When this beautiful blonde went out on the ice, the most aesthetic sport became even more advantageous. Behind the angelic appearance of Katarina Gerboldt was the character of a fighter. Many fans believe that Herboldt's performance with sinusitis and a tube in her nose at the European Championships was the height of Herboldt's dedication. It turned out that in her career there was a worse situation — an accident while learning a quadruple release almost made a 23-year-old girl disabled. However, she not only learned to walk normally again, contrary to the doctors' forecasts, but also returned to the ice.
Katarina ended her career in 2015 and since then has been working as a coach at CSKA.
In a candid interview with Sport, Gerboldt told how Tamara Moskvina literally forced her to switch to pairs and why every athlete needs Svetlana Sokolovskaya, why not a couple took place with the Frenchman Brian Joubert and how to survive a terrible injury while maintaining a love of life.
«Moskvina was like a tank that sees no obstacles»
— You were often called the sex symbol of women's single skating. Did you feel increased attention to yourself?- Like any girl, I was always pleased. I won’t say that the status of “sex symbol” was attached to me and it was openly discussed, because in sports the priorities are slightly different. But I always knew that I, let's say, participated in various magazine competitions for the most beautiful athlete. And in the world as a whole, there was also a lot of such attention. All the time I competed with Kira Korpi — two blondes. Many even confused us, although it seems to me that we are completely different. Often coming to some countries, we saw a poster with the name Gerboldt and a photograph of Kira Korpi. Or vice versa. Laughed at this.
— You left singles for pair skating at the age of 20 — a surprisingly late age for such a decision. How was it received?
— Oh, it's almost a detective story. It all started with my last Russian championship as a single skater. There, according to my ideas, I had to qualify for the 2010 Olympics. In addition to the fact that I did not qualify for the Olympics (I took ninth place), I did not even get into the national team. I could not understand how it happened that last year I was, in fact, the first number, but here — no one and nowhere. How much worse have I become? No. How much better were the others? Also no.There was emptiness inside. I thought that the next Olympics were in four years. How old will I be and how old are these young girls? I knew perfectly well that they were healthier and more efficient. With the same rental, it’s normal that young people are always given a way. There is experience, but it is never an advantage. There is no advantage on my side. And why should I continue skating at all?
Svetlana Vladimirovna Sokolovskaya said to call her when I would make a decision. It was the New Year, I stayed at home, in St. Petersburg.
Then the choreographer Tanya Druchinina, with whom I worked with Mishin, called me. She said that Sasha (Enbert) has problems with his partner and we need to try. It was some kind of nonsense. I am 20 years old, what pair skating? But for some reason I came. We tried banal supports — it turned out to be pretty good. On this parted, I left for Moscow. I decided to ride until the end of the season, I could not quit one day. I was preparing for the Russian Cup Final — with a successful performance there, Svetlana Vladimirovna was promised to take me to the national team.
Every day, Druchinina began to call — to call in pairs. «Tamara Nikolaevna (Moskvina) believes, she sees it in you.» Then Sasha called, saying, Katya, come on, we have known each other for a long time. Then Tamara Nikolaevna herself began to call, and in principle it is difficult for her to refuse. She is a person who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. She called every single day. I found a thousand reasons to say no, and she found two thousand reasons to say yes. Then she started calling Sokolovskaya. In general, Tamara Nikolaevna, in a good sense of the word, got us so that I turned off the phone, and she started calling my mother. She was just like a tank that sees no obstacles. nothing works out for me, and we will live a normal life.
— How did Petersburg meet you?
— Moskvina said: «Choose» — and put two partners in front of me — Kostya Bezmaternykh and Sasha Enbert. It was nonsense — there is a shortage of boys in pair skating and they always choose. To be honest, I was stunned by such straightforwardness, especially since I was friends with both. It broke through me: “I don’t want to choose, I’m not a guy at all, I came here only because you asked. For some reason, you decided that I could do it. So you choose.” They chose the one that is taller — Enberta.
