The gymnastics group at VK.com has published an interview with 2000 Olympian, Elena Produnova. Thanks for their permission to provide an edit of it here. People will remember Elena in particular for two reasons: her original vault that no one else has been able to emulate; and her own special brand of powerful acrobatics, energetic temperament and musical flow, a heady mixture that today's gymnasts find impossible to match. Recently there have been some photographs of Elena working in a gym. Although she has always said that she wouldn't have a coaching career, it seems that now she is a coach at a gym in Nalchik, a town in the very south of the Russian Federation, in the foothills of the Caucasian mountains, in the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. The first question, tell us how you ended up in Nalchik? - Nalchik came up at the right time, in terms of my life circumstances. Through my previous work I had a very good friend - head of the sports depart...
Gee, what a contrast. Aliya all smiling, Ksenia slightly more serious, and Anastasia... well, my apologies for asking, but does she ever look happy instead of grumpy?
ReplyDelete:-) She does have quite a sweet smile. Perhaps her nose was itching or something.
Deleteshe is just looking down. It's like when someone closes their eyes as the photo is taken..can make them look real sleepy or wierd. i'm sure we have all had akward photos taken of us we are just lucky (unless when we get tagged of facebook :P ) that they wont be online for everybody to pick on them.
DeleteI guess this anonymous is lifje on the International Gymnast Forum. ;) No disrespect meant to Anastasia, but I honestly hope to see her smile a bit more often. Now her smile is such a rarity.
DeleteNow, now.
DeletePoor Anastasia - she's only 15 and probably very shy. Russians smile much less frequently that we do in the West - I walk around with a silly smile plastered all over my face, partly to try to make my wrinkles curl in the right direction as I can't afford cosmetic surgery. Nastia doesn't have to worry about that just yet.
As an entirely optional exercise, I challenge you both to find a lovely photograph of Nastia with a big beautiful smile on her face (there are some), and post a link to it here.
I never ask people to do things I'm not prepared to do myself. So here's a start.
Deletehttp://russiangymnasts.net/anastasiya-grishina/pics/11nats/05.jpg
yes i am (i'm just anonymous here cuz it seemed easier :P )
Deleteanyway i found out what makes her smile! A hug from Queen Elizabeth! http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/404797_320075864701323_100000967355045_929214_283421317_n.jpg
http://gymnet.org/forum/files/2010_euros_anastasia_grishina_fx_aa_01_172.jpg
DeleteOK, I think this one comes close to a happy looking Grishina.
we want to see the same colored medal decorating your neck in London Aliya!
ReplyDelete