#THE RIGHT ANSWER IS ALWAYS DENISS VASILJEVS

[vasiljevsdeniss]

“Captain Zebra” and “philosopher Vasiljevs” – a story told by Stéphane Lambiel and Deniss Vasiljevs

by Nadiya Vasilyeva

Their interaction is priceless, you’ll see that for yourselves: there’s a lot of laughter in the room, and friendly jokes, and calling nicknames – but, all in all, they stay exactly as they are: coach Stéphane Lambiel, serious, responsible, demanding precision, and his first student, Latvia’s Deniss Vasiljevs, in love with speed, philosophy, technology and history. How did this story start? Deniss answers in a heartbeat: “I raised my hand at the right moment”. 10 months after that moment, they’re in this together, making plans, working hard and dreaming big (Vasilyeva, 2016).

What kind of skater do you want to be? How do you want people to remember you (Vasilyeva, 2016)?

Deniss [Vasiljevs]: First, I’m trying to win always over myself. I want to develop myself to a very high level, to fight for medals and to be a very nice skater. I want people to remember me not only because I did everything in jumps, or I won something, but the main reason for me is that they’re gonna love my skating, they’re gonna enjoy my performance, they’re gonna really like to see me on the ice. That everyone’s gonna like me as a skater and also as a person.

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