In my past, many people wanted to know more about our beautiful artists. So who is the first number of the national team now?
Lichnits
Alexandra Soldatova.
Alexandra Sergeevna Soldatova(born June 1, 1998) - Russian gymnast, member of the Russian national team, two-time world champion in the team event (2014, 2015), two-time European champion in the team event (2015,2017), champion of Russia in the individual all-around (2016), bronze medalist in the all-around Russian gymnasium championship (2014).
2017 programs.
Hoop:
In my opinion, this is Sasha's most beautiful exercise. I think many people remember the beautiful Yulia Barsukova at the 2000 Olympics, and now, 17 years later, a wonderful new swan appears in the world of gymnastics.
Sasha is often called the most flexible gymnast in the country.
Crown element
Alexandra went to the Olympics in Rio as a substitute
Sasha is coached by Anna Vyacheslavovna Dyachenko (Shumilova)
Interview excerpts
Without perseverance, hard work and patience, they do not become champions. Your coach Anna Dyachenko told that there was a time when you drove with her every morning from Dmitrov by car to Novogorsk and you slept in the back seat. This is true?
Yes. In Novogorsk, I did not start living and training right away, I had to leave Dmitrov early in the morning to get to Novogorsk on time. Anna Vyacheslavovna put me in the back seat, I had a pillow there, on the way I fell asleep and woke up already at the entrance to the gates of the base. But it's okay, these are trifles. If you want to achieve something, you will have to deny yourself a lot and be patient.
Sasha, why exactly rhythmic gymnastics? This is love at first sight?
No. It turned out quite funny. In Sterlitamak, where I come from, my mother brought me to the rhythmic gymnastics section to record ... my brother. Then we just did not know that gymnastics can be different - sports and rhythmic. We were told that where they wanted to give my brother, everything was only for girls, then my mother was not at a loss and said: "And I have a girl, take it!" I don’t remember the first trainings, I was small, the awareness of gymnastics came to me only when I was already in the third grade.
You have excellent physical data for gymnastics, can I assume that everything worked out the first time?
Far from it. I agree that I have flexibility, stretching, good feet, but I, for example, lack dexterity. Dina and Arina Averina, in terms of working with an object, are stronger than me, they are by nature like that.
What subject is more difficult for you?
I can't say that some are more difficult, but some are easier. I am still at the stage of excellence in mastery and comprehension of something new. 
You have come a long way to get into the Russian national team. Sterlitamak - Dmitrov - Novogorsk.
They also forgot Pushkino! From Sterlitamak, my family moved to Pushkino, from there I got to Dmitrov, where I waited with bated breath ... when they would send me back to Pushkino. The first training session, the second, the week, the second, the third, and then they told me: "You stay here!" My emotion was lightning fast, but meager: "Yes. Good!" I will say right away that I did not have longing for my mother and family, as it happens with many girls at the age of 12. I calmly reacted to the fact that I would live separately from my parents and without their care. I was independent!
First meeting with your coach Anna Dyachenko. Did you expect to fall under her care?
I didn't expect it, but from the first day we had a wonderful duet. From the first day, I caught her every comment. The girls and I even competed about who would get up close to her in training, who would be the first to ask about something, who would write to her or call her. She is wonderful in every way!
Sasha, how did you get to the training camp for Irina Viner?
I did not have such that I somehow unexpectedly saw Irina Aleksandrovna at training or she unexpectedly came to the gym, and there I was. She knows who trains with her. We came to the training camp, I saw how Irina Aleksandrovna works with other gymnasts, how she communicates. Then, when she became a member of the Russian national team, she began to pay more attention to me and, naturally, there was more communication. Irina Aleksandrovna is a strict and very attentive mentor.
Photoshoot:
Arina and Dina Averina
Arina.
Arina Alekseevna Averina August 13, 1998 - Zavolzhye) - Russian rhythmic gymnast, member of the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team, International Master of Sports. Multiple winner and medalist of all-Russian and international tournaments, three-time European champion.
