… about the war in Ukraine
“Of course, all athletes focus on the sport and try not to get distracted. But it’s in the back of your mind, and not all athletes will be able to ignore it. In the field of participants there are 19 Russian athletes who run for other nations – for Georgia, Azerbaijan, also for Germany.
Particularly striking: Ekaterina Kuznetsova, who was born in Moscow, skates in pairs with the Ukrainian Alexander Kolosowsky for Azerbaijan. That alone is amazing and very multifaceted.“
… about the attitude of the athletes to the Ukraine war
“Responsible athletes must not hide behind the fact that they only want to concentrate on the sport. The young athletes in particular have to form an opinion. Of course, this always depends on the country. Unfortunately, athletes are often not prepared for these situations, only for triple and quadruple jumps, short programs and freestyle.“
… about the dominance of Russian athletes
“These are very young athletes who are introduced to triple and quadruple jumps at an early age and can do insanely acrobatic jumps at a very early stage. The development of men is different. Many countries have already caught up. Especially the women in Russia get a striking training in jumping technique at an early age.
They can only achieve those insane spin speeds with a skinny little body, which they have when they’re 14 or 15. That’s why there hasn’t been a level playing field for years, and after the Olympics there was an appeal increase the age of female athletes. Young people need time for the body to develop. This would also balance itself out internationally.“