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This interview is originally from http://www.standartnews.com/archive7ds/2004/07/09/forum/d3666_5.htm
The champion broke up with his girlfriend before coming to Sofia The figure skating star Evgeni Plushenko came to Sofia three days ago to work with Sergei Petukhov - the choreographer of our dance couple Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski. During his one-week stay, the Russian figure skater will learn a new short program at the Slavia ice rink. Plushenko is only 21, but he is already a three-time World and three-time European champion. The only thing missing is the Olympic title. In SLC in 2002 he got the silver medal. He started training in Volgograd when he was 4. At age 11 he was already doing all the triple jumps, but right about then the ice rink in his town closed down and the boy moved to Alexei Mishin’s school in St. Petersburg. He works with him to this day. We find Plushenko, Mishin, and Petukhov at the ice rink. Mishin is taping the training session with a camcorder, while Petukhov is explaining to Evgeni how to execute every move. From 10:40 am until 11:50 am the figure skater is working on only one move that would occupy no more than 20 seconds of his program. After the session I’m asking him for an interview and he promises to do it, but in one more hour. The champion continues the training session off the ice in the choreography hall. At 1:00 pm he is already in the hallway, ready to answer my questions. Q: Evgeni, is this your first visit to Bulgaria? Evgeni: Yes. I’m here for the first time and I really like it – good conditions, good ice, a pleasant atmosphere and a fantastic opportunity to train without any restrictions. I’m working on my short program for the new season with a new choreographer. Sergei Petukhov is a wonderful person, a wonderful pedagogue, and that’s why it’s a pleasure for me to work with him. I think that my visit to Sofia will not be in vain. Q: How will Petukhov contribute to your image? Evgeni: We’ll try to achieve something new. I like to surprise every year. I presume that with the help of Petukhov I will present myself in a new style. I’ll use Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata for my short program. We’ll see what happens in the end. Q: Why did you prefer to work with him? Evgeni: I’ve worked with a lot of choreographers. I don’t want to compare him to the rest, because everyone has his/her own style. I like Petukhov. We have met quite often. He has visited our training facility in St. Petersburg as well. An excellent choreographer. He has been proving it for years on end, creating awesome programs for my friends Albena and Maxim. That’s why together with Mishin we decided to try with Petukhov. Q: We see that you are paying a great deal of attention to the choreography. Does this mean that jumps are not the most important element for you, although they are your specialty? Evgeni: Without question men’s figure skating is more than just jumps. There has to be a suitable artistic aspect, quality skating and impressive steps. But I have to confess that jumps constitute 70-80 % of my programs. Q: Are you working on new jumps? Evgeni: Of course, I’ll do new stunts, a new quad jump, but I’m not in a hurry to reveal my secrets. My competition is very strong and is constantly increasing. Now there are Russian boys who develop in a revolutionary way. There is a 14 year-old talented boy in our group who is already doing all the triple jumps superbly. Japanese, Chinese, French, American, and Canadian figure skaters are also breathing down my neck. Q: You are brilliant at the competitions, but how many times do you fall during a training session? Evgeni: I fall a lot, especially when I’m learning a new element. Q: What kind of programs do you prefer? Evgeni: I can perform dramatic programs, humor programs, twist like Michael Jackson, and skate to contemporary music. If I like the music I can skate to it, no matter what the genre is. Q: Do you have a sense of humor in life? Evgeni: I think I have it in me, in my personality. You can’t express something in figure skating if you don’t carry it in your soul. Q: How do you spend the time when you are not at the rink? Evgeni: I take pleasure in walking the dog, being with my parents, going on vacation with them and with friends. I’m never bored. I like to listen to all kinds of music, to play tennis and golf. I adore driving. I’m drawn to high speeds and powerful cars. But I don’t like Formula 1. Q: What brand is your car? Evgeni: I’m not saying, but in my garage I have four cars and they are all different brands. Q: And what sports do you like to watch? Evgeni: Tennis, football (meaning soccer), and hockey. In tennis I admire Kafelnikov and Safin, in football I like Real (Madrid) and the players Ronaldo, Zidan Roberto Carlos, Figo. I have a lot of friends who play in the NHL. Q: After the week in Sofia where will you continue training? Evgeni: First in St. Petersburg, then in Spain in the little town of Hanya. Q: Is your vacation for this year over? Evgeni: Yes. I vacationed in Sochi on the Black Sea. But here, in Sofia, I go to the pools as well. Q: Do you think about the end of your career? Evgeni: For now I don’t plan on retiring. I like competing. Let the Olympics in Turin in 2006 come to an end first. I started skating 14 years ago. In the last 7 years I made quite a career and I got a bit tired. I had some injuries as well, because I always try to do something new, for example, new quad jumps and stunts. But I haven’t had enough of figure skating yet and I haven’t had enough of winning titles yet. Q: Do the fans in Sofia recognize you on the street? Evgeni: I don’t walk; I take a taxi from the Rodina hotel and come to the rink at 9 am. Girls come here and ask me for autographs. If people recognize me, it will be wonderful. I don’t mind being famous. Q: Are you living with your family now? You have been on your own since you were very young. Evgeni: I live with my parents in St. Petersburg. Now we are all together. Q: Do you perceive Mishin as a father figure? Evgeni: I see him as a teacher and a very good friend. Q: Can you imagine your future without your coach? Evgeni: No. We’ll work together. I don’t think about the more distant future right now, and I don’t see myself as a coach or as a professional figure skater yet. Q: You have been together with your girlfriend for more than two years. When your colleague Roman Kostomarov married Julia Lautova a month ago, you went to the wedding together. Do you think about settling down to married life yourself? Evgeni: I don’t think about marriage, because we recently broke up. This relationship has already ended.
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