Programs
Dina
Dina Alekseevna Averina(August 13, 1998 - Zavolzhye) - Russian rhythmic gymnast, member of the Russian national gymnastics team, Three-time European Champion 2017, Absolute Champion of Russia 2017, International Master of Sports. Multiple winner and medalist of all-Russian and international tournaments.
Programs
Joint Demonstration
Dina in pink, Arina in blue
The sisters are trained by Vera Nikolaevna Shatalina. She also trained Alina Kabaeva.
Excerpt from interview with Irina Aleksandrovna Viner-Usmanova:
Can we say that Dina and Arina somewhere even surpassed their capabilities, somewhere they surprised with their results?
The fact is that since childhood Dina and Arina were, as we say, "tricks", and now the program is such that all this counts. Previously, we also had very strong girls, and Alina Kabaeva did amazing things, but not everything was counted. Therefore, their time has come. But they lacked a little bit of feeling, lacked expressiveness, they did it all as if by a thread. And now they do it expressively, they try to make all the exercises very "characteristic" and these movements, tricks, these risks, these interesting masterful elements merge with the music. So that they organically emphasize it, and in Budapest they succeeded. 
Arina 
Dina
private photos
With parents and older sister Polina
Dina on the left, Arina on the right
Together with the team doctor - Dmitry Ubogov
Arina on the right, Dina on the left
Dina, Arina, sister Polina, mother Ksenia 
Arina on the right, Dina on the left
Arina 
Dina
The girls dreamed of standing in group exercises, but due to their short stature, they were not taken.
Arina on the left, Dina on the right
Photoshoot
Group exercise
(Anastasia Bliznyuk, Anastasia Tatareva, Anastasia Maksimova, Maria Tolkacheva, Vera Biryukova - Rio 2016)
Programs
3 balls + 2 skipping ropes
5 hoops
Now it is difficult to talk about the main line-up, as it is constantly changing. But most often it includes the following gymnasts.
Anastasia Bliznyuk
Anastasia Ilyinichna Bliznyuk(born June 28, 1994, Zaporozhe, Ukraine) - Russian gymnast. Two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics in group all-around (2012, 2016); world and European champion.
Nastya returned to sports after a serious illness - leptospirosis.
The whole country was worried when you got sick, you got into a difficult situation. How did you manage to continue your career?
“I didn't even know I was so seriously ill. My kidneys failed ... Irina Aleksandrovna Viner treated me in Germany. At first they said that the kidneys might not start. The chances are very slim and I will always live on dialysis.
But thank God, I recovered. And she began working in Novogorsk as a coach of the second team. Somehow it turned out that I decided to lose weight, get in shape. And it grew into a training process.
I got into the second line-up. Proved to everyone that I can and want. I will stand on this team! And she made her way to the main team.
In general, there is a lot of competition in Russia. It was only when the last week before the Olympics was left that I realized that I would be performing in Rio. Each start is a very big fight. If you make any mistake, even in training, they will remove you at any time. It doesn't matter that I was an Olympic champion or that the girls won the World Championships. The road started from scratch
More excerpts from the interview:
Nastya! You are the second two-time Olympic champion in the group in our history. There was also the gold of London.
- The third - there is also Elena Posevina and Natalya Lavrova ... Of course, I am incredibly happy and grateful to Irina Aleksandrovna Viner for this victory. I was able to overcome myself, recover from illness, return with faith in my strength and capabilities. Thanks to the whole team who helped a lot. This road was extremely difficult. But when you realize that you did everything, the taste of victory becomes the sweetest.
- And for five Olympics in a row, we take two gold medals in rhythmic gymnastics.
- I believe that only Irina Alexandrovna. Everything rests on Wiener.
For me, she is like a mother. Because she saved my life when I got sick. I was born again! And they gave me the chance to perform in Rio.
- How to set yourself up mentally for the new Olympic cycle?
“You know what you're doing this for. But we have insanely hard training. And this medal was more difficult for me than the first one. Apparently I was younger then. And now I thought: “Maybe I can still? Maybe that's not all? "
I retired from gymnastics in 2013 after the World Championships. Now I have returned. And I think: "But I can still!"
