Any chance of Savchenko & Massot returning

[careypricefan]

Is there any shot at all they might come back for 2022 or before 2022, or are they 100% done. I am a huge fan of theirs and would love to see them skate again, regardless if they can reach their 2018 form again or not. I am guessing they are probably done, but I have not heard them confirm anything one way or another.

 

[bcash]

From the impression I got, Massot is most definitely done. I enjoyed their skating too, but after that interview where Savchenko displayed some weirdly arrogant and dismissive attitude, I’m not keen on seeing them compete again.

 

[ice crystal]

From the impression I got, Massot is most definitely done. I enjoyed their skating too, but after that interview where Savchenko displayed some weirdly arrogant and dismissive attitude. I’m not keen on seeing them compete again.

Haven't seen that. Do you have a link for said interview, please?

 

[bcash]

Haven't seen that. Do you have a link for said interview, please?

It’s the one posted in the Great Skate Debate a while ago.

 

[Orm Irian]

Is there any shot at all they might come back for 2022 or before 2022, or are they 100% done.

I think it's unlikely they'll be back. Bruno, at least, seems extremely content with coaching and show skating and fatherhood - he and his wife are expecting a second child - and not interested in fighting old injuries to pursue new medals.

 

[careypricefan]

It is too bad Bruno did not get a strong partner much earlier in his career. We only go to see what he was really capable of for about 2 years.

 

[MsZem]

I think they're done. Savchenko turns 36 next month and they've both been away from competition for almost two years. They have kids, they have coaching careers, Bruno had back problems when they were skating and is probably happy to be done with it.

Though Bruno doesn't discuss it often, I'm sure losing Jeff Ballester hit him hard, and it might have affected his desire to continue even if he hadn't already achieved his dreams. Savchenko, having finally found the partner with whom she could get an OGM, probably wouldn't want to skate with anyone else.

You'll have to wait for Amelia Savchenko Cross/Louka Massot, should they feel so inclined

 

[AxelAnnie]

I loved that interview, and did not find Alojna to be either dismissive or arrogant. IMO she was honest and insightful.

I suspect she could still compete. Having a baby changes you. Finding a new partner would be a sisyphean task.

 

[Sylvia]

Haven't seen that. Do you have a link for said interview, please?

Imamov's interview with Savchenko

Rustam Imamov's interview with Aljona Savchenko `I would love to come back right now' for business-gazeta.ru RI: Aljona, how have you life changed after you retired? AS: Frankly, my last year was so full I didn't have time to notice how my life had changed and where is it going. Bruno and I...

www.fsuniverse.net

 

[Kasey]

No.

 

[Amantide]

I think it's unlikely they'll be back. Bruno, at least, seems extremely content with coaching and show skating and fatherhood - he and his wife are expecting a second child - and not interested in fighting old injuries to pursue new medals.

Smart man.

I loved that interview, and did not find Alojna to be either dismissive or arrogant. IMO she was honest and insightful.

She sounded a lil bit ungrateful towards Robin, IMO. But, perhaps, that's understandable given that she won the Oly with Bruno. And the shade she throw on Sui&Han wasn't cool at all. That was uncalled for.

 

[bcash]

I loved that interview, and did not find Alojna to be either dismissive or arrogant. IMO she was honest and insightful.

I suspect she could still compete. Having a baby changes you. Finding a new partner would be a sisyphean task.

She certainly was not honest when she laughably accused Sui/Han of copying her.

 

[AxelAnnie]

She certainly was not honest when she laughably accused Sui/Han of copying her.

You are right. I forgot about it. I don't know that I would call that not honest. Totally wrong for sure! But maybe that is what she thinks. I think there are still people who think the world is flat.

 

[angi]

She certainly was not honest when she laughably accused Sui/Han of copying her.

For what it's worth she later denied saying about Sui/Han what was written in the article.

 

[feraina]

For what it's worth she later denied saying about Sui/Han what was written in the article.

It wasn't only that one explicit comment. There's a long conversation about the current state of pairs skating, and she basically hinted at not caring much for Sui/Han (all the more interesting skaters have retired, the current pairs are so boring, she's most interested in the second pair from China, etc), before actually coming out with that explicit zinger re: Sui/Han. If she hadn't won the OGM, I would say it's clearly sour grapes. Having won it, I don't know what this is... obsessive competitiveness that she can't shake? Well, clearly she can't shake her competitiveness based on what she said -- watching current competitions, part of her just wants to jump on to the ice and show everyone how it really should be done. But it's unfortunate that being competitive makes her unable to respect or appreciate her nearest rivals.

