2026木下杯，叶甫根尼·谢梅年科（Evgeni Semenenko）以253.30分获得男单铜牌。
但对于小E而言，这枚奖牌之外，还有一层更加特别的意义。
这是一次等待了太久的回归。
自由滑结束之后，他面对记者说：
“首先，这是我们期待已久的重返国际赛场。”
而回归后的第一场国际比赛，恰好发生在日本。
一个他一直非常喜欢的国家。
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“日本对我来说有一种亲近感”
小E从来没有掩饰自己对日本文化的喜欢。
尤其是动漫。
“我非常喜欢这个国家，因为我是动漫的忠实粉丝。”
“所以这个国家在某种程度上让我觉得很亲近。”
此前他其实已经来过日本。
但第一次来到这里时，因为当时存在各种限制，他基本只能在酒店和冰场之间活动。
城市是什么样子？
很多时候只能隔着大巴车窗去看。
这一次来到日本，比赛期间他依然没有多少时间真正出去走走。
但仅仅是在街上看到那些小巷，他就产生了一种非常熟悉的感觉：
像动漫里的场景。
所以比赛结束后，他已经想好了——终于可以出去看看了。
去街上走走，看看东京，也把上一次没能真正体验日本的遗憾补回来。
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短节目之后：“我甚至不知道发生了什么”
但这场比赛并不是从一开始就顺利。
短节目中，小E出现失误。
对于已经很久没有参加这种国际赛事的他来说，那次失误带来的情绪远比一个跳跃本身更加复杂。
“昨天确实失败了一次。”
他认为，很长时间没有参加这样的比赛，是原因之一。
国际赛场并不是完全陌生的地方。
他曾经在这里比赛过。
但离开的时间太久之后，那种感觉已经开始变得模糊。
“说实话，我甚至不知道昨天短节目里到底发生了什么。”
真正折磨他的，是等待。
以及不确定性。
“对我来说，最困难的就是等待和这种不确定感。”
短节目结束之后，剩下的一整天，包括第二天早晨，他都很难让自己真正平静下来。
因为他知道：
这几天的训练其实非常不错。
真正没有完成好的，几乎就只有那个Salchow。
所以失误反而让他更加懊恼。
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“我一整天都坐立不安”
短节目之后，小E没有立刻把这件事情放下。
“一直到今天早上，我都坐立不安。”
“真的很懊恼。”
这种情绪一直持续到自由滑之前。
好在身边的人一直在支持他。
他说，亲近的人在那个时候对他说了一些“恰到好处的话”。
没有复杂的说教。
只是让他慢慢把注意力重新拉回比赛。
第二天重新站上冰面的时候，他终于找回了自己熟悉的状态。
“虽然昨天发生了那些事情，但今天我还是能够把自由滑很好地呈现出来。”
到了节目后半段，他的情绪已经完全释放出来。
记者也注意到了：
终于滑开了。
小E笑了。
“是啊。”
然后又补了一句：
“可惜花了一整天才找到这个状态。”
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“今天我觉得自己拿出了最好的水平”
对于自己的自由滑，小E明显比短节目满意得多。
“我刚刚结束自由滑，今天我觉得自己展现出了最好的水平。”
但他说，他们不会因为这一场比赛就停下来。
“我们会继续改进，继续向前。”
实际上，他对自己来到日本之前的竞技状态非常有信心。
教练米申甚至在训练中直接告诉他：
“热尼亚，你现在的状态非常好。”
从训练完成度来看，小E自己也认为几乎所有内容都已经准备充分。
所以短节目那个失误才让他格外难受。
但换一个角度来看，也正因为如此，他对自由滑之后重新找回状态更加满意。
除了那个开局的失误之外，之后的技术内容基本都按照自己的计划完成。
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四个半小时睡眠，以及重新适应国际比赛
这场比赛还有另一个问题：
时差。
自由滑当天晚上，小E实际上只睡了大约四个半小时。
早晨去训练。
训练结束以后再回来补觉。
“基本上所有能够休息的时间，我都在睡。”
身体需要重新适应日本的时区，而心理上也需要重新适应国际比赛的节奏。
所以在他看来，短节目的问题并不一定来自单一原因。
太久没有比赛。
新的短节目。
重新回到国际赛场。
不同的环境。
各种因素叠加到一起，最终在第一个跳跃之前形成了一点恐惧感。
“对第一个跳跃的那一点点恐惧，一直都存在。”
这一次没有处理好。
但他相信：
下一场会好很多。
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自由滑里，他不想只完成动作
这套自由滑，小E还有另外一个要求。
他不希望自己只是在完成跳跃。
节目本身有明确的故事和角色。
所以即使比赛进入后半段，他仍然希望保持属于人物的情绪，而不是因为完成技术动作之后太兴奋，就立刻跳出角色。
他说，大家真正看到的那种巨大喜悦，其实是在音乐结束之后才释放出来的。
节目进行过程中，他一直提醒自己：
保持角色。
人物有自己的性格。
也会随着电影故事的发展不断发生变化。
这些变化都需要出现在冰面上。
至于这套节目究竟讲了什么，小E没有准备马上全部解释。
他想留一点空间给观众。
第一次看这套节目的人，可以先自己去看电影、理解故事，再寻找节目中的不同节点分别对应什么情节。
“也许以后我会详细讲。”
但不是现在。
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关于新规则：六个跳跃并没有让男单变简单
2026/27赛季，自由滑跳跃数量调整为六个。
小E也被问到：
你喜欢这个变化吗？
他的回答并没有简单说喜欢或者不喜欢。
从节目角度来看，少一个跳跃确实给编舞留下了更多空间。
节目可以拥有更大的表现容量。
但从技术角度来看，他并不认为顶尖男单因此就会轻松多少。
因为真正处在最高水平的运动员，依然可能选择：
四到五个四周跳，再加一个3A；
或者四个四周跳，再加两个3A。
也就是说——
六个跳跃，依然可能全部是高难度跳跃。
“所以我觉得技术部分依然非常困难。”
至于规则最终是好还是坏，小E并不急着下结论。
每个运动员都会找到其中的优势和劣势。
最后所有人都会适应。
真正值得观察的，是这次改革最终会怎样影响运动员，以及观众观看比赛的体验。
