Alexander Majorov receives a hero's welcome in his hometown of Luleå

[siberia82]

SVT interview: http://svtplay.se/v/2350698/nordnytt...alten_hyllades

Sveriges Radio interview: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel...rtikel=4388474 The page contains two audio files, but one of them is a snippet from the longer version. (I may not understand spoken Swedish, but I can at least recognize when something is being repeated.)

NSD.se article: http://www.nsd.se/nyheter/artikel.as...icleID=6019778

Kuriren.se article: http://www.kuriren.nu/nyheter/defaul...icleid=5826036

Select "Majorov tog brons i JVM" on the right-hand side to watch the 24Norrbotten news clip: http://www.kuriren.nu/24norrbotten/#...startTime=0m0s

A Swedish blogger shared some snapshots of Sasha's arrival: http://radhusbloggen.blogg.se/2011/m...valkomnad.html



As always, full translations of radio and video clips would be greatly appreciated.

[let`s talk]

Good for him. And good for Sweden.

[Evilynn]

I'm in a bit of a rush, but the NSD article:

Majorov home after the bronze.

On Saturday Alexander Majorov took a historical JVM medal in South Korea.

Yesterday he came home to Luleå.
Tired but happy.

-I've proved that my figure skating [career] is going somewhere, says the 19 year old.

Sweden hadn't won a championship medal in figure skating since 1932 when Gillis Grafström won an OG silver medal in Lake Placid. But on Saturday Alexander Majorov, Luleå KK, won a JVM bronze medal in South Korea. Young Majorov doesn't know of Gillis Grafström, but he realizes that what he achieved is truly great.

- I have no idea who he is, but I'm glad I could do it too, says the 19 year old when he landed on Kallax on Monday night.

He's standing in the middle of a group of fans, friends, skaters from his club, family members, reporters and photographers.

"Shown I'm good"
Everybody is there because of Majorov's historical medal.

- I didn't expect this kind of welcome. It's perfect as nice as it can be, he says, laughing.

Alexander Majorov has done something ground breaking for Swedish figure skating. But there won't be any greater celebrations in the near future. The senior world championships in Tokyo are only a couple of weeks off.

-Tomorrow I'm going to sleep in, but then there'll be hard training, he says.

About his chances at the "big" WC Majorov says:

-There is always a chance, and now I've shown I'm good internationally [I think he means on the international stage, it sounds a bit funny in Swedish too]. This season has been really good, so it'll be fun going to Tokyo.

Then he shows NSD his historical bronze medal.

- I think it's small, he says, and smiles.

Then he adds:

-I never thought I'd get top three, top six maybe. This really is the perfect end of my junior career.

[Evilynn]

And the Kuriren one:

A star has landed

On Monday night, Alexander Majorov came home after the success in South Korea.

- I never thought I'd do this well, said the figure skating star.

It was on Saturday that the 19 year old got the bronze at the JWC. An historical accomplishment since it was the fiest Swedish championship medal since 1932.

When Majorov got off the plane at Luleå Airport he was met by a large welcoming committee from Luleå FS club, complete with flowers, balloones and hugs.

-The travel was hard but right now I'm just fine, said Alexander Majorov who's had time to process events during the long trip home from South Korea.

-I was hoping for top six, so when I noticed I would be top three I was so happy.

What does this mean for you personally?

- It's proof that my skating is going somewhere. I have shown I'm good on an international level [ok, that made a lot more sense than the other article]

Why are you succeeding right now?

-I 've trained hard and done well all season, but this was a perfect opportunity to do well at everything and I did.

First rest, then training

The competition in South Korea was Majorovs last at the junior level, so it is the perfect stepping stone for his career in seniors.

What does this mean for the WC in Tokyo?

- All I can do is rest up tomorrow and then start training hard.

What are you chances of succeeding at the WC?

- There is always a chance. All I can do is keep training and see how it goes and try to be in good shape for the competitions.

WC in Tokyo starts on March 21.

