S: My mother’s friend suggested me to try to skate and I tried. I really liked it. But already in half year during having fun with one guy, I broke collar-bone and everybody thought that I would stop skating for sure. Honestly, I did not like to sit at home all the time, so I continued skating anyway and I’m still  skating :) I was born in Moscow, so I started to skate there, changed many coaches. Last my coach was Rafael Arutyunyan, but he moved to America. I had not opportunity to go with him, I was about 12-13 years old at that moment. We took decision with my mum to move to Saint-Petersburg. At first I skated with the coach Kashina. I skated with her around 2 years, but then I got some injuries, I had some difficulties with my coach, so I changed the coach. My new coach became Alexei Urmanov ( 1994 Olympic Champion), and he is still my coach nowadays.

V: Was it hard for you psychologically to move from Moscow to Saint-Petersburg?
S: Yes, it was quite hard period of time. Not everybody liked me. I have to prove all the time on the ice, in life, even in dressing room that I’m stronger.
Now I try to communicate with only those people on the ice rink, whom I trust.

V: So most of your friends are not from figure skating?
S: Yes, you can say that. I don’t talk with them about figure skating at all.  But of course I have some friends who are skaters. For example, Alexander Uspenski, Ivan Bariev. By the way, Ivan won Russian Junior Championships and I’m very happy for him.

V: How is it going with your studies?
S: Right now I don’t study anywhere, I was done with military service (sport army) in December. So maybe this summer I will try to enter to some University. I have not decided yet what I will study. For sure, I understand I will not study subjects, which take too much time and which can bother my figure skating practices.

V: What was your best competition?
S: I had many good competitions and great moments, I can’t name only one. It happened several times, when I won, when I was in podium. For example, Russian Nationals 2008, World Junior Championships.

V: What do you do in free time?
S: Well, there is not so much free time. But if I have some, I prefer to walk in the city, to go to the cinema, go to café or restaurant with my girlfriend. I don’t have time for night clubs, it takes much energy, so I don’t go there often. I wake up at 8 am, and then go to my first practice, after it I can go home or do something in the city, then evening practice, that’s my day schedule. I train about 20 hours, which includes on ice and off ice practices.

V: As you know, I’m from Scandinavian skating. I heard you had some camps in Sweden? I guess you know some Scandinavian skaters?
S: I was in Sweden 3-4 times in camps. We were in Vindeln, 50 km from Umea. I liked it. To tell you the true, sometimes it was a bit boring there, in such cases we went to Umea and did some shopping in that city. What can I say about skaters? Of course, I want to mention Kristoffer Berntsson, I like his free program on disco music. I also know Adrian Schultheiss, I like his jumps. Alexander Majorov is pretty talented, I think.

V: How do you spend your summer usually?
S: Half summer it’s usually summer camps. In the end of spring or in beginning of summer I can travel somewhere. I have not traveled much, but last April I went to Thailand, I really liked it. I don’t like Asia much, but that place is very nice, felt like I was in another world, completely different from Europe. In July I went for 7 days to Cyprus, which was also very nice.


Your favorite things:

Color: Red, black, blue
Food: I like sweet things. And also food, which makes my mum.
Drink: Coca-cola light
Book: Historical books and books about countries, especially about Canada and USA
Movie: Pearl-Harbor
Place: Canada, island Victoria. But my dream is to go and live in San-Francisco.
Music: Depends on my mood. I like Scorpions, Beatles
Dream in life: To have good family
Most important thing: To believe in good