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Andrei Griazev ready for action
Although so many of his compatriot champion skaters are dramatic and even flamboyant competitors, Russia's 20-years-old Andrei Griazev's style is decidedly different. Artistic, yet distinctly quiet and unassuming, the 2004 Junior World champion's shy personae maks a steely determination to stand firmly - like so many Russian champions before him - on an olympic podium.
After winning the Junior World title, Griazev hoped to get a jump on the upcoming critical Olympic season by placing well at last season's Moscow Worlds, help in his home country for the first time in over a century. He didn't, instead finishing a disappointing 11th. An infortunate back injury became incapacitating last September, causing the talented student of legendary coach Tatiana Tarasova to miss Skate America and stay off competitive ice until the Cup of Russia, where he struggled and came in seventh. But by January, Griazev rallied at Russian Nationals to take second place behind phenomenon Evgeni Plushenko.
"I spent much of last fall in a Russian hospital undergoing physical therapy. It was a huge disappointment after working so hard all summer to get ready for the Grand Prix, especially after my good results the past couple of years," said Griazev, adding only half- jokingly he had to relearn everything he knew."By the European Championships in Torino last February I didn't feel completely back to normal, but at least better and not in constant pain."
The European Championships - where Griazev placed fifth - became a career highlight as it was the first time he successfully incorporated the quadruple jump into his free skate. "At Junior Worlds I had tried but missed it, so this was my first time," he said. "I also landed the quad in the qualifying rounds - I was so happy."
Even with that bit of good fortune, Griazev and Tarasova decidedto drop last season's long program to create a new masterpiece for the Torino Olympics, to music from "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame".
"We are keeping my same "Carmen" short program," said Griazev, "but when Tatiana played the "Notre-Dame" music for me, I loved it and said, 'Please - let's take it'. There is something about this particular selection of music - it makes me feel relaxed, not tense and uncomfortable like I was much of last season. I feel inside that I really understand and relate to this song, like it fits me."
After spending the early part of the summer traveling extensively across Russia on his very first ice show tour, Ilia Averbukh's Ice Symphony, Griazev said he's looking forward to getting up to speed for the new season and competing at his two Grand Prix events - Skate Canada and Cup of China.
"I'm training really hard right now to make this my best season ever," Griazev said,"It's funny because even with Olympics coming up I find that I'm not nervous. I think for me it will be easier than for some of the other skaters who know this is really the last Olympics they'll be truly competitive at. I feel that at age of 20, I can still do the 2010 Olympics, so whatever happens - or doesn't happen - in Torino, I'm not going to let myself stressed out."
"The world isn't watching me - I'm not one of the top three guys. Nerves can ruin your Olympics. You start to think too much and everything changes and you feel apart inside. I think I'm going to make my first Olympics my fun one. Of course I want to do great for me and for Tatiana (Tarasova), yet I'm going to Torino with the attitude that it will not be my last Olympics Games."
Asked to comment on Switzerland's Stéphane Lambiel, who took top honors at the Moscow World Championships, an uncharacteristically candid Griazev said, "Lambiel deserved to win, but he was more than a little lucky. He had what I would call a 'nice situation' - Plushenko fell out of competition after short program, and Brian Joubert fell apart in the long program. We'll see this season how he handle being on top, because it's much harder to stay here than to get here."
© International Figure Skating, October 2005
Although so many of his compatriot champion skaters are dramatic and even flamboyant competitors, Russia's 20-years-old Andrei Griazev's style is decidedly different. Artistic, yet distinctly quiet and unassuming, the 2004 Junior World champion's shy personae maks a steely determination to stand firmly - like so many Russian champions before him - on an olympic podium.
After winning the Junior World title, Griazev hoped to get a jump on the upcoming critical Olympic season by placing well at last season's Moscow Worlds, help in his home country for the first time in over a century. He didn't, instead finishing a disappointing 11th. An infortunate back injury became incapacitating last September, causing the talented student of legendary coach Tatiana Tarasova to miss Skate America and stay off competitive ice until the Cup of Russia, where he struggled and came in seventh. But by January, Griazev rallied at Russian Nationals to take second place behind phenomenon Evgeni Plushenko.
"I spent much of last fall in a Russian hospital undergoing physical therapy. It was a huge disappointment after working so hard all summer to get ready for the Grand Prix, especially after my good results the past couple of years," said Griazev, adding only half- jokingly he had to relearn everything he knew."By the European Championships in Torino last February I didn't feel completely back to normal, but at least better and not in constant pain."
The European Championships - where Griazev placed fifth - became a career highlight as it was the first time he successfully incorporated the quadruple jump into his free skate. "At Junior Worlds I had tried but missed it, so this was my first time," he said. "I also landed the quad in the qualifying rounds - I was so happy."
Even with that bit of good fortune, Griazev and Tarasova decidedto drop last season's long program to create a new masterpiece for the Torino Olympics, to music from "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame".
"We are keeping my same "Carmen" short program," said Griazev, "but when Tatiana played the "Notre-Dame" music for me, I loved it and said, 'Please - let's take it'. There is something about this particular selection of music - it makes me feel relaxed, not tense and uncomfortable like I was much of last season. I feel inside that I really understand and relate to this song, like it fits me."
After spending the early part of the summer traveling extensively across Russia on his very first ice show tour, Ilia Averbukh's Ice Symphony, Griazev said he's looking forward to getting up to speed for the new season and competing at his two Grand Prix events - Skate Canada and Cup of China.
"I'm training really hard right now to make this my best season ever," Griazev said,"It's funny because even with Olympics coming up I find that I'm not nervous. I think for me it will be easier than for some of the other skaters who know this is really the last Olympics they'll be truly competitive at. I feel that at age of 20, I can still do the 2010 Olympics, so whatever happens - or doesn't happen - in Torino, I'm not going to let myself stressed out."
"The world isn't watching me - I'm not one of the top three guys. Nerves can ruin your Olympics. You start to think too much and everything changes and you feel apart inside. I think I'm going to make my first Olympics my fun one. Of course I want to do great for me and for Tatiana (Tarasova), yet I'm going to Torino with the attitude that it will not be my last Olympics Games."
Asked to comment on Switzerland's Stéphane Lambiel, who took top honors at the Moscow World Championships, an uncharacteristically candid Griazev said, "Lambiel deserved to win, but he was more than a little lucky. He had what I would call a 'nice situation' - Plushenko fell out of competition after short program, and Brian Joubert fell apart in the long program. We'll see this season how he handle being on top, because it's much harder to stay here than to get here."
© International Figure Skating, October 2005
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The website owner is not affiliated with Andrei Griazev in any way and doesn't have any connection with him.
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© , 2005-2010 The website owner is not affiliated with Andrei Griazev in any way and doesn't have any connection with him.
The site is intended for private non-commercial use only. All the rights to the images and text used on this website belong to their respective owners.
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