Everything worked out really quickly for me, and I didn’t even attach importance to it. Kostya then brought another partner, and Tamara Nikolaevna said: “Look, you always argue with me that you are cool, but this girl has been in pairs for a long time and should be a million times better than you, but it’s you who are better.” It flattered me, of course. Plus, I felt the pleasure of training, which has not been for a long time. By the end of the week, my body was falling apart from muscle pain, but mentally I was on the rise. jpg» />
— How did you confess everything to Sokolovskaya?- At first, not at all. I remembered how I left Alexei Nikolaevich Mishin with the understanding that few would take me. In principle, they are reluctant to take such coaches, because … well, because. Out of respect or coaching ethics, so as not to conflict — I don’t know. In general, I knew for sure that in St. Petersburg they would not take me anywhere. Svetlana Vladimirovna was chosen, one might say, at the call of the soul. It seemed to me that we should match. Initially, she did not want to take me, but her daughter persuaded me.
That is, she extended a helping hand to me, and I could not imagine how I would leave her.
>That's why I told Moskvina that I like to skate in pairs, but I won't dare to say about Sokolovskaya's departure, which means nothing will happen.
— Suddenly .
— Then there was the unexpected. Moskvina immediately dialed the federation in front of me and said that tomorrow I would visit Svetlana Vladimirovna, and then I would come to write an application for the transfer (smiles). In response to my indignation, she stated that Svetlana Vladimirovna is a smart woman, she loves me, will accept and understand me.
— Did it happen?
< br>— I had difficulties with the apartment, and Sokolovskaya in Moscow took me to live with her. That is, I could not even pick up my things — I had to go to her house. It was terribly embarrassing. I asked Lisa (daughter of Svetlana Sokolovskaya — ed.) to meet me at the station.
Svetlana Vladimirovna collected elephants. We saw a cool soft elephant with sad eyes. Somehow stuffed it into a box. They came. Svetlana Vladimirovna took it out and said: «So you're leaving, right?» «I don't know how to apologize to you.» «You need to do what your heart tells you. I'm letting you go. I'm giving you six months — if nothing works out by December, I'm waiting back. We'll waste time, but nothing like that, you'll just miss the season.» On that note, we parted ways. Throughout our lives we have a great relationship, I love her very much. I became the godmother of her granddaughter.
strong>— Svetlana Vladimirovna is a rare coach, about whom not only current students, but also exes, publicly and privately, say only good things.
— She sticks to every athlete with her heart and loves him like a mother. I would wish everyone to experience such a relationship with a coach at least once.
To be fair, I've always been lucky with female coaches. Tatyana Nikolaevna (Mishina) loved me like a daughter. Often in conflicts with Alexei Nikolayevich, she took my side. Even when I was wrong, she still supported me.
«Tore everything that exists in the leg»
— Often girls, moving into pairs, are faced with the need to firmly hold the weight — even more carefully than in singles. Did you have such a thing?- When I switched to pairs, I was 49-50 kilograms, and it seemed to me that I was large. Although neither Sasha nor the coaches ever said to lose weight. I myself reduced food and reached a weight of 45 kg. But that was my limit. I remember when I came to training at this weight, Tamara Nikolaevna told Sasha: «She needs to be fed.» She said that I need to eat, I used to be at a normal weight, but now it looks terrible and will not lead to anything good.
— At first, your career as a boyfriend was successful. Fourth place at the Russian Championship in the very first joint season, plus you looked very impressive on the ice with Alexander. At what point did something go wrong?
— In general, we were good that off-season. There was still a month left before the rentals, and we were already purely skating programs. Everyone said — wow, how cool they are ready, they will ring this season!
