Figure skater Alina Zagitova, after the suspension of her career, managed to try herself in different roles. Presenter, singer, participant of ice shows. Now the athlete performs at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum (SPIEF). The correspondent shares her impressions of the new role of the Olympic champion.
Zagitova has become one of the main actors on the first day of SPIEF. Her speech at the session «Sport in a New Reality» was included in the story shown on the evening news on the federal TV channel. Minor heroes are not covered at this level.
As expected, the arrival of the Olympic champion divided those commenting on this event on the Internet into two camps radically opposed to each other. The first consists of fans who are happy to see Alina in public in any form. Sings with Sievert — excellent. Runs on Nikolskaya 60 meters — excellent. Speaking at SPIEF is great.
The second camp brought together those who can't stand Zagitova — the haters. They Zagitova can neither sing, nor speak, nor even ride. Titles are nothing, everything is with the help of judges, public life is thanks to blat.
However, the antagonist factions have something in common. Both are looking forward to Alina's next appearance in the public space. The first — to pour rivers of compliments on all possible occasions. The second — to criticize for the same.At the beginning of the first day of SPIEF, Zagitova did exercises together with gymnast Artur Dalaloyan. Then a race was planned, but the skater did not take part in it. I went to prepare for the morning session on the topic of recycling. Alina was placed in the «parterre», but she never received a word. However, like a number of other speakers, whose speech was planned on the agenda.
But at the end of the session, a video was shown, which Zagitova prepared and took part in. The figure skater performed on a frozen forest lake, after which the camera showed the under-ice space polluted with waste.
After lunch, the Olympic champion picked up a microphone and set out an example of how you can find new forms in sports. Meaning the show program tournament. Zagitova said that in the new competitions «a man and a woman collide with their foreheads.» Maybe it sounded a little ambiguous. In general, the idea that the search continues in a popular sport is understandable.
Last year, Zagitova also came to SPIEF, where she said that she had heard about such a forum for the first time. This year, the figure skater became an active participant in the event. How to relate to such a rapid rise in status?
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“I would like to do an interview with the President of Russia,” Alina admitted last summer.
However made a reservation. Only when it is ready for this, for which there is still a lot to learn. Hand on heart, I must admit, Zagitova is not yet ready to speak at such events as SPIEF. As well as singing along with the stars. But does this mean that you have to refuse if you are called? Absolutely not!Would it really be better if the Olympic champion ate what she earned in sports for the rest of her life? By the way, a lot of people do it. They live in pleasure and, as they say, do not shine. But I don’t think that this is more responsible behavior — to become an idol for people, a hero of the time and carefully go into the shadows. If you are an influential person, an influencer, then you are even obliged to participate in public life. And Zagitova is learning to fulfill this duty. Even if not everything turns out yet.
Yes, it is unlikely that Alina understood much of the discussion about recycling. I confess, I did not understand almost anything. They discussed things too specific for the industry. But if one of the fans, after seeing the video with her participation, thinks about how to start sorting waste, the presence at SPIEF will already be useful. Sounds trite, but it works.
Yes, the figure skater cannot yet learn how to express her thoughts in public. Undoubtedly, Zagitova understands that she still has room to grow. No wonder she did not agree to a single flash interview during the first day of SPIEF, with the exception of the moment after the end of the football match with the participation of the legends. On the move, Alina shared her emotions from the game in a conversation with a correspondent. This is a little of what Zagitova tried after the end of her (de facto) competitive career. It is clear that not all the roles in which she tries herself are easy. Something even looks a little ridiculous. But all this is absolutely no reason to pour mud, as many «commentators» do. Arguing with «Internet militants» is the last thing, but still I want to tell them one thing. It's easy to sit at the computer and scribble sarcastic opuses. It is much more difficult to take and challenge yourself. How did Zagitova do it. Try it. Maybe life will sparkle with new colors for you too. And you will thank Alina for this.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors