Alena Leonova will enter the upcoming Olympic season being the leader of the Russian national team in ladies single skating. And there’s not much time left before the season starts. When Svetlana Antsyreva, the All Sport news agency reporter, phoned Alena, she found the young skater at Novogorsk, the national team’s training camp site. At first it seemed that the call had woken Alena up.

“Oh, no, everything’s all right”, smiled Leonova. “I’m just a bit sleepy, because today’s practice has been too early in the morning. Except that, everything’s fine! At the long last I managed to go on holiday: in the middle of May I went to Turkey together with my mother, brother and a friend of mine. And I should say I really made the best of my holyday! By the end of our stay I had been known to everyone in the hotel. I was a local star (laughs). Now we are at the training camp in Novogorsk, but soon will leave for Switzerland. Work is in full swing!” 

Tell us about your new programs, please. Unlike other skaters you didn’t try to conceal your music choices for as log as you could; instead, you wrote about them at your official website…

“Well, someone has to break stereotypes! (laughs) I’ve got nothing to hide. The short program was choreographed by Tatiana Tarasova. She said that she would like to work with me as far back as after the Europeans. Of course, it was a very pleasant thing to hear. The music (Barynya) is superb! Oh, how funny I am in this program! I liked working with Tarasova immensely. She is such a cheerful and enthusiastic kind of person! We literally worked together: I skated and she performed the whole dance behind the board. I think that the program we’ve made is really very interesting. We both were satisfied by the result, though Tatiana Anatolievna nevertheless said that I didn’t know how to skate (laughs). She said that I lack some basic things and should thoroughly work on steps and skating skills. That’s exactly what I’m busy with right now. The free program (by a Chicago medley) is completely different. The idea came from Olga Volojinskaya, who visited St. Petersburg specially to work with me. It took us just three hours to put up the program! Everything is in its place: gestures, dance movements, every little step. There’s not a single blank, it’s wonderful! We are sure to put a 3-3 combination into both programs. For the present it is the toeloop-toeloop, but we work on the flip-toeloop. I hope everything will turn out fine”.

What could you say about the past season?

 “I’m satisfied. I skated clean almost at all the events I entered. And I am very glad that at the World Team Trophy I got a level 4 for all the elements in the free program except for the step sequence (it was given a level 3). It’s marvelous! The time I spent in LA during the World Championships and earlier in Detroit (we had a training camp there) was unforgettable. Then I liked the WTT in Japan, though we hadn’t made proper provisions for it. While the Americans had come carrying a huge sack full of all sorts of hats, kazoos and rattles, we’ve brought only a Russian flag. And even the flag got lost in the baggage! We managed to found it only on the second day of the event” (laughs).

But on the other hand, at each event you come to the ice with a smile on your face.

“Yes, now it is so. But remember what a wry face I wore at the Cup of China! (laughs) After that I decided that it wasn’t at all proper to come to the ice and skate with such a look. It’s better to smile then to goggle like a mad cow! (laughs) That’s why I always smile before skating, thus making myself ready for a good performance”.   

Were there any remarkable events in your life after the end of the season?    

“I was invited to a reception held by Valentina Matvienko, the governor of St. Petersburg, in honour of Russian Olympic hopefuls. Other skaters from St. Petersburg were there too, namely Gordey Gorshkov, Yuko Kavaguchi, Alexander Smirnov, Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov. The governor congratulated us, wished us every success and gave each one a present, a luxurious watch. What a splendid thing it is! I’ve put it on a shelf and admire it from afar. Then after the victory at the Junior Worlds Russian figure skating federation gave me an apartment just a few steps away from the Academy of Figure Skating. I was locating there all spring long. But I still don’t live there and always spend nights at home. I mean, where my family lives. Living alone is so boring! In my new apartment, though, I spend the time between morning and afternoon trainings”.

What about your goals for the Olympic season? Have they been approved by the Federation?

“Everything’s OK. They made some alterations, but on the whole our plans were approved. At the Nationals my goal can only be the first place, at the Europeans it will be 2^nd or 3^rd, at the Olympics 5^th or 6^th… Well, everything is in my hands, or rather feet. I’ve got to work hard”.   

Today you are expected to medal at the Europeans and be in the top 5 at the Olympics, whereas only a few years ago you were told that you’d better start pair skating…

“Yes, indeed. About four years ago, when I was very unsuccessful at jumping – I could do only doubles and an occasional double Axel – Alla Piatova suggested that I should try pair skating. And for some time I practiced both with our group and with pair skaters. By the way, my first partner was Alexander Smirnov. In three days I got bruised all over, because I fell each time we did a throw jump. As for the lifts, they just scared me to death, though I knew that I was held in reliable arms. After five days or so they gave me another partner, who could hardly lift me and often missed trainings, so I just hung about with not much to do. Finally I just slipped away and nobody noticed it (laughs). But the funny thing is that immediately after the pair skating affair I began to jump! The Axel improved, and then triples came. So, it wasn’t all in vain”.

Which events are you going to enter before the Grand Prix starts?

“We wanted to go to Obersdorf, but were dissuaded. Now I plan to skate at the Finlandia Trophy and national Cup events”.

Translated by Mikhail Sharov