SOME YAGS INTERVIEWS
Trying to get more Yags on _skating!!
Just a post with some ~relevant and substantial~ bits from past Yags interviews, all from
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/
A link to the entire interview is under each corresponding topic.
I tried to keep it short, but there is so much stuff!!
edit: added "Winter" from SLC
On Mishin: (from Feb, 2008)
I came out on the ice (at the 1994 Goodwill Games) as a nod of nerves and performed the worst program in my life. I was so ashamed that I wanted to disappear into thin air. I was depressed and very angry with Mishin. I considered him to be a cause of my disgrace. I felt like a laughing stock and I knew then that I will never forgive Mishin for that.
(BTW Yags was 8th in the 1994 Goodwill Games, according to wiki)
After participating in “Skate America,” I won a bronze medal at the Cup of Nations in Germany and silver at the Cup of Russia. The gold medals in all of these places went to Urmanov. Usually the coaches themselves select the competitions for their students. I was trying to understand for a long time why Mishin always sent me to the same competitions as he sent Urmanov. Why would he not give me a chance to come out of the shadow of my older comrade? Finally I understood that Mishin wanted me to lose to Alexey all the time.
The season of 97/98 Urmanov missed because of a trauma and now Mishin put all of his attention on me. Unfortunately it did not last long. He started working with Evgeny Pluschenko, who shortly became his favorite. Mishin liked the character of Pluschenko. Evgeny, in difference to me, never contradicted his coach. As Urmanov, Pluschenko always trusted his coach, never argued with him and never asked additional questions. If Mishin would ask him to jump, he would just ask “how high?”
In the 97/98 season I won the Cup of Finland. Pluschenko was second. That was how our uncompromised competition started and culminated in the 2002 Olympic games. At the World Championship in Milan, I lived in the same hotel room as Pluschenco. In difference to Urmanov, he never talked to me.
The whole podium in Milan was taken by the Russians. I got my first World Gold, Evgeny got silver and Alex Abt got bronze. After that competition I was told that when Mishin was congratulated that his two students got the gold and silver, he was upset that it was me and not Pluschenco who got the gold. I felt that it was time to look for another coach. Our relations did not work out and to continue with him did not make any sense to me. Mishin himself brought up the subject and we decided that I would look for another coach. I thanked him for what he had done for me, promised to pay him his share of winnings for the season, we shook hands and parted our ways. I was upset how cold he was with me, but I felt that it was for the best.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/03/yagudin-interview-part-1.html
1998 Nagano: Mishin abandoning Yags at K&C after the LP DD:
On accusations of homosexuality: (From Feb, 2008)
Once I was sharing a room in a hotel with Oleg Ovsannikov. He was older and used to smoke a lot, while I did not tolerate the smoke. At that time I was friends with Tara Lipinski, while she was a friend of Rudy Galindo. Rudy was staying alone in a double room and suggested that I move in with him. I gladly accepted his invitation. Rudy, a US Champion, was one of the kindest men that I knew. He was a great guy and I was very surprised when a few weeks later the gossip about our relationship started circulating. I knew that he was gay; he never concealed his sexual orientation. We set the boundaries of our relations from the very beginning and never had problems. When I told Tarasova that I was staying in the room with Rudy she was terrified and asked me if I knew what I was doing. She liked Rudy but she had a better understanding about the environment in which we lived and she realized how this situation could be turned against me. I told her that I would move out immediately. But I realized that she was right when people started talking behind my back. This situation bothered me a lot. Rudy did not get upset when I told him that I was moving out. Up until the end of the tour I shared a room with Anton Sikharulidze. Unfortunately my move did not help me. For a few more years I was considered gay. There were even some correspondents who were investigating my relationships with other skaters. I was very upset and wanted to quit sports.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/03/yagudin-interview-part-1.html
On Salt Lake City: (from Feb, 2008)
The time came when I was called on the ice. At that moment something happened inside me. I was floating in the air above reality. I was surprisingly calm and balanced. In this condition I stared my program, “Winter." The stands fell silent while I was preparing my first cascade with a quad jump. I looked back at my left as to check the distance to the edge and came up against the sharp glance of Mishin, my former coach. He was standing at the edge where he knew that I would definitely see him, and was looking at me with his piercing eyes. I knew very well this was a tactical move to get me off balance. I told myself that he would not succeed this time and made my jump. At the completion of the program, I jumped in exactly the same corner where he stood and gave him a wide smile.