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“为了花样滑冰，什么都可以尝试”
这一次自由滑还有一个很容易让人记住的地方：
造型。
记者很好奇，这套服装和角色形象究竟是怎么设计出来的。
小E透露，他和团队通常会先让设计师提供草图。
第一次看到设计的时候，他自己也非常惊讶。
但他的第一反应并不是：
“这东西到底怎么做出来？”
而是：
“太酷了。”
所以他立刻同意。
至于具体是怎样实现的？
记者继续追问。
小E开始卖关子。
“为了把节目呈现好，运动员什么都愿意做。”
记者又问：
是不是教练米申现在除了当教练，还得兼职帮你处理造型？
小E没有继续透露。
他说：
“每个运动员都应该保留一点神秘感。”
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“我们等这一刻已经很久了”
自由滑结束后，日本观众起立鼓掌。
对于刚刚重新回到国际赛场的小E而言，这一幕显然有着特殊意义。
他说，在俄罗斯，如果运动员完成了一套很好的节目，现场观众往往会给予非常热烈的回应。
而这一次，他在日本也感受到了同样的东西。
“我很高兴，日本也有这样的观众。”
“他们会为运动员好的表现鼓掌。”
“我非常感谢这里的观众如此热情地欢迎我们。”
从短节目之后不知道发生了什么，到第二天自由滑终于找回比赛的感觉；
从四个半小时的睡眠，到节目结束后全场起立；
再到最终站上领奖台。
小E的木下杯最终以一枚铜牌结束。
但对于一名已经离开国际赛场很久的运动员而言，这一站真正重要的东西可能并不只是一枚奖牌。
而是重新听见国际赛场的掌声。
重新感受到比赛前的紧张。
重新经历失误后的煎熬。
然后，再一次把节目滑出来。
下一场比赛在哪里？
小E自己暂时也不知道。
他还没有问米申。
但有一件事情，他很确定：
接下来既会有俄罗斯国内比赛，也希望继续有国际比赛。
因为这一次，他们真的已经回来了。
*MS Sport｜根据2026木下杯自由滑后俄媒现场采访整理*
English Translation
Translated from the Chinese article published by MS Sport Media.
Evgeni Semenenko won men’s bronze at the 2026 Kinoshita Trophy with 253.30 points.
Beyond the medal, however, the competition held a more personal significance. It was a return he had been waiting for far too long.
“First of all, this is the return to international competition that we have been looking forward to,” he said after the free skate.
His first international event back had also brought him to Japan—a country he has long loved.
“Japan feels close to me”
Semenenko has never hidden his interest in Japanese culture, especially anime.
“I really like this country, because I am a big anime fan.”
“So, in a way, it feels close to me.”
He had visited before, but restrictions on that first trip had largely confined him to the hotel and the rink. Much of the city was something he could see only through a bus window.
There was still little time to explore during this competition. Yet simply seeing the narrow streets gave him a sense of familiarity: they looked like scenes from anime.
Once the event was over, he planned to go out, walk through Tokyo and experience some of what he had missed the first time.
After the short program: “I do not even know what happened”
The competition had not begun smoothly. A mistake in the short program carried a significance far beyond one jump for a skater who had been away from this kind of event for so long.
“Yesterday, I did have a failure.”
He felt that the long absence was part of the reason. International competition was not entirely unfamiliar—he had been there before—but after so much time away, the feeling had become less clear.
“Honestly, I do not even know what happened in yesterday’s short program.”
The waiting and uncertainty were particularly difficult.
