Hungarian figure skating champions for the 2022-2023 season, and Grand Prix medalists in both Canada and Finland this year, Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko came tantalizingly close to the podium at last week’s Grand Prix Final in Beijing. The duo finished in fourth place with a total score of 192.02 points.
In an interview with Blossom on Ice, the pair shared their thoughts on their performance, reflected on how their coach’s faith in them kept their hopes alive, explained the office worker theme in their short program, and offered tips on managing jet lag. They also explained the unique format of Hungary’s national championship.
Maria:
We’re really happy to have been part of the final. It came as a surprise to us, so we’re just excited to be here and perform in front of the Chinese fans. We’d never been to China before, so that made it even more special.
Alexei:
This was a huge experience for us. It’s the first Grand Prix Final for both of us, not just as a team but in our individual careers as well. We’ve never made it to the final before. Our short program went a little better this time, and we’re really proud that we delivered our best performance of the season here, at the right place and the right time.
Maria:
I was a little nervous before we started, but as soon as the music began, I calmed down and just enjoyed the skate. Unfortunately, the free skate didn’t go as well. We definitely could’ve done better, especially with the jumps, and, of course, the last lift.
What happened with the last lift? How do you explain that mistake?
Maria:
Honestly, we’re not really sure. Everything seemed fine, and then, as I was changing position, it just… didn’t work out. I can’t even explain it (laughs).
Alexei:
But honestly, we’re just thrilled to have been here. Right up until the last minute, we didn’t expect it and didn’t believe it would happen.
How did you manage to get the visas so quickly?
Maria:
We had them ready ahead of time, just in case.
Alexei:
That was our coach, Dmitry Nikolaevich Savin, who made sure we were prepared. He was the one who believed 100% that we would go, even when we had our doubts.
You were the first alternates for this event. Did that affect your training?
Alexei:
We knew for sure that we had our national championship coming up, which was scheduled for exactly one week after the Grand Prix Final. But we did get a bit out of shape…
Maria:
… after the Grand Prix series wrapped up.
Alexei:
Yeah, to be completely honest.
Maria:
When we found out we were going, there wasn’t much time left to prepare, and I started to feel stressed. Training wasn’t going as well as I’d hoped, but we managed to pull it together.
How did you handle the time zone change? Did you adapt quickly?
Maria:
It was okay. Sleeping was tough, but overall, we managed.
Alexei:
Yeah, it was hard to fall asleep at night.
You’ve dealt with big time zone changes before, like last year at the World Championships in Japan, where you finished in the top ten. What advice would you give to athletes on handling jet lag and performing at their best?
Alexei:
What works for me is sleeping a little on the flight, just whatever I can manage. But once you land, the key is to stay awake all day, and then by the evening, you can crash and get a full night’s sleep.
Speaking of Japan, I heard you had an unusual travel story—you were supposed to go to Japan but ended up in Mongolia first. Can you tell us about that?
Maria:
It’s just how our tickets were booked. There wasn’t a direct flight from Istanbul to Japan. Our friends Dasha and Misha (Daria Danilova and Michel Tsiba, Blossom on Ice) had a direct flight, but we had to go through Mongolia. So it was Istanbul to Mongolia, and then Mongolia to Japan.
Did you get a chance to see Mongolia?
Maria:
No, unfortunately not. On the way there, we just had a layover. But on the way back, we stayed overnight in a hotel in Mongolia. It was already dark, so we didn’t get to see much.
Your short program has a really bold and unique theme. Can you tell us what story you’re telling on the ice, and how you chose the music?
Maria:
We spent a long time looking for the right music. I wanted something fun, energetic, and fast-paced. It took us a while, but we eventually found it. Still, just using one piece didn’t quite fit, so we had to add something more. Our coach and the Hungarian federation helped with that. Actually, a young guy from the federation, who works with music, helped us find the perfect mix.
So, what’s the story behind the program?
Alexei:
We’re portraying office workers who mentally take down everyone around them.
Maria:
Kind of like two secret agents, you could say.
Alexei:
They come up with something while sitting at their desks, and then they just go for it.
Are you happy with your scores here?
Alexei:
We’re happy that we scored higher than usual. It’s a new personal best for us. But… I had a dream before the short program that we’d score 66 points. We were just shy of that (laughs).
Athletes often say that scores don’t matter as much as skating clean, but sometimes you skate clean and the scores just don’t reflect it. Has that been the case for you?
Maria:
That’s pretty much been our season. We’ve had clean skates, but we couldn’t seem to score higher than 62 points, no matter how well we performed.
How did you regroup mentally after that?
Alexei:
We never blame anyone else. We look for the mistakes in ourselves, and we work on fixing them. And here, in the short program, we managed to improve on some things.
You mentioned your upcoming national championship, but Hungary’s event is a bit unique. Can you tell us more about that?
Alexei:
It’s a combined event—it’s both the Four Nations Championship and our national competition. The Four Nations are Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
Where will it be held?
Alexei:
This year, it’s in the Czech Republic. Last year, it was in Budapest, which was really nice. Competing at home was a great experience.
Maria:
After nationals, we’ll take a short break—maybe two or three days—and then get back to training for the European Championships.
Maria, one last question for you. I know you trained with Brian Orser as a child. Can you tell us about that experience and how you ended up in Canada?
Maria:
I was about 9 or 10 years old when we moved to Canada—my mom, my sister, and I. My sister was an excellent student and had already studied in Ireland and London. She got accepted into a university in Canada, so we moved, and my mom took me along. That’s how I ended up training with Brian Orser.
Last year, at the World Championships in Japan, I didn’t expect him to recognize me. But during practice, he came up to me and said, “Hey, how’s it going?” And I was like, “Hi!” (laughs).
That’s amazing! Did you realize back then that you were skating alongside some of the world’s best?
Maria:
Probably not at the time. I knew that skating in Canada was a big deal, especially with such a legendary coach. He had so many great athletes. But as for the scale of it all, I don’t think I fully grasped it back then. All I knew was that I was really enjoying it.
Interview by Liudmila Orlova, Beijing