Tamara Nikolaevna really wanted us to learn the quadruple throw and do it on the lounge. I am a child who grew up on a lounge with Alexei Nikolaevich. But I did not understand how it can be applied in pair skating. We've always been throwing out at high speed. Moskvina says: «Let's teach from the spot.» But I thought that my knee would collapse then. Very hard landing — shortly before that there was an injury. In addition, if you start learning the throw from a place, over time you will begin to be afraid of speed. And so — let me fall, but I will feel how I should do it. » />
— What was the advantage of the longie, according to Moskvina, and why were you afraid of it? >- She said that without a longie, teaching is traumatic. And it seemed to me that if a person with a lounge is shorter than Sasha, he will not have time to catch and pull me out. How is it that I will fly forward halfway and backward halfway? I really don't know when to open up. I was afraid of the longi and knew that this was not my option. And so Tamara Nikolaevna and I had a strong conflict on this basis. It was not possible to agree.
How I remember that day now. Lena Berezhnaya drives up to me (at that time Moskvina's second coach — ed.) and says: «Katya, please, let's not make a fuss. Tamara Nikolaevna asked me to persuade you. Let's do it once on the lounge, she will see how bad it is, and we will teach as you want. She is more experienced, you are young, remember how she persuaded you to go to pairs? Maybe you are being stubborn now in vain. We talked to her for 20 minutes. Everything inside me resisted. But I, out of a sense of protest with the thoughts «I try the only time and never again in my life,» agreed.
Everyone was delighted. But it really was the only time. I landed badly, hit the track. Since the lounge was a little behind, I began to be dragged back and twisted. The foot got stuck in the track, and I made a whole turn. Tore apart everything that exists in the leg. All ligaments, muscles, tendons, syndesmosis capsules.
— When all this happened, I screamed like never before. Everyone was in shock. Sasha was horrified, informed me to the first-aid post. Tamara Nikolaevna was so nervous, I remember. I always had a lot of knots on my shoelaces — it is impossible to untie someone who does not know the secrets. She began to pull the skate to take it off — I yell even harder. I was given several injections of painkillers, but nothing helped.
The queue for an MRI waited 11 days. Then it became clear that instead of a leg there was just a bag of bones — only they remained intact. In fact, your injury is the result of excessive coaching perseverance that defeated the athlete’s inner caution. Certainly. The thought sat in my head: “I told you, I warned, I knew that this would happen. Why didn’t anyone hear me, didn’t support me, why did everyone take her side?”
But now I can say that I'm not angry at her. When you have already moved from the side of the athlete to the side of the coach, you understand that the coach first of all thinks about health and safety. But the coach is not a god, he cannot know and anticipate everything.
In general, the lounge is safety. All difficult jumps are always learned through the lounge just in order to save the athlete in the event of an incorrect take-off and a dangerous fall. The idea was correct. But if we did not perceive each other with hostility and did not try to prove who is more right here, but simply sat down to talk, it would be better. She would calmly listen to my fears, together we would come to some kind of agreement.
Tamara Nikolaevna gave me a lot as an athlete and coach. How to teach inner peace and stability, when to talk to a student, when to leave him alone. I am grateful to her for this experience.
«Crutches in one direction, I in the other»
— What did your injury turn into?
— I was in a cast for a very long time. First, the first operation is a plate, a pin, to pull it all off. Then we waited for the capsule to grow. They were waiting for the second operation, when the pin was pulled out, only then the whole picture should have become visible. Everyone had a question whether I would ride, but for me it was not.
— I read that the question was whether you can walk normally, let alone ride.I didn't even consider another option. It is clear that the Olympic season is past, but what can you do. I know for sure that Tamara Nikolaevna suggested that Sasha try with another partner. Whether he had a feeling of guilt towards me or something else, I do not know, but he told her no. Like, until Katya said that she was finishing, I would not even audition with anyone.
My parents furiously campaigned for the fact that there could be no sport. Mom said: «I can't see how dad carries you to the toilet in his arms.» And I couldn’t even lower my leg down, so when I went to the toilet, someone, sorry, had to hold my leg. As soon as I lowered it, it swelled so much that the cast began to shrink, the capsule inside was damaged again instead of healing.
