Already this month, our skater will take part, as he himself admits, in the main start of the season – the European Championship, which will take place in the vicinity of the Lithuanian city of Kaunas. Many Latvian fans, especially those from his native Daugavpils, will be crossing their fingers for Denis. It is rare to see an athlete on skates at a competition in Latvia, it usually happens once a year at the national championship. This season was not particularly brilliant for our athlete, in the first three international starts he was unable to rise above seventh place, and the number of points was also much lower than in the best seasons: 221 points. However, the competition at home in December Latvia Trophy, which was also a national championship, and gave some satisfaction. Especially the optional program, during which Denis performed two quadruple jumps on the salchow for the first time in his career. One was unsuccessful, but a total of 255 points and a convincing victory was still achieved.
What attracted you to figure skating? When did you realize it was your sport?
It came with time. In general, I started skating because they simply put me on the ice with skates, but gradually, the more I learned about figure skating, which is not only a sport, but also the Olympic movement and culture, its history, it became part of me.
Once upon a time there was a rare opportunity to train in France for five years as a student. How did you get there and what was that stage like?
Since at that time there were no full-fledged opportunities for training in figure skating in Latvia, I skated in Paris. I got a lot of help from the school to get there. I live there alone. Sports life requires a lot of discipline, endurance and it is difficult to combine everything. But they helped me and I was able to take care of my studies when I had time. The family I lived with in Paris was very important, because they paid a lot of attention to their studies.
At what age did they tell you you were talented and when did you believe figure skating would be your life?
Yes, I thought I had the talent to be the best. However, I realized very quickly that it was more work. There is such a beautiful word in English grind (hard and prolonged work). This is what defines me, not talent. I’m a pretty tall skater, I don’t have a streamlined body. However, I work a lot, I pay a lot of attention to what I eat, how much I train, how I adequately strengthen my body, my muscles. With the help of the university I understand better what I am doing and during my sporting career I have the opportunity to put it to the test. I like to hear the word “talent” like this: you will do something better than others. 90% of the time it comes down to how hard you work, which I think is my biggest advantage. I understood this early.
Read the entire conversation in the magazine Sports newspaper in the January issue! You can subscribe to the magazine’s content in both print and digital formats on our new website HERE!
2024-01-06 11:14:07
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