Seventh in Prague, Kévin Aymoz ends his season on a positive note. The French skater, who intends to continue his career, is already looking ahead to what comes next.
Skate Info Glace: How did you experience this final competition of the season?
Kévin: I’m very happy. It feels good to finish like this. I wasn’t necessarily planning to come. The season was long, I was tired, I had spent a lot of energy. I got sick after the Games and lost weight. When I got back on the ice, I felt like a “dead leaf”, and I wondered if it was worth coming. I had delivered good performances at the Games, so I also thought about stopping there. The first practices weren’t amazing because I was coming back after almost ten days without skating, but it was still solid. I had nine months of work in my legs and I could trust myself. Since I didn’t really plan to come, I didn’t have much stress. After the Games, you feel like nothing can stress you anymore… which isn’t entirely true (laughs). In the short program, I didn’t trust myself enough. But in the free, I attacked from the start, especially the opening combination, without hesitation. I finished seventh, that’s three World Championships with very good results. I’ve stayed among the top skaters. And above all, I really enjoyed it. I could see the crowd, I could feel everything around me. Usually I’m a bit more blocked, but this time it was really enjoyable.
Skate Info Glace: Do you remember that you winked at a photographer during the program?
Kévin: Yes (laughs). I was so present and relaxed! Even I was surprised. Just before going on the ice, they were playing “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and I was singing along, I was in such a good mood. When I stepped onto the ice, the song said “Let’s go girls,” and Françoise said it at the same time, it felt great. When I got on the ice, I had no stress. That morning, I told myself that even if I made mistakes, even if I fell seven times, I would still be happy just to be there. So I had to enjoy the moment. I wanted so much to attack the program and live it fully that it completely freed me.
Skate Info Glace: You lived it so fully that the fall on the second quad almost went unnoticed.
Kévin: Yes! At the end of the program, after the Lutz, I did a little celebration, which I never do when there’s a mistake. And in that moment I thought, wait, there was a mistake somewhere, where was it again? Then I remembered it was on the second quad. I was so into the program that I didn’t think about it at all.
Skate Info Glace: And the score showed it!
Kévin: 184 points with a fall, I’m really proud. And it was the last time I performed Boléro. Maybe I’ll bring it back in shows. I’m really happy I got to experience it like that one last time.
Skate Info Glace: You then stayed in the leader’s chair during several skaters.
Kévin: It was my first time! Of course, everyone wants to stay there as long as possible. Someone told me I had a free VIP seat to watch the competition, and I said no, I worked hard to earn it (laughs), it cost me a lot. I cheered for all the skaters. The one I probably supported the most was Lukas Britschgi, we’re friends. But I was trying to support everyone.
Skate Info Glace: You seemed genuinely happy for Yuma Kagiyama.
Kévin: Yes, it was beautiful. And I watched his program thinking, he’s doing quad toe and Salchow, and I can do them too. I thought, why haven’t I believed in myself more all these years? Seeing him smile on the ice was really powerful. It was a beautiful moment, watching him skate with such quality of skating, everything was so clean.
Skate Info Glace: What is your best memory of the season?
Kévin: I don’t know, there are too many! I have so many great memories. The start of the season was very strong, with two Challenger gold medals, the national title, the win at Skate America. The Games went really well, I did three good programs, it was amazing. And here at Worlds, it also went well. I think my season was very good. Of course, some goals weren’t achieved, like a top 5 at Worlds or a podium at Europeans.
Skate Info Glace: What’s next for you? It seems you want to continue your career.
Kévin: A lot of people tell me I’m the oldest, but that’s just a number. I’m in good shape, I can still stand on my feet, I’m getting good scores. I’m sixth in the world standings. Why would I stop now as long as I can keep going and chase results? I feel like I’m not done yet, I still want to skate. The Games are in France in 2030, but that’s still quite far away. In four years, a lot can happen. I’ll see if I can keep it up physically, mentally and financially, and if I still want it. Maybe in two years I’ll feel like I’m done. I also have to be smart. If I want to last four years, I can’t do ten Challengers and twenty Grands Prix. I can’t go all-in on a full season when I haven’t taken a real break in eight years. Maybe I’ll just do the Grands Prix and then take a break before Worlds. We’ll have three spots at Worlds. If I’m in good shape in the first part of the season and performing well, and I can qualify for Europeans, do I go?