I learned to drive with my left foot, although my parents were very worried. I joked that this way I would develop the right one faster — if I need to urgently slow down, like it or not, I have to.
— 23 years old. I had depression. A friend helped. As soon as I was allowed to put my foot down, she began to call me somewhere. I dragged it to hockey matches — we lived near Ledovoy.
Somehow she took me to a restaurant, they say, you love social life, get distracted! I had a huge floor-length skirt — it was dangerous to go out in it, because you could get tangled and fall. But I couldn't wear something that would show my leg. Terribly shy of plaster and crutches.
At that time, by the way, I fell down the stairs, entangled in a skirt. Crutches in one direction, I in the other (laughs).
— How did you manage to return to the sport?
— I called Tamara Nikolaevna and asked to go to the hall. On crutches and in a cast, but I pumped everything I could. This seemed not enough — Sasha and I began to learn support. We were furnished with chairs, insured, and he always let me down on a healthy leg. I understood that Sasha needed to train — how much longer you can sit idle. It was important for me to make it clear that I would continue anyway.
When the plaster was removed and the first picture was taken, it turned out that everything had grown together badly. The capsule did not really grow, there was a large backlash, the bones did not shrink. Any twist of the leg — and we will return to the original state.
I asked the doctor how to tap her in order to skate. The doctor replied: «I don't know if you can walk without limping, but you tell me about figure skating. The first jump will be your last.»
I still decided for myself that I would get up. Went to a lot of rehabilitators. Most did not even give a percentage that there would be a good outcome. strong> — There was no option to be treated abroad? Suddenly they could help.
There were thoughts, but there were no possibilities. Naturally, no one agreed to pay for my treatment in Germany. It is inappropriate to spend that kind of money without having a guarantee that I will return to the sport.
We were then friends with coach Milos Rzhiga (in 2011-2012 he was the head coach of SKA hockey — ed.), God rest his soul. He once saw me in a cafe near the arena. I told him about my problem and that no one could help with rehabilitation. I go to stupid gymnastics, I work with a healthy leg, but this one did not move, and does not move. Rzhiga advised me a rehabilitator — he allegedly restored the guys who were impossible to restore. But it was far away and logistically inconvenient. I was ready to go wherever they told me. I went with all the pictures and a friend — she was going to drive if they told me that nothing could be done, and I would have a tantrum.
— This doctor was the first to give more than a percent ?
— The doctor played my pictures and conclusions for 40 minutes. Gone, come. Christina came out to talk to him, they both returned and are silent. I could not stand it: «You do not know how to tell me that I will not skate? Speak directly.» He asked: «What do you want?» «I want to ride.» «Are you aware of how much it will hurt?» «I'm patient, it's okay.»
It was around September. «When do you need to skate for the first time?» «A month ago». He laughed. He asked for a real date. I said that I have two weeks to develop my leg — in December the Russian championship, I have to qualify for the Olympics.
— You are an optimist, Katya.
< br>
— The doctor said that we must accept it as a fact — this year I will not compete and the Olympics will not happen in my life. «To hell with the Olympics, will I ride?» «Do you really want this? And there are no options that you can live without it? And are you ready to endure what is impossible to endure?»
I answered all questions in the affirmative. Then he agreed to take me on the condition — no matter what, I can not give up halfway.
— It was so painful that I devoured the pillow. She screamed that he was breaking my leg for profit.
After three weeks, he told me to put away the crutches and force myself to walk. If you don't do this, nothing will change. Maxim Afinogenov and I arrived at the same time — it turned out that he was then restoring his knee. They got the hang of walking like this (shows a gait in a flurry) from the car to the doctor, and already at his door they put their foot in the normal way and walked through the pain as best they could. He endured for a week and says: “Do you take me for an idiot? My windows are open, and every time I see what you are performing here, while you yourself pretend as if you are working and forcing yourself to walk.” I had to rebuild.
