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Olympic champion 2002 Alexey Yagudin, like a year ago, became the winner of the show program tournament figure skating «Russian Challenge» The Sport correspondent discusses the secret of his success.
I’ll reveal a little secret. Before the start of the tournament, I managed to talk with a person who saw the general run. Of course, there were no spoilers, but we had this dialogue:
— Who is the main favorite?
— Yagudin.
— Again?
— Yes.
— But he will have to surprise everyone.
— He will do it.
Why, you ask, did Yagudin need to be surprised? Well, let's start with the fact that the Russian Challenge is not a tournament where you can win simply because you are stronger at something. Technically, the 2002 Olympic champion is, for obvious reasons, inferior to most of the skaters who took to the ice that evening. Let us remind you that Yagudin will turn 44 years old in a week. As for the components of the program or, as they used to call it, artistry, it is a controversial criterion in “classical” figure skating. And here, where the rules did not require the participants to perform either jumps or step patterns, and in general representatives of all genres of figure skating mixed together…
War, Vysotsky and Yagudin — champion: the best numbers of the «Russian Challenge»
Silver medalist of the Russian Championship Makar Ignatovshowed himself to be a master of disguise. He took to the ice in the guise of Nikolai Gogol. Mesmerizing music and red lighting immersed the audience in the fantasy world of the great writer. The props were changed one after another: wheels were performed, canes were thrown, bottles were broken, works were burned.
"I was born and raised in St. Petersburg. Mystery and abnormality in a good sense are inherent in all residents of this city,” the skater summed up.
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Roman Savosindemonstrated all facets of talent and artistry. The skater embodied on the ice the image of Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov from the work “Heart of a Dog” Mikhail Bulgakov.
For this reason, the skater was brought onto the stage by none other than Alexander Gallyamov in the guise of a doctor. Savosin came out in hospital pajamas and with a bandaged head, transforming himself as much as possible into a man with dog habits.
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Rooms bronze medalist of the Russian Championship Ksenia Sinitsinahave always been distinguished by their penetration. This time she dedicated her performance to a special topic for St. Petersburg — the blockade of the city during the Great Patriotic War.
The figure skater began her skate to the lines from Tanya Savicheva’s diary, which an 11-year-old schoolgirl kept during the most terrible period in the city’s history. The dramatic reception brought tears to the audience and earned a loud “thank you.” from the audience in the final.
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The newly formed duet of Vasilisa Kaganovskaya and Maxim Nekrasov first appeared in front of the public at an official tournament. For their debut, the skaters chose the images of the Master and Margarita, demonstrating inner expression and devilry. With their vibrant interaction they managed to captivate the judges and the audience.
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Russian Championship silver medalist Petr Gumennik showed one of the most extraordinary numbers, the meaning of which can only be unraveled after in-depth analysis. The light music of Alexander Scriabin, the painting of Kazimir Malevich and the creativity of Gumennik immersed the fans in the Russian avant-garde and did not let go until the end of the performance.
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Two-time Russian champion Evgeniy Semenenkois not afraid to take on contrasting topics. Last time he rocked out to K-pop, going on the ice together with a doll. In the same year, he devoted an issue to the topic of the Great Patriotic War. In a laconic suit and without any special props to the song «Cranes» he skated the number so that no one remained indifferent.
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This season Anna Frolova with each new release makes the public fall in love with him more and more. «Russian challenge» was no exception. Frolova took the classic Russian folk image of the Swan Princess. The gentle skating and sophisticated dress made it truly special and memorable.
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Three-time Russian champions Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin created real magic on the ice. Ethnic music captivated the entire hall and immersed the audience in the world of dance.
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The theme of the values of Russian culture was probably closest of all is the European champion Dmitry Aliev. The number for Vladimir Vysotsky with a complex technical part attracted the attention of fans, and the signature somersault became the best decoration!
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p>Mikhail Kolyadareturned to the ice in a duet with his wife Daria. At the same time, the wife descended to Mikhail directly from the ceiling on a hoop. Smooth lines, excellent gliding and immersion in the music made their performance one of the most soulful.
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World Champion < strong>Elizaveta Tuktamyshevaperformed a piercing number based on the poems of Marina Tsvetaeva, performed by Alisa Freundlich. The new image for the skater gave many fans goosebumps.
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World champions Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov interrupted the streak tragic numbers. Playful, energetic and humorous — they enlivened the whole hall. And in the second half of the performance they completely changed the images and really lit up the ice.
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For the second year in a row, the Olympics champion Alexey Yagudinperformed a number that did not leave the slightest chance for other skaters. This time, Robert Rozhdestvensky's poems and burst performance again amazed the judges.
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Silver medalist of the Russian Championship Makar Ignatovshowed himself to be a master of disguise. He took to the ice in the guise of Nikolai Gogol. Mesmerizing music and red lighting immersed the audience in the fantasy world of the great writer. The props were changed one after another: wheels were performed, canes were thrown, bottles were broken, works were burned.
"I was born and raised in St. Petersburg. Mystery and abnormality in a good sense are inherent in all residents of this city,” the skater summed up.
1 of 13
< p>Roman Savosindemonstrated all facets of talent and artistry. The skater embodied on the ice the image of Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov from the work “Heart of a Dog” Mikhail Bulgakov.
For this reason, the skater was brought onto the stage by none other than Alexander Gallyamov in the guise of a doctor. Savosin came out in hospital pajamas and with a bandaged head, transforming himself as much as possible into a man with dog habits.
