Q: Hello Zhenya, is that you? - Yes it’s me. Q: Oh my God! I always dreamed of speaking with you! This is awesome! -How old are you? Q: I’m 16. - What do you do? Q: I go to one of the "kolpinski" schools. And what do you do? - Me? I, umm, sometimes go ice skating. At the moment I am talking to you. Q: Do you study anywhere? - I am learning to be a coach at the Academy of Physical Culture (Lesgaft). Q: I am so happy to hear you. - I am happy to hear you too. Q: You have a nice voice. - Thank you so much. Q: Evgeny, what do you value most in people? - Honesty is most important. Also it’s important to be kind. Q: Zhenya, hello. This is Alla. First of all, I would like to congratulate you for your Olympic medal. You, as always, were the best. There is so much light, joy, and freshness in your dancing - we don’t get enough of that in life. - Thank you. Q: Zhenya, did you fall on purpose in the exhibition? - No. After the free program I got very sick, and my temperature was 39.8 for a while. I did not skate for seven days. Before the exhibition I trained for half an hour and came out on the ice in very bad shape. Q: People call you an athlete with iron nerves. Yet were there tears after the short program? - I did not cry, but I was very upset, because I did not do the main combination. I’m not used to 4th place. Q: How did you get over that? - Support from my coach and friends helped me a lot. Everyone kept saying that I shouldn’t despair, that I should just skate as I know how, and everything will be fine. Overall I was able to be second, and I’m happy about that. I think gold is still in the future for me. I intend to go to two more Olympics. Q: Is audience support important to you? - Definitely. It’s necessary for all athletes. Q: Do you have any pets at home? - Yes, a Persian cat and an American bulldog. Q: Zhenya, I’m sorry, I will ask you an unpleasant question. Will you ever stop fighting with Alexei Yagudin? - We’re not fighting. We fight on the ice, but we talk like normal people in real life, even though we’re not friends. When I moved to Petersburg, he immediately considered me an opponent, and that reflected in our daily lives. We traveled abroad together, but I always felt that he was somehow against me. Q: Will you go to the World Championships? - Yes. Q: Good luck. Q: Zhenya, good afternoon. Do you like soccer and do you go to the stadium to support "Zenith"? - I love soccer. Of course, I am a fan of our team, but I don’t go to the games. Unfortunately, I don’t have time. But I watch them on TV. Q: My name is Natasha, I am 14 years old. Now that I have the chance, I’d like to congratulate you with your success at the Olympics and to wish you more happy moments Zhenya, you’ve been to many countries in the world. Where do you like it the most? - St. Petersburg is my favorite city, and Russia is my favorite country. I don’t have a preference towards other countries. Sometimes I don’t feel 100% comfortable abroad. But I like Spain - the cities Haka and Madrid. Q: Do you like to read? - When I have time, I like to read books. But I don’t have a favorite author. Q: What is the meaning of life for you? - Wow, serious questions at 14 years old. Q: I just wanted to know, what is most important to you - fame, money, love, or health? - I think I have fame, and I have money, even though it’s not so much. My parents love me, and I love them. I would like more health though. Q: Hello, my name is Marina. Could you please answer, is figure skating most important in your life? - At the moment, yes. Q: Do you have an idol? - Victor Petrenko. Q: What about outside of sport? - My parents and Alexei Mishin. Q: Hello, I’m Ekaterina, I am 18 years old, calling from Pavlosk. Can I address you as "you (informal)"? - Sure, no problem. Q: First of all, I’d like to congratulate you for your silver. For an Olympic debut that’s not bad at all. Also, can I find out if you have a girlfriend? - Yes I do. Q: Does she keep track of your competitions? - She doesn’t travel with me, but she watches it on TV. Q: That’s too bad. - Don’t worry, someday you will surely see her. Q: Yes, I certainly would want to see that lucky person. Q: Hello Zhenya, this is Lena. When you came out on the ice in Salt Lake City, did you ever think that you could end up with no medal? - At any given competition I don’t think whether I’ll be first or last. I just try to do what I can. Q: How do you relax? Do you go to clubs? - I hang out with friends, go to the movies. I like to frequent the night clubs "Plaza", "Metro", and "Aquatoria". I can do that only on Saturdays, because generally Sunday is a day off. Q: Do you allow yourself to drink a little? - I like beer and red wine. Q: Are you often in Petersburg? - Unfortunately, not much. I spend a lot of time in competition and at exhibitions. Q: Evgeny, I’m Ksyusha. Why did you change your free program to "Carmen" a month before the Olympics? - "Story of an Artist" was not understood, and I lost with it. So Mishin and I decided to put on "Carmen", which was easier to accept. Q: Evgeny, what kind of music do you like? - Russian modern music. Q: And what is your favorite food? - My mother’s potstickers. Q: Hello Zhenya, I am Misha. I really like you. - In what way? Q: Physically. - Ok. Do you have any questions? Q: How do you feel about my liking you? - Oh, so that’s what you want to know. I’m very happy to know you like me. Q: So that means we can see each other? - No, that’s probably impossible. Q: I work at a television station, I only see you on the screen, and you can’t see me at all. Maybe you want to hook up? - Young man, I am not oriented in that way. Q: Evgeny, hello. This is Lena. Do you think you can get star fever? - I hope not. Rather, I am proud of myself, because I always wanted to climb to the top in life. I didn’t become Olympic Champion, but that’s all ahead. Q: How old were you when you started skating? - 4 years old. Q: And when did you come to Petersburg? - At age 11, I came here with my old coach. Q: Were your parents against that? - Of course, they rightfully thought that a child of 11 years is not ready for an adult life. But finally they let me go, saying that it was my choice. Q: How did your Petersburg life work out? - It was hard. I had to find out at a very young age things that no one ever needs to find out. Everything was problematic because of money. At first I got a room on "Zvezdnaya", in a year my mom and I started renting a room in a communal apartment. Q: Zhenya, my name is Vika. What do you think about Americans? - I have many friends from that country. The Olympic Games don’t characterize it though. What the judges did in some events has nothing to do with the U.S.A. Q: Hello, this is Marina. Zhenya, are you planning to get married? - No. Q: Why not? - And how old are you? Q: Older than you - 28. - That’s my favorite age. It’s just about fate, Marina. Q: Zhenya, could you say where you live? - Let’s keep that a secret. Translation by Elena