Anastasiia Metelkina
Country: Georgia
Partner: Daniil Parkman
Spirit Animal: Black Panther
After beginning skating at the age of four, Anastasiia recounts that she went through several moves in her earlier career.
“I often had to change cities, and each time it's a new school, a new ice rink, new friends and a new social circle. I can't say it's always been easy, but it makes me stronger.”
Today, she competes in pairs with her partner, Daniil Parkman from Russia. While Anastasiia is still balancing online schooling with skating, the pair are currently training in Saint Petersburg while representing the country of Georgia.
Metelkina and Parkman most recently competed at the 2021 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden and were actually the first pair team to represent the country of Georgia at the event!
Q: Who is someone in your life that inspires you?
“My parents have supported me throughout my career and they are my motivation.”
Q: Who was your skating ‘role-model’ when you were younger?
“I follow different athletes and try to get the most out of each of them.”
Q: Do you have any pre-competition rituals/superstitions?
“I used to have a lot of superstitions before [events], but now I listen to music and try to distract myself.”
Q: You’re at a competition, on the ice, in your starting position, waiting for your music to begin… what are you thinking?
“A very interesting question, in fact, always [something different]. The last time it was the words, "Well, let's go.””
Q: Do you do any type of visualization or meditation?
“I do visualization exclusively [before competitions]. I try to imagine how I [will perform] all of the elements {cleanly}. I also meditate to disconnect from the excitement [before competitions]."
Q: Did you ever endure any type of setback/adversity/injury/etc throughout your career? How did you overcome it?
“I am sure that every athlete has faced difficulties, and I am no exception. In my opinion, there should be difficulties, because victory after overcoming difficulties becomes much more valuable. Professional sports, of course, are not easy, and the people who practice them understand that they will have to face difficulties. First of all, these are injuries, because no one can name at least one professional athlete without injuries. Also this year, many people have experienced problems due to COVID-19, such as the lack of starts[competitions/events], and many athletes have fallen ill with COVID-19. Fortunately, I was not ill, but there were still difficulties.”
Q: Have you learned any life lessons from skating?
“…Discipline, and sport makes it clear that in order to achieve something, you need to work hard.”
Q: How did you motivate yourself to practice elements that you do not enjoy?
“I really enjoy watching others [perform] these elements, then I ask myself the question, "Are you worse?" [and then I practice] those elements that don't work by repeating them many times.”
Q: What is your favourite motivational quote?
“Everything that is being done is being done for the better. You need to work hard to have make something work out.” –Unknown
Q: What are the most memorable moments to you within your career?
“The most memorable moment was the transition to pairs. I thought a long time about getting into pairs, but I was very afraid. When they told me that we were going to try out pairs, I was very happy but at the same time it was very scary.”
Metlekina’s first pairs coach was Artur Valerievich Dmitriev and she is forever grateful for his work.
Anastasiia also reflects on how she worked with Ksenia Stobolva and Nikolai Morozov when creating their past programs.
“I want to say a huge thank you to them for their help, in choosing the perfect [program].”
Q: What is your ultimate goal with skating?
“I think every athlete's biggest goal is the Olympic Games, so I've been doing my best since I was a kid to fulfill one of the most important goals in sports.”
In addition to skating, Anastasiia really enjoys dancing, including for off-ice training. When asked about her post-skating career goals, she would like to pursue a career related to sports, and in the future, dreams of owning her own business.
She also hopes to visit Korea one day, “This is my little dream.”
Q: What is something funny/unique that most people don’t know about you?
“Despite the fact that I am in pairs and many people think that this is a very scary sport, I have never been afraid, but I am very afraid of rides.”
Q: What advice do you have for young and aspiring skaters?
“In order to [achieve] something, you need to work very hard. Sports require great sacrifices, so you will have to sacrifice something. Do not be upset if something does not work out, [instead] work twice as hard at it. Go to your goal and you will succeed.”
Lastly, What does it mean to you to have a #ChampionshipMindset?
“For me, a #ChampionshipMindset is about overcoming yourself [and] moving towards your goal no matter what. Being able to win and be able to admit defeat. Loving what you do and doing it in a hurry, and never giving up.”