2 of 13
Numbers of the bronze medalist of the Russian Championship Ksenia Sinitsinahave always been distinguished by their penetration. This time she dedicated her performance to a special topic for St. Petersburg — the blockade of the city during the Great Patriotic War.
The figure skater began her skate to the lines from Tanya Savicheva’s diary, which an 11-year-old schoolgirl kept during the most terrible period in the city’s history. The dramatic reception brought tears to the audience and earned a loud “thank you.” from the audience in the final.
3 of 13
Newly formed duet Vasilisa Kaganovskaya and Maxim Nekrasov< /strong>appeared before the public for the first time at an official tournament. For their debut, the skaters chose the images of the Master and Margarita, demonstrating inner expression and devilry. With their brilliant interaction they managed to captivate the judges and the audience.
4 of 13
Silver medalist of the Russian Championship < strong>Peter Gumennikperformed one of the most extraordinary performances, the meaning of which can only be unraveled after in-depth analysis. The light music of Alexander Scriabin, the painting of Kazimir Malevich and the creativity of Gumennik immersed the fans in the Russian avant-garde and did not let go until the end of the performance.
5 of 13
Two-time Russian champion Evgeniy Semenenkois not afraid to take on contrasting topics. Last time he rocked out to K-pop, going on the ice together with a doll. In the same year, he devoted an issue to the topic of the Great Patriotic War. In a laconic suit and without any special props to the song «Cranes» he skated the number so that no one remained indifferent.
6 of 13
This season Anna FrolovaWith each new release, the public falls more and more in love with him. «Russian challenge» was no exception. Frolova took the classic Russian folk image of the Swan Princess. The gentle skating and sophisticated dress made it truly special and memorable.
7 of 13
Three-time champions Russia's Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin created real magic on the ice. Ethnic music captivated the entire hall and immersed the audience in the world of dance.
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The topic of the values of Russian culture was probably closest to the European champion Dmitry Aliev. The number for Vladimir Vysotsky with a complex technical part attracted the attention of fans, and the signature somersault became the best decoration!
9 of 13
Mikhail Kolyadareturned to the ice in a duet with his wife Daria. At the same time, the wife descended to Mikhail directly from the ceiling on a hoop. Smooth lines, excellent gliding and immersion in the music made their performance one of the most soulful.
10 of 13
World champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva performed a piercing number based on the poems of Marina Tsvetaeva, performed by Alisa Freundlich. A new image for the skater gave many fans goosebumps.
11 of 13
World Champions Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamovinterrupted the series of tragic numbers. Playful, energetic and humorous — they enlivened the whole hall. And in the second half of the performance they completely changed the images and really lit up the ice.
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For the second year in a row, Olympic championAlexey Yagudin performed a routine that did not leave the slightest chance for other skaters. This time, Robert Rozhdestvensky's poems and burst performance again amazed the judges.
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Over the years, Yagudin has been in both lyrical and dramatic roles, and last year he appeared at the first show program tournament as a sad clown — at least, that’s how many understood his act with running after a ray of light. And not so, in fact, it is important that the idea has been exploited more than once in various productions. After all, there are only seven notes in music, and it's what you make of them that matters. Yagudin took it by heart at that “Russian Challenge” — and won an unconditional victory.
But — and this is another reason why this year he needed to shock the audience in a good way — five million rubles is not five kopecks. This is exactly how much the champion of the show program tournament receives. Whatever one may say, the jury couldn’t help but have the thought in their heads that Yagudin had already received this amount last year, for which he immediately thanked him, promising to replace his knee (his hip joint, by the way, has long been artificial). Something, although strong, but expected from the Olympic champion — 2002 would not have worked.
In addition, Yagudin spoke last. Before him, the judges saw a lot of different performances of varying depth and degree of impact. My favorite, I admit, was the program of Elizaveta Tuktamysheva — precisely in large part because the world champion demonstrated something completely uncharacteristic for her. Tsvetaeva's «Requiem» is a devastatingly difficult work; it is an incredible courage to undertake to interpret it on ice, but Tuktamysheva did it in such a way that she made you forget to breathe. No less was required from Yagudin.
Did he manage to do it? Everyone will answer this question for themselves. But the fact that no one has ever read poetry while riding is clear. Yagudin did both so masterfully that not everyone immediately recognized the living reading of Robert Rozhdestvensky’s “Moments.” The fact that this was not a phonogram became completely clear to everyone in the middle of the number, when Alexey noticeably lost track of one of the lines. But this only added to the enthusiastic trembling.
Yagudin's victory this time was not unconditional. I would venture to guess that not everyone agreed with the intonation of his performance of “Moments.” I’m not sure whether there is a need for strain there, although perhaps the fact is that “Moments” from Kobzon is in our generation’s blood for life. But there everything is different.
But it is extremely difficult to express a work simultaneously with both voice and skating. Probably almost impossible. But Yagudin undertook to do it — and won, although Tuktamysheva lost to him quite a bit in points. But in terms of impact, I think it was not inferior at all. It’s not for nothing that three referees each put Alexey and Lisa in first place.
It’s hard to imagine how the Olympic champion Salt Lake City will now prepare for the third “Russian Challenge”; how it will amaze. But if they say about you that you can do anything, then you have to prove it again. And, of course, one can only dream that Evgeni Plushenko will finally be included in the list of participants in the show program tournament. Then everyone will be waiting for the “Russian challenge” like New Year.