Photoshoot
Anastasia Tatareva
Anastasia Alekseevna Tatareva(born July 19, 1997) - Russian gymnast. Olympic champion (2016) Honored Master of Sports of Russia. World and European champion.
Interview excerpts
- The age of gymnasts is very short. Many have only one Olympics, then they have to end their careers ... Does this not scare you?
- Life is beautiful, and there are so many interesting things in it! I'm not afraid that I will have to say goodbye to sports. This is fine. I study at the university - at the correspondence department of the Institute of International Relations. So I will probably do this later. Life will show.
- An interesting choice. Probably a good command of a foreign language?
- English. Not bad, but I have to learn more - that's what I'll do. There is a lot of language practice at competitions!
- Do you have time to study?
- All forces are spent on training. Especially when there is preparation for the competition. We have to study on Skype ... And they send us assignments, we carry them out and send them back.
- Teachers don't make discounts, don't simplify the task?
- No. And who am I to simplify my task? (laughs).
- You compete in the team all-around. Do you want your personal views?
- I started personally, by the way. Then they called me to the team ... No, I don't want to - I like it more in the team - here, of course, the responsibility is higher. But then you feel that we are together. There is what is called "team spirit". We have a very friendly line-up. If we quarrel, it is rare. And we quickly put up.
- Do you know that on the forums you are compared with Alina Kabaeva?
- I have not heard about that! It seems to me that we are completely different. I am not like her ... I think you need to remain yourself, not strive to be like others. 
Photoshoot:
private photos
Vera Biryukova
Vera Leonidovna Biryukova(born April 11, 1998 - Omsk) - Russian gymnast. Member of the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team. International Master of Sports of Russia. Champion of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Honored Master of Sports. European Champion.
Interview
Vera Biryukova "burst" into the Olympics in Rio with the speed of a meteor and almost at the last moment. Even a month and a half before the Games, neither numerous fans of rhythmic gymnastics, nor the Omsk "artist" herself even thought about such a development of events.
- If I had any hopes of getting into the main team, then a couple of months before the Olympics they almost disappeared, - says Vera. - I calmly worked in the second team, trained and did not really count on anything. Judge for yourself: there is nothing left before the Games, who will make changes to the existing group? But it turned out that one of the girls was injured, and the coaches decided to try me. And you know, it worked out well. Even Irina Aleksandrovna Viner praised. She said, almost imperceptibly, that a new person had joined the group. “You go to Kazan, and there we'll see,” - such were her words. There were only two starts left before the Olympic Games: the World Cup stages in Kazan and in Baku. To be honest, I thought that after Kazan I would be removed from the squad. But this did not happen either after Kazan, or after Baku! But I could only believe that I was going to Rio on an airplane flying to Brazil.
- Did you have a good rest after the Games?
- Yes, our whole team was sent to the sea, we rested in Sardinia, it was great. Then each went to her hometown. I also enjoyed spending a week at home.
- Did you remember with your mother how it all began?
- From the sea and Turkey! We rested there, and my mother only had time to make sure that I did not climb where it was not necessary. The energy was overflowing! Well, I have always loved to dance, "bent" in all directions. Then my mother suggested that I try gymnastics. I immediately agreed, although I really had no idea what it was! Maybe I've seen it on TV a couple of times. When we returned home, my mother took me to the gym. And so, at the age of five, I started training. Mom said that parents were not allowed to train so that the children would not be distracted. But she managed to peep out the window. She says I always tried, I didn’t cheat. She trained conscientiously, even if the coach left the gym. Although I myself do not remember that time very well.
- And the first medal?
- I remember. At school competitions, she shared the first place with another girl.
- You once mentioned that in childhood your idol in gymnastics was Lyaysan Utyasheva. But Omsk residents traditionally call Irina Chashchina, Evgenia Kanaeva ...
- Irina and Evgenia are great gymnasts. But it's true: it was Laysan that I admired. I have always liked the way she moves, works with the subject, her emotionality. Yes, for me she was the best gymnast. And over time, it did not go anywhere, she is now my idol. And not only as an athlete, but also as a person.
