Ladies short program has ended in Saransk, where this year’s Russian Nationals take place. Alena is in the third place with 60.14 points.
In her short program Alena once again did a clean 3T-3T combination, but committed a mistake on the Flip (touched the ice with her hand) and lost levels on the last spin.
Q: Alena, what can you say about your today’s skating? A: In the short program I made a mistake on my Flip and something strange happened to the spin: I didn’t understand what happened myself. But I’m glad that I could do the 3T-3T, it’s great. I must keep on working. Now there are many girls who can skate well, and I’m going to try to do combinations with Lutz.
Q: Were there any changes made to the program since the Grand Prix events? A: Yes, I’ve changed the combination in the short program and put the combination into the free one. Now the elements in my free skating are similiar to those I had last season.
Q: Do you think the image you play fits you? We’ve read a number of controversial opinions... A: I’ve heard some opinions concerning the costume only. But I’m OK with it. I like it, and if sombody don’t, they don’t have to watch. I like the program and the image, I’m fond of smiling and amusing the audience (laughs).
Q: What is your impression of the audience here in Saransk? A: Though there aren’t very many people, they cheer very loudly! And the ice is good. Two years ago I won the Youth Spartakiada here.
Q: In the morning you had to skate your program without music... A: Yes, but I wasn’t confused. I did everything I had planned and even the silence instead of the music didn’t affect my practice. I didn’t even expect that I would be able to jump like that at 7.30 in the morning.
Ladies short program has ended in Saransk, where this year’s Russian Nationals take place. Alena is in the third place with 60.14 points. 