Contrast it with Hanyu and Chen, who have the grace to compliment each other and say that they are grateful for having the other person there to push them and push the sport. Of course we can't know what they think privately, but in public they're unfailingly gracious.

 

[MsZem]

Savchenko/Radford

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[starrynight]

It is too bad Bruno did not get a strong partner much earlier in his career. We only go to see what he was really capable of for about 2 years.

The quality of Savchenko/Massot's elements were unrivalled by the time they got to 2018. I agree that it's a shame we didn't see more of them - one does wonder what they could have done with those skills with another Olympic cycle. But at least we got that one perfect Olympic free skate.

Perhaps we may see them in some shows. Savchenko is back doing a little skating.

As for Savchenko - no idea why anyone would think a person such as her, who has doggedly pursued that gold over 5 Olympics would be a shy little wallflower without strong opinions. Imagine the self-determination and stubbornness it would have taken to started a new partnership at 30 with a lower ranked Massot, when the whole world was telling her to retire.

 

[MAXSwagg]

The quality of Savchenko/Massot's elements were unrivalled by the time they got to 2018. I agree that it's a shame we didn't see more of them - one does wonder what they could have done with those skills with another Olympic cycle. But at least we got that one perfect Olympic free skate.

Perhaps we may see them in some shows. Savchenko is back doing a little skating.

As for Savchenko - no idea why anyone would think a person such as her, who has doggedly pursued that gold over 5 Olympics would be a shy little wallflower without strong opinions. Imagine the self-determination and stubbornness it would have taken to started a new partnership at 30 with a lower ranked Massot, when the whole world was telling her to retire.

well she treated Robin very badly.

 

[DeathSpiraling]

While I would love to see a rematch between Aljona and Wenjing, I highly doubt Bruno's persistent back problems & not having his 2nd Dad Jean-Francois (who sadly passed away December 2018) coaching them - he wouldn't be able to stay healthy enough for them to win Gold in Beijing 2022.

 

[florencewind]

I think Jean-Francois passing away ends any chances of Bruno wanting to return. If he had stayed alive then it was possible.

 

[text_skate]

latest

Wintersport

Aktuelle News zu nationalen und internationalen Sportereignissen.

www.swp.de

right now:

Currently, the two are preparing for their only appearance at "Holiday on Ice" on September 9 in Hamburg.

for the future
Bruno

For other reasons, the 30-year-old Frenchman is not sure whether it would make sense to start the hard training for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022. "I hurt my head and my body a lot to reach our goal," said Massot. He still has the feeling that he has to recover. "I love my new life in Switzerland, my small family, the work as a coach there." But: "We are thinking about coming back. We'll decide together."

Aljona

"We are at the very beginning of the decision. We really don't know yet how and whether it will continue," said the 36-year-old Ukrainian-born woman in an interview with the "Bild am Sonntag" newspaper. A comeback must also be financially secured: "We need sponsors. Our income alone is not enough".

 

[cs.berlin]

"The Olympic pair skating champions Alyona Savchenko and her partner Bruno Massot have not yet decided on a return to competitive sport.

'We are at the very beginning of the decision. We really don't know yet how and whether it will continue', the 36-year-old Ukrainian-born athlete told the 'Bild am Sonntag' newspaper in an interview. A comeback must also be financially secured: 'We need sponsors. Our income alone is not enough'.

For other reasons the 30-year-old Frenchman [German quality journalism - sic!] is not sure whether it would make sense to start the hard training for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022. 'I hurt my head and my body a lot to reach our goal', said Massot. He still has the feeling that he has to recover. 'I love my new life in Switzerland, my small family, the work as a coach there.' But: 'We're thinking about coming back. We'll decide together.'

Savchenko doesn't believe that after a decision to start again, it wouldn't be enough for top performances on the ice. 'In any case, I could get back in shape. If we would train again, everything would come back', she emphasized. Currently, the two are preparing for their only appearance at 'Holiday on Ice' on September 9 [2020] in Hamburg."
(Source)

Regarding recently seen training activities:

"Olympic champions Alyona Savchenko and Bruno Massot: Comeback on HOLIDAY ON ICE show stage in February

The two of them will perform their celebrated, highly emotional Olympic free program for the last time [?? WOW ...] and their performance created especially for HOLIDAY ON ICE on Sunday, February 9 [2020] at 1:00 pm in the Barclaycard Arena."
(Source)

 

[Spun Silver]

What does Bruno mean by "hurt my head"? Did he have a concussion?