Alexander Majorov will land in Tokyo five days in advance.

All set to make new waves.

[Finnice]

Tack, Evilynn!
It is a good story: Majorov turns from a villain to a hero.
I just wish they don´t expect too much from him in the Worlds.
Is there any hope that he will grow to be as voidy as Koffe and Adrian? What I have seen him, the strength is more in the techical side. But Koffe was also very introvert in the beginning of his career.

[Lis]

Sasha was stronger presentation vise when he was younger .He kind of lost that a little in the process to get the tech side of skating too.I think he can def get voidy, he was when he was younger and his SP of this year is in that direction.So I am full of hope

also thank you for translating ...shows he really is an ok guy!

[Loves_Shizuka]

Gosh Sweden hasn't won an ISU medal of any kind since 1932?! I often wonder why the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark) don't have the ice skating pedigree when it seems they naturally should do (cold countries, not poor, good tradition in so many other winter sports) Of course, Finland is doing great in ladies and has had R/K win major medals in dance (though technically, Finland isn't Scandinavia) but still, it's an interesting regional absence from the top of figure skating.

[SmallFairy]

Way to go Sasha!! I'm so happy for him, I remember seeing him for the first time at Nordics in Copenhagen a few years ago, and he was flowing across the ice, I was so optimistic for him, and has followed his progress since.

And even more, I'm thrilled for Swedish figure skating, who is systematicly working so hard to build a good skating program, taking care of their talents and achieving good results. They're slowly and steady making their way to the top. Hope Majorovs medal is a sign of things to come, like Susanna Pöykiös junior worlds medal in 2001 kind of started all good things for Finnish skating

[siberia82]

I managed to find someone who was willing to translate the following video:

Select "Majorov tog brons i JVM" on the right-hand side to watch the 24Norrbotten news clip: http://www.kuriren.nu/24norrbotten/#...startTime=0m0s

Reporter: Figure skater Alexander Majorov made history this weekend when he won Sweden's first medal ever at Junior Worlds, and tonight, he was greeted with loud cheers from the crowd as he arrived back in Luleå. It was after a great free skate in South Korea that Alexander Majorov won an historic bronze medal at Junior Worlds. He has previously made headlines when he wasn't chosen for the European Championships and told everyone to "go to hell" on Facebook. He later apologized and the Swedish Figure Skating Association responded with an official warning. Only two months later, he was given a spot on the World team and now he has won a bronze medal.

Alexander: Incredibly fun!

Reporter: Did you expect this?

Alexander: Yes and no. Before I went to South Korea, I believed I could make the top three, but when I saw the competition there, I began to doubt. However, after the short program, I felt that I was back in form.

Reporter: When the bronze medallist arrived at Luleå Airport, he was greeted with flowers, posters and loud cheering – unexpected, according to him.

Alexander: I was a bit shocked when I arrived here – everyone from the sports club were here congratulating me!

Reporter: At the end of March, Alexander will travel to Tokyo for senior Worlds, but he doesn't want to speculate on his chances there yet.

Alexander: I don't know yet, we'll see. I'll be training hard in preparation and then we will see how far I will go when I get there. I don't know who my competitors will be yet.



I made a screen recording of the 24Norrbotten news clip before it was taken down (the site only keeps the vids on-line for a week), so if anyone wants a copy, just PM me.


I know my message is a little late, but I still wanted to say: "Jag är så glad för svenska konståkningsfans!" (I hope I got that right. ) While I was watching the live stream for the 2010 Swedish Nationals, I did tell a photojournalist from AbsoluteSkating.com that I thought we were witnessing the beginning of something great in Swedish figure skating. It looks like I might be right!

[siberia82]

I finally obtained an English translation for the radio interview:

Sveriges Radio interview: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel...rtikel=4388474

R = Reporter, AM = Alexander Majorov, CK = Carina Kelly, IM = Irina Majorov



R: Balloons, flags, banners and plates. Yes, that's what awaited Alexander Majorov when he arrived at Luleå Airport yesterday. And many were there.

