Yulia Belokobylskaya - 'I dream too much ... of being applauded ... of the World Championships'

Yulia Belokobylskaya and her coach, Nadezhda Dolgoshina. 

There is something quite exquisite about watching Yulia Belokobylskaya in competition. A quiet determination to execute her skills with accuracy, certainly, but something extra ... beneath the conscientious attitude of a developing sports professional, I sense an emotional depth to her performances. Perhaps this is expressed best by Yulia herself : 'I dream too much'. Keep on dreaming, Yulia!

Still only 15 years old (born 14th December 1995), Yulia's mature performances at this year's European and World Championships belied her tender years. Earning a bronze medal in the floor event final in Berlin this spring was her first major international achievement, and she contributed strongly to the Russian team's silver medal at this October's World Championships. Now Yulia is rewarded with an opportunity to compete at this weekend's DTB Cup in the all around competition. This could count as her major international debut as an individual.

Yulia trains in Rostov-on-Don with her coach Nadezhda Dolgoshina. Rostov is a town with a great tradition of raising gymnastics champions, for example 2000 Olympian Elena Produnova and the 1970s Queen of Gymnastics, Ludmilla Tourischeva.

The most recent edition of Gymnastika magazine features an interview with Yulia, of which Lupita has kindly done a wonderful translation.

Yulia, what do you do after the training sessions? 

I watch films or cartoons. I read, I do cross-stitch that my mum puts in a frame and hangs on the walls. I do different patterns: animals, flowers. All the room is filled with them, we could put up an exhibition.

People say that when you work with a needle, you get less nervous.

I was very nervous in Berlin. After all, it was my first European Championship. I was anxious only at the beginning. I asked Anya Dementyeva, my roommate, “how can I prepare?” I was not afraid, but the sports palace was crowded. I was not used to that. I enjoyed the European Championship very much. I liked their mascot - a mouse. I took it home, to Rostov, with the medal.

Anya is an authority figure for you?

Anya is not much older than me, but she has experience, she performed at the Worlds Championships. She told me “don’t be nervous, everything will be ok. Imagine that you are performing at the open training session”. I imagined it, but still I was very nervous. After the qualifying round, I felt better, less nervous.
 

You were told at the last moment that you were to compete.

Yes, I was reserve. But even if you are the reserve you should be ready. It means that it’s almost the same as having to compete. This is why with my coach we prepared for the competition. When Alexander Alexandrov told me I was going to Berlin, nothing changed. I didn’t feel happy, I didn’t feel afraid. I had to compete and that was it.

Listening to you it’s like you don’t engage emotionally, what will be, will be. Are you always so impassive?

No. I can cry. Sometimes I dream too much.

About what?

About anything that comes to mind. Recently I thought about preparing our national exams. When we are in Krugloye Ozero, we study with our teachers, but we sit the exams at home. It was not easy, but I passed everything. Among the subjects my favourite one is maths, I find it interesting. What are my other dreams? If I like something, I can dream and dream… Do I like fashion? Yes, maybe. I like going shopping with my mum, buying nice clothes. I always dream of performing well, being applauded. Making the team for the World Championships.

You are reading a book: “Children of the Underground”. Did somebody recommend it to you or is it on your school program?

I bought it myself in a bookshop. I’ve just begun reading it. Right now I still don’t know if I like it or not. It often happens to me. I can go into a bookshop, buy a book I haven’t heard of, and then I see…

Do you feel homesick?

I miss my mum and my grand-mother. Now I have to train more often at Krugloye Ozero. The gym is so beautiful here! And the best gymnasts train here! You watch them, they watch you, and you always learn something. This is very important to becoming a good gymnast.

Did you ever plan to pack up your things and say: to hell with gymnastics!

Never. Almost never.

Yulia, deep in thought ... or is she dreaming?

Yes, Yulia is almost a kid, smiles Nadezhda Dolgoshina, coach of the European Championship medallist. Her young age is sometimes a setback when she competes on the podium, she is inside herself, she is secluded from everyone, you are talking to her, and she’s in the clouds, as if she can’t hear you. I tell her: “Yulia, where are you? Come back!”. She comes back, we resume our training. And sometimes, you know, her reverie is very useful. In the floor event, she personifies inspiration. The floor is her best and most beautiful event right now. You have to agree that when she performs, everybody sees a beautiful Slavic young girl. I’m not saying she’s facile. Far from it. But she’s interesting to work with. Yulia’s mother is my right hand man, my ally and helper in everything. She’s always on my side, explaining to her daughter that there’s no easy route to success. She lacks experience in competitions, experience in life, adulthood.

Watch this space! Yulia's calm personality and her concentration on stable performance may well make her a favourite for next year's Russian Olympic team - Russia needs reliability.



With thanks to LaVoix555 on Youtube.

Pictures by Andrei Golovanov and Sergei Kivrin.
By kind permission of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.