"I'll return for one season, win and sit down to write my memoirs"

In November, Urmanov declined to give any interviews: "I'm sorry, but I have so many problems right now. I am not ready at this point to talk about them with journalists." It was pretty clear, which problems bothered the 1994 Olympic Champion. In March 1997, he sustained a serious injury and had to withdraw from the World Championships in Lausanne. Since then, he didn't appear at any of the big international competitions and always refused to talk to the press. I was surprised then, when I suddenly got a positive answer when I did a regular call to St. Petersburg: "Please come". "You know", Urmanov said during our meeting, "I until now don't understand what had happened to me. I still feel the injury. I went to Moscow first to see the famous doctor Zoya Mironova, after that I went to the Military Hospital in St. Petersburg, to the USA... The doctors didn't tell me "you'll never skate again", but they couldn't really help either. Probably we did a mistake, giving me one painkiller after the other. As it turns out, these blockers have side effects and even can destroy the bone. Luckily, it didn't go so far with me."　

Q: What was the diagnosis?

A: Injury of the muscel that leads to the hip. The physicians believe it would have been better if the muscle had been torn off completely, they could have sewed it then. However, after I tried dozens of different treatments, I understood that nobody knows how to treat these kinds of injury. And one day I decided to let it be how it is Maybe it will dissappear.

Q: How did your coach Alexei Mishin react upon this situation?

A: He understood. We discussed often my sad situation, but Mishin never ever said anything like - I don't need you when you are injured, leave my group. He did not turn away from me in this critical situation, and I really appreciate it.

Q: Weren't there any people who said - if Urmanov had skated in Lausanne, Russia would have had three spots for the Olympics?

A: I heard about these comments, but I tried to ignore them. Of course, my friends and my family didn't say "Come on, Lyokha, if you had skated on one foot only, everything would have been fine". They understood perfectly that I didn't withdraw from the competition because I was too lazy to skate and to shake my hand and my foot, but because I really was not able to skate because of the severe pain.

Q: But you skated in the exhibition at the Cup of Russia.

A: I was not able to compete with Yagudin and Plushenko for the well known reason, but I really wanted to skate a part of my new free skating program in front of an audience. Exhibitions are just perfect for that - the Olympic Champion can allow himself such a little thing, like being a guest at other peoples' party.　

Q: What impressions did you have from this performance?

A: It was nice, although I didn't fool anybody about my skating - I just did triple toeloops and a triple salchow. But even then many people came to me and said: What's this talk about you injury all the time? An injured person would not have been able to skate so well.

Q: When did you realize that you have to skip the whole season?

A: I somehow until the last moment didn't believe that I won't be able to perform and that the road to the Olympics in Nagano will be closed to me. The leg hurt always, but Mishin and I decided to continue to practice, in order to prepare for the Russian Nationals. We didn't manage to go. I won't lie - I was terribly upset, the only thing was that I didn't fall ill and die. I had to learn to live with the thought that I hardly will be a two-time Olympic Champion.

Q: Why did you refuse to talk to the press for so long?

A: It is not fun to talk about painful things. During these days, I went to my practice and I only could think about my injury, then I went to the hospital and heard a lot of different advice, and there was always this thought in my head - I'm ill, I can't skate... - This drove me crazy. And when I imagined that one evening a journalist might call and ask about the injury again, I turned off my cellular phone and fled to the summer house (datcha).

Q: And then?

A: It became easier to deal with the subject.

Q: There are rumours that because of the refurbishment of the Yubileiny ice rink, Mishin will leave and take you with him. Is that true?

A: Alexei Nikolaevitch never tells us his plans beforehand. Sometimes he comes and tells us "boys, get your suitcases ready!" The thought to leave St. Petersburg definitely doesn't make me happy. You can train one or one and a half months abroad, but to live there constantly... People get crazy in this "paradise", because they only see the ice rink and a flat which normally even doesn't belong to them.　

Q: Mishin a couple of times said that Alexei Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko are sucessful also thanks to you.

A: I think he is right. Of course, I never stood at the boards and told the boys how to do this or that element. But I see often in practice that Yagudin looks at me, does a move I just did. Maybe you realized that Mishin's skaters have a special way to go out on the ice - they don't go right to the center of the ice and wait for their music to begin, but they skate around a bit, doing different movements, figures. This is my invention!

Q: You are not angry that others use your ideas?

A: No. They shall use them if they like.　

Q: You didn't compete a whole year. Aren't you afraid to return? There is now such a fierce competition even to get on the National team.

A: Who's afraid of the wolves shouldn't go into the forest. You can say, I gave this season as a present to my rivals. I don't want to hurt anybody, but I think that the guys were very happy when they found out that I skip the season and won't go to the Olympics. Now there is maybe a good thing - next year they may be afraid of me. I don't have to loose anything.

Q: Didn't you think about turning pro?

A: I did not want to finish my career on such a sad note: I got the injury and stopped, everyone forgot about me. I still want to skate as an eligible skater. I have the power and the wish to do so. I don't want to leave shutting the door loudly behind me or to sneak out quietly, I want to leave in a nice way.　

Q: Will you stay in until the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, if you win the next European or World Championships?

A: Definitely not. There is that saying - "To be there is more important than winning". However, to me winning was always the main thing, and I can't win the Olympic Games anymore. Some people probably say that I give up too early, but this isn't the case. I just judge the situation in my sport how it is. The tremendous competition and a whole lot of talented and ambitious youngsters make the fight for the medals very hard. I don't want to be in the role of the old ballerina, who gets applause only because it is polite.

Q: This means...

A: I'll come back for one season. If this comeback will be successful, I'll end my eligible career happily and sit down to write my memoirs.