Finally Evgeny came out on the ice and I held my breath. When he fell down, I jumped and cried out - yes, yes! (LOL, Yags) I knew that this behavior did not become me, but there was too much riding on his performance and I could not and did not want to hide my happiness at getting so close to Olympic gold. At that moment I knew that I would be a Champion.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/03/yagudin-interview-part-2.html
On his father: (from July, 2008)
NB - Do you remember your father?
AY - No, I do not. If I would meet him on the street I would not recognize him. I have some segments of my memory of him though. Sometimes he would come over to our summer house. We played with him there. He gave me a collection of stamps and that was about all that I remembered of him. He was a research scientist as my mother was. I think that he went to Germany to work there and he is still there. But I may be wrong. He called me right after the Olympics and I talked with him as with a stranger. I do not even remember what we were talking about. He suggested for us to get together, but he never called me again.I did not pay much attention to our conversation since Anton Sikharulidze was waiting for me to play table tennis. In essence, my dad does not exist for me.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/07/yagudin-i-am-not-getting-married-yet.html
(ngl, the "Sikharulidze and table tennis > dad" made me LOL)
On his first love: (from July, 2008)
It seems that the first mature feelings I had were for Elena Berezhnaya. Our situation was very uncertain. I bought her a ring and wanted to marry her (WAT), but I was only 19 years old then.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/07/yagudin-i-am-not-getting-married-yet.html
On Plushy and whoring around in general: (from Oct, 2007)
SD - If you run into Pluschenko at the taping of your show, what would you do?
AY - I would say hello, and move on.
SD - Would you talk to him? You have similar problems now, you and he are coming back on ice and both had operations.
AY - You know, I congratulated him with his victory in Turin by sending him a text message, but he never replied. When his son was born, I called him and we had a normal conversation. I respect him as an outstanding sportsman, but I would not be a judge of his character. Let someone else do that.
SD - Pluschenko was younger than you, but he already was married, had a child and got divorced. Are you going to be single for the rest of your life?
AY - I remember that when I was 19 or 20 years old, I was looking with a great interest at a girl. My mother asked me why I was looking at her like that and I replied that I was looking at the potential mother of my children. My mother told me that I was too young to think about that. At that time I wanted to get married, but then I decided that my freedom was very dear to me and I did not want to give it up. Who needs all of the problems of marriage, divorces, division of the property? Why not live together and if it would not work out, just split?
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2007/10/yagudin-just-keeps-on-talking.html
Just a post with some ~relevant and substantial~ bits from past Yags interviews, all from
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/
A link to the entire interview is under each corresponding topic.
I tried to keep it short, but there is so much stuff!!
edit: added "Winter" from SLC
On Mishin: (from Feb, 2008)
I came out on the ice (at the 1994 Goodwill Games) as a nod of nerves and performed the worst program in my life. I was so ashamed that I wanted to disappear into thin air. I was depressed and very angry with Mishin. I considered him to be a cause of my disgrace. I felt like a laughing stock and I knew then that I will never forgive Mishin for that.
(BTW Yags was 8th in the 1994 Goodwill Games, according to wiki)
After participating in “Skate America,” I won a bronze medal at the Cup of Nations in Germany and silver at the Cup of Russia. The gold medals in all of these places went to Urmanov. Usually the coaches themselves select the competitions for their students. I was trying to understand for a long time why Mishin always sent me to the same competitions as he sent Urmanov. Why would he not give me a chance to come out of the shadow of my older comrade? Finally I understood that Mishin wanted me to lose to Alexey all the time.
The season of 97/98 Urmanov missed because of a trauma and now Mishin put all of his attention on me. Unfortunately it did not last long. He started working with Evgeny Pluschenko, who shortly became his favorite. Mishin liked the character of Pluschenko. Evgeny, in difference to me, never contradicted his coach. As Urmanov, Pluschenko always trusted his coach, never argued with him and never asked additional questions. If Mishin would ask him to jump, he would just ask “how high?”
In the 97/98 season I won the Cup of Finland. Pluschenko was second. That was how our uncompromised competition started and culminated in the 2002 Olympic games. At the World Championship in Milan, I lived in the same hotel room as Pluschenco. In difference to Urmanov, he never talked to me.
