What is behind Adam Hagar’s success and where can it make it? (Analysis)

Slovakia will be represented at the Olympics in the male figure skating only for the second time in the era of independence.

Róbert Kažimír introduced himself at the 1998 Winter Olympics and finished 26th.

Adam Hagara has now won the Olympic seat. He is not yet 19 years old, among the finalists World Championship in Boston He’s the youngest.

It is already his fourth World Cup and started at four European Championships.

Although there is no longer a beginner, this is still just his start. Fans of Slovak figure skating have something to look forward to.

Even unattended

There are many factors against the background of Hagar’s success. As with other exceptional Slovak athletes, Petr Sagan and Petra Vlhova, Adam Hagara has a strong family background.

His sister also skated, she also got to the junior world championships, but had to end her competitive career for injury. Brother helps now as a coach.

Hagara lives in Boleraz, studies at the Sports Grammar School in Trnava, trains in Trnava IV Bratislava. He is driven by his father.

He is already major, he could drive himself – it will sound from time to time a remark from the mouth of the laymen. However, the young racer either sleeps in the car or learns, as he / she can do the school in addition to the top athlete’s career. It would be unimaginable without family support.

Of course, support would not be enough in itself, but Hagara is known for an extremely honest approach to any duties.

A Czech coach once in a relaxed mood revealed that he always envied coach Vladimir Dvojnikov at the summer camps. He told Adam what he was supposed to work on, then sat on coffee, returned in forty minutes, and Adam rehearsed the thing even unattended until the headquarters.

The other coaches had to keep track of their men to keep them from being released. Hagar was out of the question.

To the fullest and without errors

Figure skating is a wonderful but hard sport. The racer does not have an opponent on the ice, but he is often the toughest opponent. Even in the world leaders, there are « either – or » skaters: they will either drive a life ride or burst and spoil everything.

It is not a matter of course that someone in the competition can ride what is trained. Hagara, however, diverts its high standard with the reliability of Swiss watch.

His mistakes in the competition programs for the past two seasons could be counted on the fingers of one hand, yet he has completed more than twenty races.

This stability is also noticed by referees or foreign fans. The young Slovak gets a fan base in Asia with good performance and friendly nature.

During the medal ceremony at the recent junior world championships in Debrecen, she gave him a Slovak flag of Japanese living in Paris, who follows his career since his pupil, while wearing « huge glasses ».

On the Internet you can find videos from the competitions of little Adam Hagar. One of them immediately impresses an unusual length that exceeds three times the duration of the driving.

This is a free program in which everything that could have been went wrong. The first minute, three falls, then the recording was stuck. The CD was followed by a number two attempt, but the music was stuck again. My father ran somewhere after the USB-key that he was supposed to work-but the organizers first released the wrong music.

Only then did Hagara finally get to finish his ride.

Many competitors would cry after such hardships, or even if not, they would no longer be able to concentrate. At that time, 13-year-old Hagara, however, quite subtly left the second part of the program, without a fall.

He also draws on this determination and clearance today, as a double medalist from the Junior World Championship.

It happened several times that he was ill during the race, pale as a wall on trainings, but he went to the full and without mistakes in the competition rides.

Experienced already at eighteen

Hagara is from the latest generation of competitors, which could still start at major international events at fifteen, the International Skating Union (ISU) is gradually increasing the age limit.

At the European Championship 2022 was the youngest participant along with Kamila Valijevová, they were born on the same day. At that time he missed less than a point to advance to free rides, but he did not miss his confidence on the ice and outside.

He competed for four seasons among juniors and seniors. Sometimes it was a huge burden, but at the same time gained valuable experience.

The current European champion Swiss Lukas Britschgi was in Hagar’s age at only one European championship, where he did not get into free rides because he did not jump into triple axel.

Compared to him, Hagara has already had four European championships and is competitions at his fourth World Cup.

Video: A short program of Adam Hagar at the World Championship in Boston

Among the juniors he wrote history: he was the first Slovak to reach the final of the Junior Grand Prix, he also won the medal, then as the first Slovak he stood at the podium at the Junior World Championships. He managed to defend the bronze medal this year.

They compare it to the giants of Slovak figure skating, which is always very good thanking, but also points out that he will go at his pace.

Many would consider it a disadvantage that it is from a small country, but Hagara can transform it in power. He often emphasizes that it does not matter where one trains, it only depends on how.

He benefits from being in his familiar environment, living with his family, going to school where she has friends.

American Alysa Liu ended her career at sixteen Also because she almost saw her family and knew nothing else except training.

Hagara is trying to live also the normal life of a high school student, although it sometimes means that he will bounce off the race to the ribbonor graduates between two championships.

A quadrang moves him higher

The first and so far the only Slovak who jumped a four -time leap was Jozef Sabovčík. In connection with Hagar, notes often fall, when a quadrilateral is finally learned.

At the same time, in a male figure skating, there is nothing unusual that someone starts to jump four jumps only after twenty.

At present, Hagar’s strongest leap is triple axel, regularly getting a goe (a degree of demonstration, on a scale of minus five to plus five) above 2 to 2.5.

Thanks to the high quality jumps, it can also overcome competitors who also have four jumps, but do not show them without mistakes.

He also trains a four -time leap, but has not yet included him. In Boston he can try it, he already has an Olympic seat in his pocket, nothing can lose.

According to information from the venue of the championship, he trained a free ride so that the opening leap should be a four -shaped tulp.

The decision may only be made on the day of free rides, and it will also be quite understandable if the coach of Dvojnik will go according to the established jump plan, with which Hagara was also successful at the Junior World Championship.

Knowing the purposefulness and training moral of a young Slovak, there is no doubt that from next season there will be a four jump in his permanent repertoire. In a recent interview, he said he thinks the four -like tulup may soon be his strongest leap, just like Axel.

If it jumps with similar reliability, the medals from junior events will not be the last in his collection.