"Мир Новостей" http://www.mirnov.ru/mn/24-1.php
Евгений Плющенко: «В 11 лет мне приходилось собирать бутылки»
translation :smu:sche_nie:
(rough as always, sorry for mistakes!)
Evgeni Plushenko: "At 11 I had to collect bottles"
People adore him, people hate him. No one is indifferent, and that's just what Zhenya needs. He does not seek to please everyone, not acts like nice fellow. Sharp, ambitious, self-confident. Single skaters are all special, and Plushenko seems to be particular among special. Who could admit that he would go to the fourth Olympics? Probably he is the only one.
At just 30 (his mini-anniversary will be on November 3) it seems he's been through everything. The incredible highs and painful falls, brilliant wins and bitter defeats both on the ice and in his personal life. Still he sets a new goal and achieves it. He is such a person. Now number one goal for Plushenko is Sochi 2014. With confidence we can say only one thing: he will try his best. To spite those who do not believe in him...
We met in the Odintsovo Ice Palace after he had just finished one more skate. Perhaps the millionth one...
- What are you preparing for, Evgeni?
- For the new season. It was open test skating for the whole team. It was very successful for me; I did a new quad for the first time, skated worthy program, so the season begins positively.
- And what are the plans for the season? As far as I understand the European Championships is scheduled?
- Plans for the season are: now I’m going to team competitions in Japan, then preparations for the Russian Nationals. And we'll see how I'll perform. In general, the European Championship is planned.
- Why do you ignore the Worlds so many years? They say, Plushenko does not go the Worlds, because he's afraid to lose, and in this case, say, the 2014 Olympics would be questionable.
- I do not ignore the Worlds. Take, for example, last season. I was injured, I had an operation. In 2006 I won the Olympics, nothing else already mattered for me. 2007-2009 I didn't compete. Therefore those who say that I am ignoring the Worlds are ignorant or just do not like Plushenko, and there are many such people.
- Why, by the way? What do you think?
- Well, people here are like that. But I try not to pay attention. And if I even pay attention, that just turns on.
"The ex-wife was extremely jealous"
- You know, Ilya Averbukh, -who admits that he is not an athlete by nature and that's why, as he says, only now he came to success in his life, -calls you his antipode: Plushenko, he said, always needs to compete with someone, to win over someone.
- Yes, I love the competition. And after 2006, when I retired ... that is, took a break, time out… I felt the lack of this drive. We did a lot of exhibitions, and yet it lacked a competitive moment. And now I felt this sporty atmosphere – I must overcome myself again, step over again, and again do something new. That is, I prove that I'm the best: to my competitors, my coach, and above all, perhaps, to myself.
- "Plushenko did not find himself in different life, that's why he is still skating," – now I'm quoting Yagudin’s words.
- What does "not find himself in something different" mean? In what? I have lots of exhibitions; I can skate in hundreds of them. Is this a different life? That's what former skaters do. They think, they have done something new?
- Slutskaya is a news presenter on First channel, she also performs in the theater, Yagudin performs in the theater, conducts some fitness drills. Perhaps this is new...
- Well, any athlete can probably conduct physical trainings ...And something new, which I have discovered for me, is golf.
- I heard, you even want to speak at the 2016 Summer Olympics as a golfer. Is this true?
- Yes. And, you know, I have a son, he is six years old. Soon I will have another son. Here is the news! And I also want to say that not everyone can go through three Olympics! …
- Don’t you regret now that you retired in 2006? In general, how could you at 23 y. o. leave everything when you are a born winner?
- Well, I won all the titles. What else? Where to go? Without Yana I, probably, would not come back...
- And what would you do then?
- I made a decision for myself that it would be a calm rational life. That I gonna participate in the shows – just skate, make money, have a family, maybe open a business or start to train.
- You did many exhibitions; concerning business - I do not know if you opened it or not. You built your family; years later, can you say why it went wrong?
- I guess, Masha and I are not of the same kidney. My ex-wife was very jealous: I waved at someone, I'm photographed with someone – it was enough for jealousy. That bothered, and Masha was not able to overcome herself. With Yana it's quite a different story: she is a public person, she understands everything. Wise, experienced – that's not even comparable. Moreover, I just do not want to remember past life. The only thing – I'm very happy and always thank Masha that she gave birth to my beautiful son.
