Silver medalist of the Pyeongchang Olympic Games in the team figure skating Vladimir Morozov gave an interview to the Information Service. Last season, he and Evgenia Tarasova won the European Сhampionship in Moscow and became second at the World Championship in Milan.
Last Friday Morozov took part in the Olympic lesson within the sports and educational project of the ROC Olympic Patrol. The lesson was held at the Kurchatov School, Moscow.
– Nina Mikhailovna Moser announced the intention not to work till there’s nothing left in the upcoming season, confining herself to consultations. Will she be a sort of a visiting coach now?
– Nina Mikhailovna will help us. We will keep in touch with her.
– Who will you work with on a daily basis?
– It is a secret so far. It is too early to unveil this information to mass media. But I can assure you that everything will be fine.
– Do you have any general ideas for the new season?
– We’re thinking about the music. And it is difficult to talk about the sports components so far. First we need to know the rules.
– There is much talk about possible changes in the rules. How will it affect the pairs?
– The changes have not been approved yet. It will happen in early June. So we are waiting. Probably they will reduce the free program by 30 seconds and may be remove one element from it. They are going to introduce a new scoring system, from ‘- 5’ to ‘+ 5’ instead of ‘- 3’ to ‘+ 3’. This scoring system is intended to help judges evaluate the performances more precisely. It is not clear with the quadruple jumps.
– Wouldn’t these changes in the free program have a negative impact on the choreography?
– I hope the changes will be reasonable. If they cut 30 seconds, we will have to remove one element. Otherwise, we will race for the elements, putting them one fater another, which negatively affect the show.
– What impression did the last season leave? Was it successful for you or rather ambiguous?
– In any case, it was successful. Not everything turned out well at the Olympics, but we have a team silver medal. It’s been a short time since we moved from junior level, but we progressed quickly and now we are competing with the world’s leading pairs. We are still young and we are optimistic about the next four years.
– In addition, some strong pairs have completed their careers. Among them, perhaps, are Olympic champions Alena Savchenko and Bruno Massot. Have you heard anything about their plans?
– We do not keep in touch with them. Some say that they have decided to leave, others, on the contrary, claim that they are going to stay. We will know for sure in the beginning of the season.
– Were you distracted by the 20-point gap between you and the German pair at the World Championship?
– No. We had mistakes, and Savchenko/Massot skated flawlessly. But it happened at that particular tournament. In general, the gap is not as inaccessible as it seems. At the Olympic Games, the judges forgave them their failed jump in the short program, placing them on the 4th position. However, their free program was ok.
– In mass media you were compared with the duet Tatyana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov. What do you think of this?
– That’s a flattering comparison. We worked with the same coach, so there are some similar elements. But in my opinion, the style of our couple is different. We strive for sweeping amplitude skating, which pleases the audience and ourselves.
– Do you consider yourself as candidate for leadership in the new Olympic cycle?
– We are used to do and not to consider.