In November I put on skates. But she could only insert her foot into the shoe — she could not squeeze it. I didn’t even have the strength to tie my shoelaces — my hands began to shake from pain. Girlfriend laced up. Before that, the doctor came and put a bandage on me that imitated plaster. The foot was kept at the expense of him, that is, I could not be injured again. I just had to try to ride like this for 15 minutes.
Sasha persuaded me to try to ride on one leg by the hand with him — you have to start somewhere. But every step I took pierced the pain to the brain, it was impossible to endure. It was the only time I almost gave up. I didn’t want to go out on the ice, because I was sure that nothing would work out.
— Who could convince you?
— It was on that day that SKA were also in the Yubileiny, only in a different arena. A friend ran for the doctor to a nearby arena. “I don’t understand, you don’t ride yet? You should have finished and come to me so that we can remove the bandage, massage everything, and do the procedures.” «Doc, I can't.» Then Kristina ran away for coach Rzhiga. «Katya, I did everything for you. Now it's your turn to do it for yourself.»
And I left. This is not called the word «rolling» — I just paced in a circle, substituting my foot. But things got a little better.
— How hard was it?
— The first couple of months the leg did not obey — I could fall out of the blue. They said to Sasha: «And how are you going to ride with her, she can't do anything.» Nevertheless, we continued. The first competitions were at the Academy — we skated with jumps, but without ejection. The throw was already trained, but on that day the leg was very sore, and we decided not to do it. I invited the doctor. Everyone was happy that we skated cleanly.
At the exit, crying mother and doctor were waiting for me. I say what are you? «When you came with your pictures, it was impossible to see. Your leg was not working. A friend asked me to tell you carefully that there was no chance, but you looked at me with such eyes that I could not. And I was going to set you such conditions that you yourself refused «You shouldn't be jumping and rolling right now. It's just not possible.»
We skated for a season, but my leg was constantly hurting. I also began to be afraid of emissions — more psychologically than physically. Substituted the second leg on landing or did not fully push. It always seemed to me that the leg would not stand. The season was a failure — I plucked one thing, then another, then the third. We performed at the Russian Championships, and Sasha decided that he wanted to go on without me. I supported him. Throwing away my career to make sure my leg doesn't bounce back? He could be understood.
I thought my career was over. I didn’t skate for some time, and then I came to Oleg Vasiliev to try. As soon as I let go of thoughts about the result, I began to jump normally, my leg stopped hurting. It’s a pity that I didn’t manage to find a worthy partner — I didn’t want to train just for the sake of training. So I decided to ride in shows and learn to live without sports. In general, I'm pretty good at it (laughs).
— Only now I can fully understand what the decision to pair with Brian Joubert meant for you. Many thought that this was pure PR and hype, but for you it really was, perhaps, the last chance to stay in the sport.
— What can I say, initially I myself took this idea with hostility. Oleg told me about Brian, they say, let's try, he knows about you and is interested. I was sure that he was shorter and could not even lift me. This turned out to be untrue, by the way.
Plus the language barrier — with a partner you need to be able to discuss everything, but we didn’t have it. And the difference in mentality, probably. We looked good together, there was potential, but it's not enough. I could not imagine why this is necessary for a person who has achieved everything in singles. In general, it happened — he was interested and liked how we were doing, but in a sense we were doomed as a couple. To skate together seriously, it was necessary to change a lot in life, to sacrifice a lot. Because I didn’t want to play for France, only for Russia. And Brian's mother didn't let him compete for Russia.
— Having experienced so many hardships in sports, it's easy to slip into a dislike for life and especially for figure skating. Have you avoided this?
— Absolutely. Maybe all this saved me from something else bad.
I think if it weren't for all this, there wouldn't be what I have now. And I love every day of my life.