The whole podium in Milan was taken by the Russians. I got my first World Gold, Evgeny got silver and Alex Abt got bronze. After that competition I was told that when Mishin was congratulated that his two students got the gold and silver, he was upset that it was me and not Pluschenco who got the gold. I felt that it was time to look for another coach. Our relations did not work out and to continue with him did not make any sense to me. Mishin himself brought up the subject and we decided that I would look for another coach. I thanked him for what he had done for me, promised to pay him his share of winnings for the season, we shook hands and parted our ways. I was upset how cold he was with me, but I felt that it was for the best.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/03/yagudin-interview-part-1.html
1998 Nagano: Mishin abandoning Yags at K&C after the LP DD:
Click to viewOn accusations of homosexuality: (From Feb, 2008)
Once I was sharing a room in a hotel with Oleg Ovsannikov. He was older and used to smoke a lot, while I did not tolerate the smoke. At that time I was friends with Tara Lipinski, while she was a friend of Rudy Galindo. Rudy was staying alone in a double room and suggested that I move in with him. I gladly accepted his invitation. Rudy, a US Champion, was one of the kindest men that I knew. He was a great guy and I was very surprised when a few weeks later the gossip about our relationship started circulating. I knew that he was gay; he never concealed his sexual orientation. We set the boundaries of our relations from the very beginning and never had problems. When I told Tarasova that I was staying in the room with Rudy she was terrified and asked me if I knew what I was doing. She liked Rudy but she had a better understanding about the environment in which we lived and she realized how this situation could be turned against me. I told her that I would move out immediately. But I realized that she was right when people started talking behind my back. This situation bothered me a lot. Rudy did not get upset when I told him that I was moving out. Up until the end of the tour I shared a room with Anton Sikharulidze. Unfortunately my move did not help me. For a few more years I was considered gay. There were even some correspondents who were investigating my relationships with other skaters. I was very upset and wanted to quit sports.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/03/yagudin-interview-part-1.html
On Salt Lake City: (from Feb, 2008)
The time came when I was called on the ice. At that moment something happened inside me. I was floating in the air above reality. I was surprisingly calm and balanced. In this condition I stared my program, “Winter." The stands fell silent while I was preparing my first cascade with a quad jump. I looked back at my left as to check the distance to the edge and came up against the sharp glance of Mishin, my former coach. He was standing at the edge where he knew that I would definitely see him, and was looking at me with his piercing eyes. I knew very well this was a tactical move to get me off balance. I told myself that he would not succeed this time and made my jump. At the completion of the program, I jumped in exactly the same corner where he stood and gave him a wide smile.
Finally Evgeny came out on the ice and I held my breath. When he fell down, I jumped and cried out - yes, yes! (LOL, Yags) I knew that this behavior did not become me, but there was too much riding on his performance and I could not and did not want to hide my happiness at getting so close to Olympic gold. At that moment I knew that I would be a Champion.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/03/yagudin-interview-part-2.html
On his father: (from July, 2008)
NB - Do you remember your father?
AY - No, I do not. If I would meet him on the street I would not recognize him. I have some segments of my memory of him though. Sometimes he would come over to our summer house. We played with him there. He gave me a collection of stamps and that was about all that I remembered of him. He was a research scientist as my mother was. I think that he went to Germany to work there and he is still there. But I may be wrong. He called me right after the Olympics and I talked with him as with a stranger. I do not even remember what we were talking about. He suggested for us to get together, but he never called me again.I did not pay much attention to our conversation since Anton Sikharulidze was waiting for me to play table tennis. In essence, my dad does not exist for me.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/07/yagudin-i-am-not-getting-married-yet.html
(ngl, the "Sikharulidze and table tennis > dad" made me LOL)
On his first love: (from July, 2008)
It seems that the first mature feelings I had were for Elena Berezhnaya. Our situation was very uncertain. I bought her a ring and wanted to marry her (WAT), but I was only 19 years old then.
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2008/07/yagudin-i-am-not-getting-married-yet.html
On Plushy and whoring around in general: (from Oct, 2007)
SD - If you run into Pluschenko at the taping of your show, what would you do?
AY - I would say hello, and move on.
SD - Would you talk to him? You have similar problems now, you and he are coming back on ice and both had operations.
AY - You know, I congratulated him with his victory in Turin by sending him a text message, but he never replied. When his son was born, I called him and we had a normal conversation. I respect him as an outstanding sportsman, but I would not be a judge of his character. Let someone else do that.
SD - Pluschenko was younger than you, but he already was married, had a child and got divorced. Are you going to be single for the rest of your life?
AY - I remember that when I was 19 or 20 years old, I was looking with a great interest at a girl. My mother asked me why I was looking at her like that and I replied that I was looking at the potential mother of my children. My mother told me that I was too young to think about that. At that time I wanted to get married, but then I decided that my freedom was very dear to me and I did not want to give it up. Who needs all of the problems of marriage, divorces, division of the property? Why not live together and if it would not work out, just split?
http://www.figureskatingmystery.com/2007/10/yagudin-just-keeps-on-talking.html