On August 9, one of the strongest Latvian figure skaters, Denis Vasiliev, celebrated his 27th birthday. In an interview with *IEVA* magazine, the athlete candidly spoke about the challenging period of his career, doubts, lack of funding, and the reasons why he continues to take to the ice, writes [Santa.lv](https://www.santa.lv/raksts/privatadzive/dailslidotajs-deniss-vasiljevs-pat-ja-tu-ej-cauri-ellei-turpini-iet-84542/). According to Vasiliev, he has always viewed his performances as an opportunity to represent Latvia at the highest level. > “I skate for Latvia — I always wanted to be that Latvian who does something special for my country. But sometimes it seems that my national romanticism is of no interest to the country itself,” the athlete admitted. Vasiliev does not hide the fact that in recent years he has often had to think about the future. In the toughest moments, he is supported by a phrase he considers his life principle: *If you're going through hell, keep going*. > “Even in the darkest times, you need to move forward. I don’t know if I can guarantee a good result, but I keep moving. If I make a mistake, I will try not to repeat it. By moving forward, I always learn something,” the figure skater says. He states that although figure skating is considered an individual sport, he never feels alone. > “I think about others even when I’m struggling myself. That’s why I never feel lonely and I’m never alone,” Vasiliev noted. One of the main problems the athlete identifies is funding. > “Unfortunately, figure skating in Latvia is still not a professional sport,” he says. Despite this, Vasiliev does not want to give up his beloved activity. > “I still want to do what I do best — develop the culture of figure skating, without fearing that one day I won’t be able to do it anymore due to financial reasons,” the athlete emphasized. In his life, Denis has spent 23 years on the ice — one of the longest careers among active world-class figure skaters. He admits that there are days when it is particularly hard, but there are also moments when skating brings back the feeling of freedom. > “The higher you climb the mountain, the stronger the wind. But I keep going. If it gets cold — I breathe deeper. I climb higher and higher, remembering why I’m doing this,” Vasiliev says. Despite doubts and financial difficulties, one of the best Latvian figure skaters is not yet ready to put an end to his sports career.