depended on which warm-up we skated in, and on the fact that athletes unknown to the international audience participated from us. They don't care that we won three times in Russia. They saw and appreciated it for the first time.

— How are Eteri Tutberidze and you going to rebuild in the conditions of a greater focus of judges on artistry, which is expected in the next Olympic cycle?

— We always demand maximum artistry from our athletes. And we set the programs so that they are disclosed. There have been no drastic changes at the moment — they are all ahead in our sport. When they are accepted and there will be strong changes, we will already adjust to them.

— The silver medalist of the 2026 Olympics, ski mountaineer Filippov, who won the only medal of the Russians in Italy, said that his goal is gold at the 2030 Games in France. What is Petrosyan's goal?

— It's great when athletes set themselves such goals. I think that Adelia will tell you about the goals herself. The goal now is to calm down, recover, and start training again.