I don't know what to think about a comeback. It doesn't sound like Bruno is up for it, but he's not saying an outright no, so I guess the door has opened a crack. It would be truly amazing if they could pull off a return to the same level of skating.

 

[cs.berlin]

What does Bruno mean by "hurt my head"? Did he have a concussion?

The article about the newspaper report quotes Bruno in German language: "Ich habe meinem Kopf und meinem Körper sehr wehgetan, um unser Ziel zu erreichen"
In English - literally: "I hurt my head and body a lot to achieve our goal"
Whether Bruno spoke in English, French or German is not mentioned in the article. But we shouldn't worry about that, because it should be clear what he means (the decision to become German with all the stress involved, especially the language caused him some "headaches" ... )

 

[cs.berlin]

PS

It would be truly amazing if they could pull off a return to the same level of skating.

Not only that, Alyona wants or would like to even surpass her "century skate" ... (well, how often has it been said that Alyona is crazy, she will never manage it ... etc.)

At least they were granted a transitional period "to build a bridge into another life", if and how long the support will take place, there is no public discussion about that. I guess they will continue to run shows with new interesting programs for a while to take advantage of their popularity. But as I said ...

 

[nimi]

Aljona last week:

Aljona Savchenko on Twitter

“First triple since early 2019, and 4 months after giving birth 👶🥰 It’s not perfect but it’s a start! So happy for this! #backtowork @BMassot https://t.co/99gqsqS15e”

twitter.com

Aljona yesterday:

Aljona Savchenko on Twitter

“First twist since February 2019! 🥳👶😍 Next goal - Triple! #dowhatyoulove #skating #trainhard https://t.co/00tU4Necmt”

twitter.com

Aljona today:

Aljona Savchenko on Twitter

“Yay!! We’re back! First triple twist! 4 months after my beautiful baby was born 😍👶 @BMassot _ #twist #skatingmom #skate #lovewhatyoudo https://t.co/GEIjC5YWpL”

twitter.com

 

[rfisher]

I do not doubt her at all. If she's determined to get back in form, she will. The problem will be getting Bruno on board. I wish she could find a young pair team with her laser focus to mentor/coach, but given that she is unique, that match may be difficult to find.

 

[cs.berlin]

"Show comeback at HOLIDAY ON ICE in Hamburg
The Olympic and World Champions showed their [blabla] Olympic FP [...] on Sunday, February 9th [...]. The figures, jumps and lifts were perfect as always. And that not even six months after the birth of Alyona's daughter Amilia."

Olympiasieger Aljona Savchenko und Bruno Massot: Show-Comeback bei HOLIDAY ON ICE in Hamburg

Hamburg, 9. Februar – Olympisches Gold is back on Ice. Mit Standing Ovations und einem ausverkauften Haus wurden die Olympiasieger Aljona Savchenko und Bruno Massot bei HOLIDAY ON ICE von einem jub…

kulturfreak.de

Are there witnesses to this?
There is not much to report apart from a picture.
Interesting costumes, by the way, no longer sky blue but rather earthy - instead of "la terre vue du ciel" rather "arrivé sur terre" ...

 

[Spun Silver]

We need video!!

 

[Sylvia]

Der Wintersport-Podcast Folge 07 mit Aljona Savchenko, Eiskunstlauf (40 mins.):

Acast Embed Player (f96564c15b7ed12427bc255e464cb4e5b02661e6)

player.acast.com

Summary of highlights in English (scroll down thread): https://twitter.com/SkatingScores/status/1283633210262523904

https://twitter.com/SkatingScores/status/1283650461254529024

https://twitter.com/SkatingSunny/status/1283789385671024640

She has hinted a possible comeback in three or more interviews already, so I feel like she is pretty serious about it, but is uncertain if Bruno also wants the same as her, so I feel like that is why she tries to joke and downplay it.

If I remember the president of the German Fed also hinted at a comeback

This German TV interview was uploaded on June 15, 2020:

Eiskunstläuferin Aljona Savchenko | Von ukrainischer Kleinstadt zum sportlichen Olymp | SWR1 Leute

Aljona Savchenko ist mehrfache Welt- und Europameisterin im Eiskunstlauf. Zusammen mit ihrem Eislaufpartner Bruno Massot zeigte sie bei den Olympischen Spiel...

www.youtube.com