December 1995
From Paris Match (France):
INTERVIEW WITH EKATERINA GORDEEVA
translated by Karyna Zielinski and edited by Jill Kocher
Paris Match: Why did you put white tulips by your husband’s coffin?
Ekaterina: Because they were his favorite flowers.
P.M.: Did Sergei ever tell you that he was tired?
Ekaterina: He never complained about his heart. This summer, he had some back problems. Everything happened so fast.
P.M.: What are you planing to do now?
Ekaterina: It’s hard to say. I hope that I will continue to figure skate. I don’t know how to do anything else. Also on the ice I lived the best moments of my life.
P.M.: What did you say to Dachinka, your daughter?
Ekaterina: I asked for some advice from her teacher in the American school where she attends in Connecticut. She told me to tell her the truth. Then I explain everything to Dachinka, that God had taken her father, that he’s dead, that we will never see him again and that all the world will cry. She didn’t shed a tear but I know that her reaction will come later.
P.M.: How did your love story with Sergei begin?
Ekaterina: We knew each other since forever. When we started skating together, Sergei was 15 years old, and I was 11. We where really good friends. Slowly this friendship turned into love, then we became a couple and our daughter was born.
P.M.: Do you remember the first words of love that came from Sergei, his first gift to you?
Ekaterina: The first gifts were flowers. He also gave me a ring. It was like he gave me his heart when he asked me to marry him.
P.M.: What were you planning for the future?
Ekaterina: We never made long term plans. We knew that we wanted to continue to skate and have a second child, a little brother for Dachinka.
P.M.: How did your family support you in this part of your life?
Ekaterina: My father, Alexander, and my mother, Elena, where in Connecticut and they came to rejoin me as soon as possible. My Russian friends where in Lake Placid, including Marina Zueva, my choreographer. She was on the ice during the event and was there when the doctors told me that they couldn’t save Sergei. It’s thanks to her that I was able to overcome this obstacle.
P.M.: What will you do about the professional shows? Will you stay in Moscow or return to the United States?
Ekaterina: I will stay for a while in Moscow. First of all because of the Russian Tradition where you must allow forty days after someone special dies. It’s indispensable for my soul. Then I will return to Connecticut. Dachinka must go back to school and I must take care of her education. And most of all, I can’t stop skating. It’s the only thing that could help me.
P.M.: Will you have the strength to start skating?
Ekaterina: Yes. I must go back to skating. I don’t really know how, but I know it’s for the best.
P.M.: Did Sergei give you a lot of advice? People say that you often spoke for him.
Ekaterina: Sergei didn’t speak much since he was modest. His device was, when he knew he had to do something, he had to do it better then others. For example, he couldn’t speak perfectly in English, so he preferred to keep quite.
P.M.: For you, what does it mean to be in Russia?
Ekaterina: I often miss Russia when I’m the United States. I miss my country and I will always miss it. I think about Russia constantly. We, Russian, are different. We have a different character traits.
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