Well, what about the free skating? Now that some time has passed since then, and I have composed my mind, I’m going to tell you about all the events of that day, the day that I will remember all my life. I’ll also try to recall the following days of my staying in trance – oh, I meant in France, of course :)

 

I had a good night before the free skating. When I woke up (not too early and not too late) the weather outside was fine, though it was a bit cloudy. After breakfast I had a lot of spare time before my practice, so I serfed the net a little. People had already begun to wish me good luck) Every message I read was making me feel better and better. So I went to practice in high sprits.      

 

As ususal, after limbering up and putting on my skates I and my coach talked ove... Read more »

Hi there! How fortunate that I have a time-out today! After a peaceful breakfast I went to the training rink. While limbering up I noticed that I and Ksenia will be skating in company with japanese skaters. Then when I came to the ice I saw that the only stand is occupied almost entirely by japanese fans. The practice was a nice one, I wasn’t feeling any strain. When it was over, I rushed to the main rink to watch the first warm-up grup of the men’s competitions, in which Sergei Voronov was to skate first.     

I came there just in time to see the warm-up. I was feeling very nervous and during

the whole warm-up was sitting with my fists clenched. But when Sergei took his starting position I saw that he was fully concentrated, so I calmed down a little. After a gorgeous 4-3 combination he doubled his Axel, which, of co... Read more »

Hi there! Now that I have a few spare minutes, I’d like to tell you about what I have been doing today before and after the short program.

Let’s start from 6 o’clock, when I was awoken by my alarm clock, feeling refreshed. I went downstairs, quite sure that I would be the only person having breakfast in such an early hour, and was surprised to see Lena Glebova. So, I wasn’t alone at breakfast. Soon Lena went away, but her place was taken by Ksenia Makarova. After the breakfast I packed up my things and went to test the ice at the long last. I did my best to properly warm up on floor, so that my sleepy muscles fully awoke. When I came to the ice I had a fleeting feeling that I was stepping on ball-room parquet. This feeling, though, wasn’t something new for me, because in Japan they have ice like this at every rink. It didn’t take me long to feel the ice, and I can say I ... Read more »

In the previous entry I wrote that I was going to go for a walk, and I did so. I didn’t want to watch the first warm-up groups, because I intended to save my energy for my team-mates. I slowly walked to a square with a fountain in the middle, seeing a lot of the participants of the competitions on my way. I lingered there for a while, took a few photos and went back to the rink by a high-speed tram.    

 

 

I came there just in time to see our guys do their warm-up. By the way, a bit earlier I had met the most impresstive ice dancer of all times and my dear friend Ja... Read more »

This morning I was awakened by the sun in my eyes and immediately understood that I had slept enough and was feeling great. So I got up, washed up and went downstairs to have breakfast. After a familiar smorgasbord meal I started to get ready for the morning practice. 

When I was about to begin the most pleasant part of that procedure, i.e. brushing up, I was distracted by a phone call from two reporters from St. Petersburg. They asked my to come downstairs to have a talk. They wanted to take a photo of me, but I didn’t allow them to do it, guess why :) Then, having packed my bag and preened my feathers, I went to the training rink.  

So, my first day in the sunny city of Nice has ended. All my plans for the day have been fulfilled. The flight was among the most pleasant ones I had this season. The only confusion I met with happened after I picked up my luggage. It turned out that nobody had come to meet me. Of course, I didn’t lose my courage and took a taxi. And only when leaving the car did I notice that it was an Audi. So, I even thought that it wasn’t that bad that nobody had met me.  

A view of the training rink from a hotel window 

I was happy to hear that I will be sharing a room with Katya Ryazanova. Having checked in, I went to the accreditation centre to... Read more »

Hi there, all the readers of my site! As I have promised, I’ll try to write to you from Nice. And I’m going to start right now, on board the plane. I‘m very happy to be leaving for Cote d'Azur. Nice has always been a very lucky city for me, and it’s the most beautiful and warm of the cities I have competed in, too. I’ve been there for five times, and each time the weather was fine. Yes, I’ll be bathing in the sun of Nice and enjoy my stay in the city for the sixth time. And it’s especially pleasing to go there when you know that everybody will be glad to see you. I have won so many friends and fans during all these years!

Hello again! The second day of my stay in Saitama has drawn to a close. I woke up in the morning in a very good mood and went to breakfast. To tell the truth, once again I didn’t find anything substantial to eat. So I chewed some lettuce, drank coffee and ate a hand-made yoghurt which I prepared by adding muesli and jam to a plain insipid yoghurt. After breakfast I fetched my belongings from my room and went to practice. It took me about 20 minutes to get to the rink. No sooner had I entered the building than I understood that it would be very hot on the ice. And indeed it was rather stuffy there. Another thing that impressed me was the huge stands, which most likely were going to be packed next day. On making the first round on the ice I understood that its size was rather small. The ice itself was much softer than that in Novogorsk. On the whole, my first practice went off well, but when I was leaving the ice I was dripping wet. After a half-an-hour ... Read more »

Hello, dear readers of my blog! I’m very sorry that I haven’t updated since the beginning of the summer and made you wait for so long. It was because I spent all those months in different summer camps, where I was thoroughly preparing for the new season, and unfortunately had no time to write blog entries. I hope for your understanding, because now I’m back and ready for new experiences and new impressions.   

Of course, you could read about the camps and my new programs in my interviews. It surely wasn’t enough for you to take a dive into my summer, but I’m not really feeling like going back to that time. The new season has begun, and some skaters have already taken part in competitions. Now it’s my turn. By a chance I have found myself in Japan, where I will participate in the most cheerful and team-oriented event of the season, namely Japan Open. So, let me ... Read more »

Hi, my devoted fans! The season is over, and I think you’d be interested to know how my life goes after switching to another coach. 

First of all I’d like to say that I’m happy that the season ended the way it did. Because even I couldn’t have imagined that I would place 4th at Worlds – and not simply 4th, but almost 3rd! Then, I’d like to thank all the fans who were supporting me during the competitions, because it was you who encouragd and heartened me on the both days. I had never thought that it could actually be so easy to perform on the home ice. And finally, I can’t wait to tell you about my first practices under the guidance of Nikolai Morozov.

I came to Moscow the next day after the gala in St. Petersburg. Immediately on arriving I smoothly passed a medical examination (only,... Read more »