- Did you ask her for advice before the Olympics?
- Unfortunately, before the Olympics, I was not familiar with her yet. My childhood dream came true after the Games. We were introduced by Nastya Bliznyuk. This happened when the girls and I performed at the Alexei Nemov show in Moscow. Laysan also participated in it, we even changed clothes in the same locker room.
- Laysan, after completing her gymnastic career, found herself as a TV presenter. Have you already thought about the future?
- Honestly, this is a difficult topic for me so far. I have not yet decided on new goals in life, in gymnastics. Now sports take up 100% of my time and it is very difficult to fit something else into my life with such a schedule. Therefore, I cannot answer this question yet!
Photoshoot
private photos
Sophia Skomorokh
Sofia Pavlovna Skomorokh(born August 18, 1999 Omsk) - Russian gymnast, world and European champion.
Shortly before the Olympics, Sonya was injured and could not go there, although she was in the first team all year.
private photos
Maria Tolkacheva
Maria Yurievna Tolkacheva(born August 18, 1997 - Zhukov) - Russian gymnast, three-time world champion, three-time European champion, two-time European Games champion, Olympic champion (2016) in group exercises. Honored Master of Sports 
In my opinion, Masha is the most beautiful gymnast of the national team. Although, of course, they are all beautiful.
Masha and Nastya Tatareva are best friends
That's all! Thank you all for your attention, and new victories to the girls)
The second part of the interview of the champion of Russia, now a coach at the Rhythmic Academy of Los Angeles, Ellina Tregubova, was broadcast on Radio Sport FM. ...
- 1 part
- Part 2
- Part 3
Yes, we take everyone. The child grows, changes. It happens that a plump girl, having started exercising, regularly receiving physical activity and exercising, after a year and a half, loses her plumpness, becomes athletic, graceful, graceful and "from an ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan." We look at the data: plasticity, flexibility, softness of bones and joints are very important.
Can this be developed or should there be inclinations from the very beginning?
Of course, the makings and abilities should be there from the very beginning. Perhaps the girl will not be super flexible at first, but flexibility in the back, muscle elasticity must be present.
You know, when it comes to children, I would call it not a diet, but a healthy diet. My mother is a cardiologist. Since childhood, she taught me to a healthy lifestyle, to a healthy diet, tried to get rid of fast food and other unnecessary things. Therefore, I believe that teaching a child to eat healthy in childhood is a guarantee of his health in the future. There are huge loads in rhythmic gymnastics, you need to remember that children grow up, therefore, nutrition should be complete, balanced and correct. I think your coach will tell you.
Is the sweet acceptable?
In small quantities.
And you, frankly, were carried away? Hidden under your pillow?
I loved sweets very much, but I had to sacrifice something. When you want to be in the Russian national team, when you want to represent your country at world championships, you have to keep a strict diet, you have to deny yourself sweets.
Of course. The girls of the Russian national team are very thin, quite tall, somewhere around 170-175 cm and weighing 50-53 kg. I'm talking about adult girls from 16 years old.
And at what age does an athlete understand that she will make it to the national team or, on the contrary, will not get it? When is this most critical period?
At 12-13 years old, the child understands whether he will get into the junior team. If you get into the junior team, you already go to international competitions, you already have prospects of getting into the senior team.
What a girl at this age should do or not do in order to know: does she get it or not?
There are a lot of domestic competitions in Russia, and you definitely need to take part in them. First, you perform in your city - you win, then in the region, and so on incrementally. We have many great clubs: CSKA, Dynamo, Spartak. If a girl wins there, and she is selected for the Russian championship for juniors, goes to these competitions from her club or from her district, this is a great chance. A real selection is already taking place there, because the best coaches from the national teams of Russia come there, watch, select girls who take first places. Then these girls are invited to the training camp in Novogorsk - this is the Olympic center where the Russian national team trains.
Yes, we all know Novogorsk. You are super lucky, because your mother guided you, she knew from herself what rhythmic gymnastics is. And what should parents do if their daughter did not succeed, did not pass the selection, did not take her to a certain school. Give up, forget or move on?
