MOSCOW (AP) — Yevgenia Medvedeva has bugs in her head. At least that’s how the world’s top female figure skater calls the little demons and doubts that she needs for success.
Just 17 years old and already a two-time world champion, the Russian prodigy cruised to victory in the season’s opening Grand Prix event Saturday, keeping her on course as favorite for the Olympic gold medal in February.
Despite her dominance, Medvedeva said she’s on an emotional tightrope every time she skates, and that’s how she likes it.
A devotee of old-fashioned self-motivation — she’s never worked with a sports psychologist — Medvedeva likes to skate with a few doubts and hang-ups, known colloquially in Russian as “bugs in your head.