site.btaAlexandra Feigin Hopes to Represent Bulgaria Again Next Winter Olympics

Nineteen-year-old Bulgarian skater Alexandra Feigin got an overall score of 159.31 (59.16 for the short programme and 100.15 for the free routine), which was a personal best for the season. Her free skating was based on Stravinsky’s orchestral work The Firebird.

Feigin, whose Olympic debut was in Beijing, finished 24th.

“A professional athlete cannot escape the pressure. They are supposed to show their best before an audience and judges, after all. That is why pressure is inevitable. I was under slightly more pressure than usual, because I had to focus on quite a few elements. I was more focused on the short programme, giving it my all, because I wanted to qualify for the free skating," Feigin said after her performance.

She failed to skate a clean routine, falling after a triple Rittberger.

"Of course, my injury was quite a hindrance to my preparation. I was able to recover much too late and only regained my physical fitness shortly before the Games,” she added. After she finished her free skating segment she was holding her knee that recently underwent surgery. “When I fell, my knee bent. It is not yet fully healed from my previous injury. I cannot bend it all the way, so I felt some discomfort. Still, I was able to collect myself in no time and kept going.”

Feigin will leave Beijing with great memories, saying that the event organization was excellent. “Everyone was following the anti-pandemic measures, so I feel that led to a lot fewer positive tests. I was not worried by anything here, I was feeling quite relaxed, which matters most,” the skater said. She hopes she will be able to represent her country again in four years at the next Winter Games. She is planning a short break in Bulgaria, then starting to prepare for the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships in France. NZ