R: Why are you here at this moment?

- To cheer for Sasha's bronze placement.

R: What will you do when he arrives then?

- Well, scream. (She and her friends laugh.)

R: And here is one carrying a lot of flowers. What's your name?

- Viktoria.

R: Why are you here?

- Because Sasha is arriving. (She giggles.)

R: So, how big is his achievement, then?

- Very big.

R: What will you do when he comes?

- Cheer.

R: Do you figure skate as well?

- Oh, yes!

R: Who is your big idol, then?

- I don't know, I have a lot. Sasha is one of them.


"Now they must come. Now, now, no more patience. Now they should come..." (Screams, shouts and applauds.)

R: Expectant figure skating fans were waiting and waiting, but finally Sasha arrived.

"Congrats Sasha!"


R: How do you feel coming home, getting such a reception?

AM: It's fantastic, it's really fun. I didn't expect this.

R: How did you expect the arrival to be?

AM: Well, as it always is; my mom stands here with my little brother and says welcome home.

R: Was it a shock with so much people?

AM: Yes, it was. That's to say, I didn't imagine it.

R: Did you have time to digest what you actually achieved over there?

AM: Yes, I actually have. Well, now I just have to focus on real Worlds, so... but, I must try to digest it away even more because it's hard to continue practicing when it went well. That is the most tricky part. Yeah, but it's just keeping on, aiming for the next competition.

R: Will it be hard to re-focus before next Worlds?

AM: Well, I don't know yet. We'll see how it goes this week. But mostly it's easier to take on practice after it went badly. Then you crave to practise. You really want only to practise. But I will try to re-focus until tomorrow and start training again.

R: Did you believe, when you went, that you would succeed like this?

AM: Well, at first, before the short program, when I arrived, then I was out of shape in everything. I didn't think I would qualify. The short went well even though I had a bad training session. Then my body came to life the same day.

R: What did you think then after the short program, when you knew you had a chance to medal?

AM: Well, after the short program, it felt good. Then I knew I could fight for the top three, top four.

R: If you look forward to senior Worlds, which is pretty close, what are your expectations?

AM: Well, I don't know. I'll try to go for it and skate clean and then we'll see how far it takes me.

R: It was a bit of a storm between you and the federation before. Do you see this medal as a revenge?

AM: No, I don't. Because all that happened before, that was only... it grew to big... absolutely not a revenge. It's fun to show that you are good in Sweden also. Particularly to show that Swedish skaters are developing.

R: Carina Kelly, from the Swedish Figure Skating Federation, was present at Luleå Airport to meet Alexander. And she was impressed.

CK: Yes, it's fantastic, it's awesome, it's hard to put words on it! We have been waiting for so long, well, since 1932. And all this hard work that especially he has done and his family. Yes it's... I feel... I have tears in my eyes. No, but it's fantastic!

R: What does this medal mean to Swedish figure skating?

CK: It means very very much. Because the federation has since many years had this goal, to medal at the big events. And this is only the beginning. That's how I look at it. There are many junior skaters coming up as well. We will certainly see more medals at big events. That's what I think.

R: And among the receivers there was, of course, also mom, as well as coach, Irina Majorov. And she was affected by the reception of her son.

IM: It feels awesome, I think. I am glad, I am proud. I am happy about it all. It was very touching to see them all... the many who had come here with their feelings, beautiful banners and flowers. Thank you for everything.

R: How nervous were you at home following the competitions?

IM: I tried to stay strong and not have bad thoughts, I knew that he was capable. I tried to send him good feelings. You can, you can (and then "you can, you can" in Russian, I think). You have to start showing at some point what you can do. So, I wasn't nervous. But the last minutes, when he had skated his program and he called home and said: "I got 195 points and is in first place at the moment with four boys left to go," I realized that he would be at least in 5th place. And I couldn't get online, Internet. And I was shaking and shivering and waiting until Carina Skoog, from the federation, called and told me he was third. And I started to cry. That was fun.