“For me, the hardest things are waiting and that sense of uncertainty.”
For the rest of the day, and into the following morning, he struggled to settle. Training over the preceding days had been very good. Almost the only thing that had not worked was the Salchow, which made the error all the more frustrating.
“I could not settle all day”
Semenenko did not immediately put the short program behind him.
“I was restless right up until this morning.”
“I was really upset.”
Those feelings remained until the free skate. Fortunately, people close to him offered support and, as he put it, exactly the words he needed. There was no elaborate lecture—just enough to help him bring his attention back to the competition.
When he returned to the ice, he finally recovered a familiar feeling.
“Despite what happened yesterday, today I was able to present the free skate well.”
By the second half, the emotion was flowing. A reporter observed that he had finally opened up on the ice.
“Yes,” he replied with a smile, before adding:
“It is a shame it took a whole day to find that feeling.”
“Today I showed my best”
He was clearly much happier with the free skate than with the short program.
“I have just finished the free skate, and today I feel I showed my best level.”
That did not mean the work was finished. “We will keep improving and moving forward.”
He had been confident in his form before coming to Japan. In training, coach Alexei Mishin had told him:
“Zhenya, you are in very good shape.”
Judging by his training performances, Semenenko also felt that almost everything was ready. That was why the short-program mistake had hurt so much—and why recovering his form in the free skate meant so much to him.
Apart from the difficult start to the competition, the technical content that followed was largely delivered as planned.
Four and a half hours of sleep
There was another complication: jet lag.
Around the free-skating day, he had managed only about four and a half hours of sleep. He went to morning practice, then returned to catch up on rest.
“Basically, whenever I had time to rest, I was sleeping.”
His body needed to adapt to Japan’s time zone, just as his mind needed to readjust to the rhythm of international competition.
He did not see the short-program problem as having one simple cause. Time away from this level of competition, a new short program, an international return and a different environment had all combined to create apprehension before the opening jump.
“That little bit of fear of the first jump was there all along.”
He had not managed it well this time, but believed the next competition would be much better.
*Translation note: The Chinese text is ambiguous about the precise night on which he slept four and a half hours.*
Staying in character
Semenenko wants the free skate to be more than a series of jumps. The program has a story and a character, and he wants to sustain that character even in the later stages.
Landing an element should not prompt him to step out of the role in excitement. He says the overwhelming joy the audience saw came only after the music had ended.
During the program, he kept reminding himself to remain in character. The character has a personality and changes as the film’s story develops; those shifts also need to be visible on the ice.
For now, he is not ready to explain every part of the program. He would like to leave space for viewers to watch the film, understand the story and discover which moments the choreography reflects.
“Perhaps I will explain it in detail later.”
But not yet.
Six jumping passes do not make the task simple
The interview also turns to the 2026/27 change to six jumping passes in the free skate. Asked whether he likes it, Semenenko avoids a simple yes or no.
From a choreographic perspective, one fewer jumping pass creates more room for expression. Technically, however, he does not think the leading men necessarily have an easier task.
They can still choose four or five quads and a triple Axel, or four quads and two triple Axels. In other words, all six passes can remain highly demanding.
“So I think the technical side is still very difficult.”
He is in no hurry to decide whether the change is good or bad. Every skater will find advantages and disadvantages, and everyone will eventually adapt. What matters is observing how it affects both athletes and the audience’s experience.
“For figure skating, you can try anything”
His free-skating look also drew attention. Asked how the costume and character image had been developed, Semenenko explained that the team usually begins with sketches from a designer.
The first design surprised him. But his reaction was not to wonder how it could possibly be made. It was simply:
“That is so cool.”
He agreed immediately.
When reporters pressed him on how the look was achieved, he became deliberately elusive.
“Athletes are willing to do anything to present a program well.”
Was Mishin now responsible not only for coaching but also for helping with the styling? Semenenko declined to reveal more.
“Every athlete should keep a little mystery.”
“We have waited a long time for this”
The Japanese audience gave him a standing ovation after the free skate. For someone newly returned to international competition, that response carried particular meaning.
He noted that Russian audiences often respond very warmly to a strong performance. This time, he had felt the same warmth in Japan.
“I am happy that there are audiences like this in Japan too.”
“They applaud athletes who perform well.”
“I am very grateful for the warm welcome we have received here.”
From the confusion after the short program to finding his competitive feeling again the next day; from limited sleep to a standing ovation; and finally to the podium, his Kinoshita Trophy ended with bronze.
But after such a long absence, the event meant more than a medal. It meant hearing an international crowd again, feeling the nerves before competing, enduring the frustration of a mistake—and then delivering a program once more.
He did not yet know where he would compete next. He had not asked Mishin. But he was sure that domestic events lay ahead, and hoped there would be more international opportunities as well.
This time, the return had become real.
*MS Sport | Compiled from Russian media’s on-site interviews after the free skate at the 2026 Kinoshita Trophy*
