The winner of the Olympic team tournament of figure skaters in the Russian national team Mark Kondratyuk in an interview with RIA Novosti spoke about the preparation for the new season, twisted the intrigue about the programs for it and revealed the secret of how his goal in his sports career has changed over the past year.

- Mark, the first question is about health. You had a back injury last season, how are things now?

"It's fine. I train, I work. You have to do certain procedures and exercises - in fact, every day, so that the situation does not worsen and does not return to the stages that were. I hope that this will continue.

— What can you tell us about the programs for the new season?

- The short program was staged in the spring, after the Russian Grand Prix Final. The free skate also began to be staged at that time, and finished already at the training camp in Kislovodsk, choreographer Nikita Mikhailov was with us, who staged both programs for me.

- Can you twist any intrigue about their subjects?

- Let it be so: the short program is set to music with the national flavor of a certain country. I'm not ready to say so easily about the arbitrary one, everything will be clear right away. I will say that powerful music with character.

— Powerful music with character has been met regularly in recent years.

— Yes, this is probably my forte. In the course of the program, add and give the maximum in the end.

- Svetlana Vladimirovna talked about your improvisations during the rentals. Is there room to improvise in current programs?

- In the short one, probably not, because the movements have the same national character. You can improvise - but you don't need to. In the arbitrary - yes, there is a place to roam.

- And how does this improvisation happen at all, according to the mood?

"I don't think about it. I just eat as I feel. I do not think in advance what and in what places I will do. That's not what improvisation is about. Improvisation is something that goes on the go and from the heart.

- A video was published on the Internet where you and Dmitry Aliyev do a parallel quadruple Salchow. Can we conclude that everything is in order with the quadruples?

- Yes, everything is fine. In terms of quantity - in the short, as usual, two. In the arbitrary - as it goes.

"The tournament of show programs has become an interesting ellipsis"

- A question from the category "the last one is remembered": can we say that the tournament on show programs, which everyone liked so much, has become for you a bright point of not the most pleasant, given all the vicissitudes with injury, season?

- Probably still a bright point for me - the Final of the Grand Prix of Russia. And the show program tournament is an interesting ellipsis. A new format that I have never participated in. I am very glad and grateful to our federation that it supports and takes the tournaments that used to be to a new level, and comes up with something new. What is so big and cool.

If we talk about my performance at the show programs tournament, it was interesting. We put on the performance "The Little Prince" at night, Nikita Mikhailov brought models of the planets, we set it all up, climbed on them, moved them on the ice in order to understand in what positions it would all look better. We came up with this screen, which almost fell apart during training, we held it with our hands, and then re-made it. I mean, it was an interesting creative process, and I think it's cool. Because now the emphasis is probably more on technical elements, and there are not so many productions where there is some kind of idea that an athlete, choreographer and coach reveal beautifully and tastefully. They certainly exist, but such a tournament is generally full of expanse - you can take any idea and implement it as you want. It seems to me that such a tournament is definitely needed so that people do not forget that figure skating is not only elements, but also a program and its execution.

- It is interesting that at first everyone enjoyed the show program tournament, and then all the same, the usual figure skating talk began that someone had been sued. Do you think it is possible to judge such a tournament in such a way that there are no scandals - or, maybe, in general, these performances should be held in the format of a show?

- Probably, if such a tournament was held in the form of a show, then everything would be much simpler - there would be no scandals and comments on the Internet. But it would not be so interesting to the audience. And so there is a glow - this, I think, is more profitable. As for points, I live in such a paradigm: there are judges - they give points. There is me - I ride. I skated - it's my job. The job of the judges is to put the scores. I don't argue with their points.

- That is, if we finish talking about this tournament: let it exist in this form, and it's cool.

- Let it exist in this form, and it's cool. Maybe you should think about changing the format a little. For example, ask everyone the same theme of music. Or allow single skaters to pair up and vice versa. That is, some nuances to change. But in general, it was very interesting for me to participate in such a tournament, I hope to play in it again next year.

"The path to the Olympics was more exciting than its final"

You must be watching the news feed. Are you looking forward to October, when the ISU may allow Russian skaters to enter the international arena?

- I'm waiting and really want it to be so. But I don't think about it. When there is a decision, I will read it and either be delighted or say to myself: "Well, then, we will compete in Russian competitions." It does not depend on me, and I can not influence this situation in any way. Of course, if there are international competitions, I will be happy to perform at them. Until they are gone, I will perform in Russian, because we also have excellent tournaments here. Russian Grand Prix, jumping championship, show program tournament. We are fine with this.

- You have now performed in the Evgeni Plushenko show in Beijing. Were you looking forward to returning to the capital of the Olympic Games, or is this stage of your career mentally already in the past?

— Of course, I really wanted to return to Beijing. I had unclosed gestalts. I really wanted to visit the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall of China and the Museum of Fine Arts. Then it was impossible to do it, it was impossible to go anywhere. Our Olympic village was only a couple of kilometers from the Forbidden City, I hoped that we would pass by, but no - we were driving along a different path.

But all the same, of course, this is already such a chapter that remains forever, you periodically recall it, but it is in the past.

- Evgenia Medvedeva in the film told about herself that until some point she considered medals to be a confirmation of the path that she had traveled in sports - and then she realized that this was not so. What is a medal for you?

- When we stood on the ice on the Olympic podium, I caught myself thinking that the whole way to the Olympics was much more exciting than its final. This final was pleasant, no doubt, you are standing, you understand that this is the Olympic arena, everyone is looking at you. But everything that has been passed before is much more interesting. It influenced me and shaped me as a person much more than those moments on the top step of the pedestal. Maybe a medal is a confirmation that you have passed this path successfully. But interest, it seems to me, is on the road, and not at the final stop.

- Sometimes they say that the expectation of a moment is much stronger than the moment itself.

- Yes. And for the same reason, people who set themselves some kind of super goal and achieved it, then do not know what to do. They lived for this goal, and then faced a situation where it no longer exists. Many children are asked - do you want to become an Olympic champion? And they answer yes. I remember when they asked me that, I answered "yes", but only because everyone answered that way. In fact, I did not burn this goal. I get great pleasure from skating, from performances, from shows. I think that figure skating is my life and I can't live without ice. But I never set myself a specific goal to win something.

- And now if you ask what is your goal in your future career, you will answer - just go along this road?

“Now, after all these moments, there are changes. Walk this road, enjoy it, enjoy the process. But, of course, if there is such an opportunity, I will ride at the Olympics in Milan.

- Recently you performed a demonstrative number for a song with the words "I'm leaving beautifully", and many made a corresponding conclusion. Say he is wrong.

- He's wrong. I leave the ice arena beautifully after this number - and only (smiles). This is a very cool, bright song that everyone knows from the first notes. I like it, and I know that if I catch a wave, I can roll it in such a way that the viewer likes it. I often skated demonstrative numbers, lyrical, sad, but I wanted something powerful and driving. At the training camp in Armenia they put this number, and I skated it. I hope I can still do it. So no, I'm not leaving. I live, ride and try to go further!

原文鏈接：https://rsport.ria.ru/20230818/kondratyuk-1890726468.html