Alena Leonova is sure that the winner of Europeans is going to be the most imperturbable girl. 

Preparations for Europeans are in full swing in Novogorsk. Practices have been moved to late evening, so that skaters could get accustomed to the four-hour time lag. Though Alena Leonova willingly accepts all the experiments, she thinks that she will all the same have to accustom to the new location anew.

A: I was in high spirits! I had spent the holidays in St. Petersburg with my family and friends whom I’d been missing very much. I came to St. Petersburg on the 29th of December, in the evening, and went for a walk straight away. Not a single day of my stay was spent aimlessly lounging in front of a TV set. I had a very good time and resumed practicing on the 4th of January. I’ve heard that some skaters returned to the ice as early as on the 2nd of January. So, I think I was lucky to have enough time to recreate after last year’s exhausting end.

A: The Grand Prix Final took a lot of energy from me. I had nagging doubts whether I would be able to compete in Nationals. And the fatigue did tell on me. I was about to fall apart in the end of the free skating. But it was a learning experience, and I don’t regret  that I’ve visited Saransk. First, I like the town. Second, for me the tournament has always been one of the most interesting events.

 

A: I make little account of the event and the title. Of course, it’s a nice tournament, but still a children’s one. Real Olympic Games is quite a different story.

Q: Europeans is also an important event. I guess you want to make the podium at last, don’t you? 

A: When I want something badly, it usually hinders me. But I’m determined to make the top three. I’ve looked into the entry list, and I can say that the winner is going to be the one with the strongest nerves. Everybody is more or less on the same level. It won’t be as it once was at Worlds, when everybody knew that Yu-Na Kim would win as soon as she came to the ice. The one who will not lose her nerves will finish in the first place.

A: I think that Carolina is my main rival, the more so, that she is a three-time European champion. But I by no means disregard Ksenia Makarova and Kiira Korpi. I think everybody will be in a good shape.

A: We were very glad to see each other. But during the competitions she wasn’t very talkative, she was more concentrated than before and was refusing to give interviews. Maybe it was a right thing to do, but as for me, I like to communicate and not to cork. But as soon as the competitions ended, she just blossomed! I couldn’t recognize her at first, and then said to myself: "At last, Ksusha is back!” You can’t condemn people for such things. Everybody has their own way of behaving during competitions. Think, for instance, of Patrick Chan. When he is to skate last in a warm-up group, after the warm-up he just plays cards with his coach.

A: Yes, I have seen the advertising clip, too. And I know whom I’m going to support. It’s my dear friend Jana Khokhlova. To tell the truth, I would be happy to participate in such a show at some time in the future. But now I can think only about the competitions in Sheffield.