Skate Info Glace: I know the European Championships in Lausanne mean a lot to you. France will only have one spot, so it’s a tricky situation.
Kévin: It’s at home. I’m really sad we only have one spot. I’ll be there no matter what, as a skater or in another role. First of all, I’ll do the Grands Prix, that’s for sure.
Skate Info Glace: Which ones would you like to do?
Kévin: I need to look at it with the federation and with Adam to organize things as best as possible. I’d love to go back to Skate America, which has always worked well for me. I saw on social media that some people thought I would skate well at Worlds because there’s a Prague in the United States (laughs). I’d also like to do the Grand Prix de France again one day. The NHK Trophy is very prestigious… we’ll see.
Skate Info Glace: What are your plans for the coming weeks?
Kévin: I’m going to choreograph for Davide Lewton-Brain. I also have other contacts, so I need to finalize that with the skaters and coaches. I also need to see if I have the time, because if I want to continue, I have to train properly and build my own programs. June will probably be dedicated to choreography, but we’re also waiting for the new rules to come out, since there could be adjustments. Then I have my holidays at the end of June. The Masters are at the end of August, which is a bit early. It makes for a very long season, especially if there’s the World Team Trophy in April.
Skate Info Glace: We’re hearing about many possible changes, in programs and rules… Some have even mentioned an artistic program. Would that appeal to you?
Kévin: That would suit me very well! By the way, where’s my small medal for the third-best components score? (laughs) I’d really like to see that recognized more. Giving an award for the highest technical score, or components, could be nice.
It’s important not to change just for the sake of changing, but to reconnect with a wider audience and bring skating back to the forefront on TV. That means major changes. There need to be rule adjustments, because some things don’t make sense today. For example, a mistake on a jump lowers the skating skills score. Why? That it affects performance or presentation, fine, but skating skills… why? Why aren’t spins valued more? In the free skate, I was the one who scored the most points on spins. Who would have thought! But it’s 13.26 points, less than 10% out of a total of 184, which isn’t enough. And yet they represent about 25% of the elements. So everyone rushes through them. If we increase their value, skaters will invest more in them and they’ll become truly important in the program. Maybe we wouldn’t even need a choreographic spin, because skaters would try to make their spins more interesting to gain GOE. The step sequence as well: a level 4 step sequence today is technical and difficult, yet it’s not valued enough. We should already, with what we have, rethink what really matters and what we want to highlight.
Then there’s the idea of removing a jump and shortening the program by thirty seconds. A jump takes less than ten seconds. Thirty seconds less, how are we supposed to fit everything in? It will just become a jump-to-jump sequence. Yes, 4 minutes 10 is long, especially when there are many programs, but that’s not a reason to shorten it. It’s the first time I’ve heard that competitions are too long. Maybe it’s the technical minimums that should be reconsidered. As for the artistic system, it hasn’t changed much since 2006. Does it need a full reform? Not necessarily, but maybe adjustments, revaluing certain aspects, better structuring. There’s also the question of audience understanding. People often say spectators don’t understand the scoring. But when I watch rhythmic gymnastics, I don’t understand everything either. And that’s fine. It’s not a timed sport. We have a complex rulebook, and that’s just how it is.
Finally, it would be interesting for athletes, judges and federations to communicate more. Not everyone will agree, and that’s okay. For example, not everyone agreed with Laurence and Guillaume coming back. They didn’t go out to secure the Olympic quota, but that’s how the rules work. And in sport, may the best win. It was hard for some people, I have friends who weren’t selected and it hurt me. But at the same time, if I stop for two years and come back as the best, I should also have the right to compete.
Solène Mathieu - Skate Info Glace
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