International Figure Skating – September-October 2019

“At the time, I was sad that I had to retire
from competitive skating. Obviously, at first
it was hard to accept that I had to stop, but I
couldn’t do anything about it because I was
in a lot of pain.
“I had achieved the maximum and Anton
Sikharulidze, the 2002 Olympic pairs
champion (with Elena Berezhnaia), was right
to say at the time, ‘don’t be afraid to change
something in your life. Don’t stand still, but
move forward all the time. You don’t have
to be afraid of changing something. If you
move on, life gives you other opportunities.’
“Now time has passed and, as life shows,
so many other things have come my way.
I am a happy person and I probably don’t
regret anything that has happened in my
life. Therefore, I am now quite calm about
these changes. Eventually, you realize that
something else lies ahead and if you have
the desire to do something, you’ll get the
opportunity for sure.
“Nevertheless, when you’ve been doing
something and loved doing it for many years,
you are afraid to lose it. I realize now, at age
39, that I might have lost my legs, but I have
my head.”
He recently performed in Averbukh’s
acclaimed on-ice production of Bizet’s
“Carmen,” playing a double role as the
toreador, Escamillo, who falls in love with
the heroine of the opera, and the “evil fate”
(which is not a role in the original opera but
was added by Averbukh in his production).
In 2018, Yagudin played the role of
Mercutio in Averbukh’s on-ice musical,
“Romeo and Juliet.”
Yagudin admits that he is sometimes tired
of skating and the pain he experiences these
days. Though he still executes triple toes in
shows, the toll the sport has taken on his body
is evident when he limps after leaving the ice.
“It is a vicious circle because as a singles
skater I have to jump — I cannot just skate and
wave my arms. This would be embarrassing
for me. So, I need to train, but I can’t train
because I’m constantly in pain,” the two-time
Grand Prix Final champion explained.
Yagudin would like to continue perform-
ing until the 2022 Olympic Games, after
which he plans to focus on his television and
theatre work.
“Ten years ago, I could go out and jump as
if it was nothing, even without training. Now
my wife tells me: ‘Lesha, you are 39 years
old. It doesn’t work that way — you need to
train.’ I always say in interviews I’ll skate as
long as I can. However, the moment to stop
is around the corner.” IFS