If you have already begun to understand this sport, and your coach says that you have chances, and your child wants to practice, and she has natural data for this, I believe that there is no need to stop. Success will come. Not this year, so next. Purposefulness, will to win, healthy stubbornness are the keys to your child's success. Rhythmic gymnastics, like our very life, is unpredictable. Anything can happen: girls can get injured, gain weight, get out of shape.
Is there such a thing? Are the girls getting fat?
Of course.
Is it related to adolescence?
This is associated with adolescence and trauma. Once a gymnast is injured in any way, she cannot exercise at full strength. This is a lot of stress, plus no training, no physical activity, which can lead to weight gain.
Of course, rhythmic gymnastics is not suitable for everyone, and, as in any sport (with rare exceptions), injuries are possible here. You need to look at the bones, how soft the muscles are. If the child is "hard", then you can pull something, tear the ligament. You have to be very careful. And so, you need to try.
When I came to gymnastics, I was told that I had no data. But my mother believed in me, saw my potential. And when I got to a good coach, all the data appeared at once. A lot depends on the coach.
Parents, choose your coach well. Are there any physical limitations, such as flat feet? Or is it not an obstacle?
I know a lot of gymnasts who train with flat feet. This is certainly not very good, but I cannot say that this is an obstacle for rhythmic gymnastics. You just need to monitor your health. If a child has pain in the ankle, knees, back - it may be age related, it may have torn something, I must tell the coach, and the coach should already regulate the load. In this regard, the coach must be very careful.
My grandmother brought me in at the age of 6, she just decided to try it. After we didn't succeed in dancing, she decided to try gymnastics. When the question arose about the choice in front of me between gymnastics and dancing, I chose gymnastics. I liked it there more, a beautiful large hall, light, carpet, everything was beautiful, and there was some kind of little room for dancing, where we were all together in a heap. The gymnasts are immediately visible, they are tall, even if not tall, then they are always fit, beautiful, gait, even the legs look different when you are doing gymnastics, smooth, beautiful muscles, and good posture, flexibility. I would advise.
How traumatic is rhythmic gymnastics? Honestly
It is a traumatic sport, but not as much as artistic gymnastics or figure skating. Here you cannot kill yourself or crash very badly. Gymnasts have injuries: knees, ankles "fly" ...
What does it mean to "fly" the knees?
This is an injury to the knee joints. It depends on the ligaments, on the load, on the weight. If the coach, gymnastics and parents work together, monitor the child, monitor his health, the coach gives the correct load, the gymnast warms up correctly, then there will be no injuries.
It turns out that everything that you have listed helps to protect yourself from injury.
It all depends on what kind of warm-up the gymnast performs, how she kneads her body, every muscle. If a gymnast approaches wisely, if the coach explained to her, and she understands that this is her health, her future in this sport, then there should be no injuries.
To be continued…
The Russian national team is the world champion in group exercises.
Andrey Shitikhin from Sofia
Rhythmic gymnastics. World Championship. Group exercises. All-around. 1. Russia (Kravtsova, Levanova, Polyakova, Shishmakova, Tatareva, Tolkacheva) - 46.300. 2. Italy - 44.825. 3. Bulgaria - 42.050.
At the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Sofia, the Russian team won the gold medal in group exercises and secured participation in the Tokyo Olympics. Maria Kravtsova, Anastasia Tatareva, Ksenia Polyakova, Evgenia Levanova, Anastasia Shishmakova and Maria Tolkacheva became world champions. The head coach of the Rossi national team was very emotional after the victory.
To be honest, six months ago our group exercise programs were not ready. But over the summer we managed to make it difficult. Although it was extremely difficult, the warm-up did not do much.
- But in the end everything worked out.
As they say, God loves the strong. Upstairs, apparently, they saw how and how much we trained. Our last camp was in Latvia. At 38 degrees in the gym, we trained for 9 hours.
- Do you have any complaints about the girls?
