Transcripts

2000 European Championships - ABC profile

Anton - I really like New York City because I used to live in big city and noisy city and New York is the same. It's huge city and very noisy. It's a lot of fun and cool and a lot of interesting people live in New York and Manhattan.

ABC (Robin Roberts) - Since moving to live and train in the United States, Anton Sikharulidze has struggled to balance his passion for skating with his passion for life.

Tamara - Anton is a very outgoing person. And he would like to be popular with everybody. He wants to participate in many distractions that take him away from his main goals in skating.

ABC - At only 23 years old, he has succeeded in achieving many of his goals. He and his partner, Elena Berezhnaya, have won two World titles.

Anton - It's not enough just to be World Champion because we feel inside that we can do much more.

ABC - This year, though, the World Champions have struggled. Most of their short programs have been disastrous. Nerves, new routines, or too many distractions?

Anton - We are not robots and we can't skating all the time perfectly.

ABC - A week before the skating season began, Anton crashed his car in Manhattan. Weeks later, his love of the night life ended in a bar fight. Despite his troubles, finding a Russian community in New York has been important for him.

Anton - I like it, really like it. I meet with a lot of my friends. Everything is very easy.

Tamara - I tell, look, you try that, you try this, you try this. But, then, think what is more important. Is it good for your skating career? Is it good for your life? Decide yourself.