- Did you deliberately choose a new wife among the girls of public professions?
- No way. We met with Jana accidentally, it happened in Trafalgar Square in London. There was the presentation of the Sochi Olympics; I went to represent Russia as an athlete. There performed Dima Bilan. And we have a mutual friend, he called me and said, "There’s Bilan’s concert, do you want to go?" - "Of course I do, give me the phone number of his manager ..." And I did not even know who is Rudkovskaya, Baturin, because in general I was far from show business ... And I saw Yana, our eyes met… We had to go through the entire square to our poster "Sochi-2014". There were a lot of people, and I started to push apart the crowd, took Yana's hand and was holding it as if she's my girlfriend. That is, it was love at first sight ... Later I started to learn more: who is Rudkovskaya, who is Baturin and the entire story in general. Many said: where are you intruding, why do you need this? But I said that I love this person.
- For a long time your couple was taken as a PR project...
- Yes, they said it was a PR project, that Plushenko is actually gay. There were many things, but we did not pay attention.
"Friendship with Yagudin failed"
- Talking about gay is another story. Our people are so suspect, ever looking for a trick. I heard: once Plushenko in his youth lived with his coach Mishin, everything is clear with them.
- I can tell you where and how I lived. I came to Petersburg when I was 11 years old, my mother moved to me a year later. My father worked at a construction site in Volgograd, it was not enough either food or clothing, and we had to collect bottles. And for a while Mishin let us live in his apartment.
- It was hard?
- Of course. When, pardon me, there's nothing to eat, and one apple a day was divided into three. In Volgograd, we certainly did not live in luxury, but we had all the necessary. And in St. Petersburg we had to rent a room - just terrible one! With alcoholics, drug addicts, with the constant fights. For two years we lived, of course, in dreadful conditions. But at 13 I started to make money, and we took other, better room. At 15 I bought an apartment, my parents moved there, and for fifteen years they have not been working.
- Severe childhood affects in different ways. Some keep saving all their life, some, on the contrary, begin to overspend...
- I also went through such a phase. At 15-16, when I already earned money, I had gold mania. Rings, bracelets, chains - I was hung with them from head to toe. And then it passed. And I was not led to it; no one told me that it was ugly. My gold things just started to crack - literally in half, the chains got torn. Now I wear only the cross and watch ... You see, I have a big family now. My parents, my three nieces, my wife, my son, Yana’s children Kolya and Andrey. I will have another son. I have what to spend my money on.
- Yes, and age also matters - after all, soon you will turn 30. November 7 there will be great show on this occasion; Alexei Yagudin is in the guest list at number one, which is already intriguing. All your conflicts are left behind?
- You know, my position is that we are all the enemies on the ice, but in life we can communicate and be friends. With Yagudin it didn't work out. Since childhood. In the past there was such a position like «me or him», which was, in general, the absurdity and nonsense, but now it has changed and we already skated with Lyosha in many shows.
- Kirkorov, Baskov, Mikhailov also will come to you on the anniversary...
- They are all my friends: Bilan, Volkova, Valeriya, Philip ( Kirkorov ). And Kolenka Baskov even was a witness ( best man, groomsman ) at my wedding.
- But they are Yana’s friends - from her life, from her environment.
- Nothing of the kind. I met with Philip when I was 17; I have been familiar with Kolya for a long time too. Actually I feel equally comfortable in sports and show business stars company.
- So, maybe this is the reason for dislike? One thing is the Olympic champion and quite another thing - show business, hangout.
- This is not about me. Actually I love to be at home, watch TV, play with the dog. I like golf, tennis, I love Russian bath. I like to be in my house near St. Petersburg and watch the beautiful view of forest and lake ...
- But such life is not appropriate for Yana, who loves to shine in society.
- Honestly, I can say, we manage to do everything. And if some bite me, so let them bite, that's nothing. The population of our country is 140 million. How many of them are unpleased? Million? No, fewer! One hundred thousand scribble those scribbles on the Internet. So what? Why to think about this? As if there's nothing more. My son will soon be born - that's what I have to think about!