Today the girls did everything quite well and cleanly. In the group exercise, they did everything that should be in the group exercise: expressiveness, stability, and purity. There were no failures and stops.
With the hoops they performed the most difficult program without a hitch and without a hitch, and they performed it expressively, with great aplomb. They showed several images in one program to complex music: the slow romantic part, and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", then again in minor, and everything ends with femininity and tenderness. It is very difficult to create four images in 2.5 minutes.
Ropes and balls - disco, rhythmic music, in which they were supposed to ignite. These are two completely opposite music. The girls coped with everything, received well-deserved marks and took first place by a huge margin. In fact, in group exercises, this gap is not common.
- How would you rate the girls?
They deserve a four with two pluses today. They receive such an assessment from me very, very rarely. Yes, I'm happy.
- The audience appreciated the complexity of the programs.
For now, God gives me the opportunity to see what others cannot see. Therefore, I am obliged to work, which I always say to children: you must fully work out your talent, your gift. We are working to make the rest of us like it. I would also like to thank the organizers: the conditions are excellent, the fans too.
I would like to thank everyone, the entire team that helped us work here: doctors, masseurs, coaches, choreographers, the entire federation that worked tirelessly, the leadership of our sport, which provided us with all the conditions for preparation.
Speech by two-time vice-champion of the 2012 Olympics in artistic gymnastics Victoria Komova has already become one of the most important subjects of the European Games in Baku. Komova did not perform for three years, consistently fighting diseases and injuries. For this kind of sport, it is almost a sentence, they do not return from there. ... The special correspondent of the "Championship" specially came to celebrate the gymnasts at the Fan House "Baku-2015" in order to communicate with the 20-year-old gymnast not on the run in the gym, but in a calm atmosphere.
“I showed a sketch to be painted in Baku”
- Victoria, I confess: I did not recognize you in Baku. In three years you have changed a lot in appearance. And that's a compliment.
- Thank you, there really are some changes. First, I gained in height and weight. Now I'm not the smallest in the team, it's not quite usual. But I have also changed a lot internally. This happened gradually, all these three years. It's been a very difficult three years for me.
I was told that many, including your family members, after all these misfortunes persuaded you to finish and not suffer any more, right?
- Everything was quite the opposite! In moments of weakness I wanted to finish it, and my mother persuaded me to be patient. The dialogues were in the spirit: "I'm tired of everything, I will study and go to work, stop torturing yourself!" - “Think, you have devoted so many years to one business, and now you have to start from scratch in another. It will be much harder than continuing to train. ” The family would have supported me in any case, but I realized that my mother was right.
- What place will the Baku-2015 medal take in your collection?
- I will remember it as the first medal after my return.
- Can you call your performance at the European Games that big word?
- This is the return. I haven't really competed for three years. ... But I showed everyone that she is still an active gymnast, she trains and prepares to regain her positions. This is the main thing now.
- And what did not work, can you say?
- Speaking figuratively, in Baku I showed a sketch of what I would like. Now it needs to be carefully painted with bright colors.
The doctors said that you can forget about sports - however, they did not tell me, they hid it. And I, thank God, did not really imagine what a serious diagnosis they gave me.
- You can ask about the "artist" - who is he now?
- My coach is Gennady Borisovich Elfimov. Our joint work suits me completely. Compared to others, he is ... more dear, or something. We already know each other by heart, from my very childhood. Even when we quarreled and parted, everything was wrong without him.
- So I wanted to ask about it: you seemed to be leaving him?
- There was such a period, yes. I needed it. To understand myself, to understand what I need. I reasoned like this: something went wrong with us, I'll try it myself. No, it's even worse. And at some point it became clear to me that I was mistaken, I had to work with Elfimov. We have been together again since March, after the end of the national championship. Feeling as if I returned home from a trip and became much calmer in my soul.
"I just finally wanted to go to the competition!"
- Was there a moment during these three years when you completely despaired and gave up?
