I'm glad that Aliona has found happiness. It's sad that she seems to reflect on her time of past victories and successes as not being a happy time in her life. Sometimes going through tough times can be preparation for facing and overcoming greater challenges. Maybe one day she will gain peace with what led her to where she is now.
Icenetwork: Aliona, it's very impressive to see how much more balanced you seem.
Savchenko: The truth is that now, life is good. I have a beautiful fiancé. I have a calm coach. He is like a saint! We have big support from the people around us. We are working together with one common goal. I can live and do what I dream of. That's quite a change! Before, it was skating only. I had a lot of success, but I was really sad in my life. It was too much, and it was too closed. You need people around you to take positive energy. It changes everything.
I changed my life, and I am very happy with this.
Apparently, Ingo was not a calm coach and he famously does not have a calm personality. Unfortunately, Ingo's past and his status as persona non grata among German fed obviously to a degree must have placed a pall over what was a very successful partnership between Aliona and Robin. I've read before that Robin had the calmer personality among the former S/S and S. In her TSL interview Aliona also seemed regretful and apologetic about having stayed in her relationship with Ingo and in her partnership with Robin as long as she did. But on the outside looking in, the team didn't appear to be broke aside from the outside efforts to break them up. It's really too bad that Aliona now seems to feel she should have left them both sooner. Perhaps it's partly because she feels she might have won an OGM had she made the break sooner? What a shame if that's her view now, because there was such a great chemistry between Aliona and Robin on the ice. With Ingo's collaboration, their creativity, impact and influence on the pairs discipline has been quite memorable and remarkable within the annals of figure skating history.
I remember how good Aliona and Robin were together, especially when they began their rise at 2007 Europeans. That was also at the height of the brouhaha over Ingo's Stasi-informant past. I was under the impression that Aliona, Robin and Ingo had all equally decided to stick together, to remain loyal to each other and to pursue their dreams in the face of opposition, financial constraints (and frankly some jealousy as well as bitterness directed toward Ingo for his past transgressions during the time of a divided Germany). It's an unfortunate set of circumstances, that Aliona, Robin and Ingo appeared to face with great courage and grit. Seemingly, the need to block out the hardships and concentrate solely on skating did rob some lightness and joy from their courageous unity and the innovative work they created together.
Hopefully, Aliona will one day be able to look back on her achievements with Robin and Ingo without sadness and regret. Perhaps she will be able to accept that it was a purposeful decision she made to remain together because
there was something that truly worked in her collaboration with Robin and Ingo that was meaningful and worthy of the rewards and respect they received. Their OGM dreams were dashed twice not because they weren't a great team, but due to bad luck and to others being more politically favored, in addition to their own mistakes and the timing and location factors not benefiting them at the right time, right moment. Figure skating is about talent, hard work, determination and politics. It also tends to be a crapshoot.
Good luck to Aliona and Bruno! And best wishes to Aliona and her fiancee. Also, thanks for the memories to Aliona, Robin and Ingo!