'Vika has no less potential than Aliya' - interview with Gennady Elfimov

Viktoria Komova, born on the 30th January 1995, is already one of the world's leading gymnasts.  Her coach, Gennady Elfimov, is instantly recognisable as the fatherly, protective figure who literally stands by Viktoria through all of her competitive efforts. 

Just after the Tokyo World Championships, Gennady gave the following interview with RIA Novosti, which Lupita has translated for your enjoyment!

“Viktoria’s not weaker than Mustafina”. 

                                                  Viktoria with coach Gennady Elfimov at a pre-Worlds control competition

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Tell me, what made Viktoria perform so well in Japan?

Well, there no hidden secrets behind this success, in principle. I think that the only way is work, and you can achieve anything. The girl is talented; she makes every effort to make the most of her talent. Her parents help her, support her, and believe in her. This is the most important. When all this is put together, one can achieve success.

Is it easy to work with her?

You know, it depends. She is far from being sweet and easy to work with, but she is very determined. If she wants something badly, she works very single-mindedly to achieve it. Sometimes she quarrels with me and it’s difficult to convince her.

According to you, which are the strongest aspects of Komova the gymnast?

The World Championship proved that her best event is Bars, of course. The most important thing is that she has recovered from her injury. If she’s in good shape, we can expect victories from her in the future.

What are your expectations?

The expectations are great. We all hope that in London Vika will perform well and have a chance at the gold medal.

If we compare Viktoria Komova’s potential with Aliya Mustafina’s…

Both gymnasts are equally strong. Vika has no less potential than Aliya. We hope that in London our national team will be at the optimal level. God willing Mustafina will recover and Komova won’t get injured. If both of them go to the Olympics, in tandem they will become a threat to their rivals.

Did training at “Krugloye Ozero” help to achieve success?

Of course. The facilities there are fantastic. What it was before and what it’s now, it’s like chalk and cheese.

What is most important for the development of gymnastics?

We should create more gyms; there should be gyms in all our regions. Gymnastics is a very universal sport. The person who has practised it can go to fighting, and water-based disciplines. Gymnasts can progress!

Photographs by kind permission of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.