- It's probably meningitis. ... We still did not understand where and how I caught this infection. There were three days left before the selection for the 2013 World Championship, I felt great, completely ready. Once I came back from an evening training session, and by the night I had a terribly headache. I did not sleep all night, and the next day I was taken to the hospital, where I had to stay for the next two months. The doctors said that you can forget about sports - however, they did not tell me, they hid it. And I, thank God, did not really imagine what a serious diagnosis they gave me.
- The most difficult thing after such an illness is to resume the previous level of stress.
- I was told that three months after discharge it is not even worth going to the hall. Of course, I didn't really obey, I tried to start training early. But as soon as the load increased, the head began to hurt again. This went on for about a month, then began to let go.
Didn't you risk going straight to the European Games? Maybe it was worth starting with Russian starts, where there is almost no audience and the pressure is less?
- Honestly: I just wanted to finally go to the competition! Best of all - abroad. So that there is adrenaline, when you approach the projectile, everyone clapping, chanting, waving flags. This is such a drive, I missed it so much! And in Baku I got it all in full. This was exactly what I needed now.
You returned to the Russian national team, where you left as a schoolgirl. Perhaps it is unusual to change the role of the smallest and the youngest?
- There is some. I look at Seda Tutkhalian and I understand that I myself was like this quite recently. I try to support and help her everywhere. As a mother practically. But it's not just my age, but the fact that I've really matured.
- How is this expressed?
- The dialogue with the coaches is structured differently. It used to be like: "Vika, you have to do this and that." I nodded and did. And now I try to think with my head whether I need it. If I understand that I am not, I say about it. The search for a common solution begins. The coaches also understand that I am no longer the little girl I used to be. They advise about the loads, talk about plans. It's important for me. As before, I would not have been able to.
"I do not plan not to qualify for Rio"
- How now, from the height, so to speak, of the past years, assess your silver in the all-around in London?
- Then I was unhappy. I gnawed at myself, thought a lot where I went wrong. Three years later, it seems to me that this is a good result, it should be proud of.
-. It was early to let you out to London, they say.
- Yes, how early, I was already 17 and a half years old! This is some kind of nonsense. If not at that age to debut at the Olympics, then when? This is gymnastics, there are different approaches to age.
The dialogue with the coaches is structured differently. It used to be like: "Vika, you have to do this and that." I nodded and did. And now I try to think with my head whether I need it. If I understand that I am not, I say about it.
- And then what's the matter, where does this series of failures in the body come from?
- Now I think, maybe I shouldn't have had a good rest after London. Almost immediately, the Olympics field took us to a recovery camp in Spain, and two weeks later we resumed training. Plus, the growing up of the organism began in full swing, and without almost no rest they continued to "load" it. I don’t know, hardly anyone will give you an exact answer to this question.
- Are you feeling completely healthy right now?
- Absolutely. Something aches, but within reason - like all gymnasts.
If it turns out that you will not be able to return to your level and will not break into the Olympic team, will it be a tragedy for you? Or will you be philosophical?
- I do not plan not to qualify for Rio. By the way, I somehow did not even think about this option - you are the first who named it. No, no, this is out of the question. I have a specific goal for which I came back.
- Four years ago, was it easier for you than it is now?
- Well, I was a different person then. In every sense of the word. Smaller in stature, lighter in weight, simpler head. It's harder now. But this is just the beginning. I think the coach and I will be able to return to the results of London.
Today we talked with one of the coaches of the Rhythmic Gymnastics team of the All-Union Sports School "Dynamo", Master of Sports Maria Alexandrovna Geiko. Izhmama asked at what age one can practice this sport, why it is necessary to spend a lot of time on training and how to achieve success.
- Maria Alexandrovna, why did you decide to do rhythmic gymnastics?
- What difficulties did you face?
- How old can you start rhythmic gymnastics? Do boys take? Up to what age can you play this sport?
- What disciplines are taught in rhythmic gymnastics?
- How long does it take to class? How to combine sports with school?
- Is rhythmic gymnastics expensive (on average) for parents?
- Why should you choose rhythmic gymnastics from all the sports sections of Izhevsk?
- What merits do your pupils already have?
- What qualities should a rhythmic gymnast have?
- What advice would you give to aspiring gymnasts?
