GYMNASTICS
Ten years ago, in a report about the latest output two-time Olympic champion in the gymnastic podium in Athens, I wrote: "During the years of his speeches Khorkina gave their sport is much more than it has received in the form of awards and titles." Ten years - enough time to rethink what it was, look at those or other events a little less biased. All settled, in a word.
Subsided, as it turned out, not much ...
- We do not talk about politics, right? ..
We sit with Khorkina in a Moscow cafe and argue that changing social circle after sport often leads to the fact that you become a "stranger" in his old environment, but was not getting to the end of "their" in the new.
- By and large, I've never left the gym - suddenly says Svetlana. - Keep dipping into it. In today's terms, I am "in the subject." Well, hold the office of honorary vice-president of the Russian Gymnastics Federation, among other things.
- That is, running a wedding general?
- I am at least constantly invited to the meeting of the Bureau, including closed. In his hometown Belgorod I head the regional Olympic Committee and Belgorod federation of gymnastics, in other words, thoroughly know what is happening in my sport. None of all information. Who owns the information - owns the world, so they say?
- What is happening now in the Belgorod your school?
- I can tell you exactly what we have rooms equipped with the latest gymnastic equipment. For 15 years we spend at the All-Russian tournament in my name - this year to celebrate the anniversary. And these competitions - qualifying, allowing participants to perform formal athletic standards, up to the workshops. Accordingly, the judges working in this tournament, are very highly qualified. On the basis of the school to collect, children's competitions. There are two lovely rooms, it has all the conditions to gymnastics continued to evolve. This year our tournament even aired on the federal channel, and I hope that our cooperation will continue in this direction.
- Over the last 15 years at least one of Belgorod athlete came to the team?
- One girl, I know, was invited. I must say that this is not so easy to find children who could walk in the sport to a high level. Especially in gymnastics were always children of the less well-off families. On the one hand, studies do not need much: a form of low-cost, in this respect, gymnastics - it's not ice hockey and figure skating. The main thing is that the child has good coordination and desire to work.
My sister, who works as a trainer in Belgorod, she walks around the garden, on the playground in the yard - only sees active child, he immediately gives parents and grandparents a card of our school. Otherwise, how to find the children? So they are engaged with us in special groups. Because in school sports under Russian law a child can enroll only after he was seven years old.
I sometimes think that, for the "young" sport for a long time the current rules should be changed. Start training in the gym at seven years - it is disastrously late. After 13-14 years, you should already jumping at the European championships, thus displaying a complex program.
His own son, I tried to give to swim when he was five years old. He knew how to swim is not bad, but at school we were refused. Not mature enough age.
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- Do not you think that the ambitions of the people working in professional sport in recent years as a down? Fewer and fewer coaches are willing to work on the result of the same dedication, as once you have worked with Boris Pilkin.
- Do not even know what to say. We have good coaches, there is a tradition of the school, an experience that you just need to somehow organize. But you're right, we really Pilkin always been aimed at maximum results. Sought, whereby we can win. When the coach was gone, I thought a lot of how lucky I was that the fate of me with him once brought! Because I did not take to the gym. Not only because of growth, by the way. Many other parameters I, too, was considered a "no." A Pilkin took. Now, when I was beginning to come to the tournament applications from athletes, I will not refuse to give a chance to everyone. It is because well I remember his story. Which began with the fact that I did not need anyone, and ended the gold medal.
Gymnastics - all unique sport. Very good teaching to overcome himself and achieve goals. Can recall Yelena Isinbayeva, Svetlana Feofanova, Oleg Gazmanov. They're all a child got exactly gymnastic hardening.
I also think that our sport has a great strategic importance. Suffice it to count how many sets of medals played at the Olympics.
- But they are played, you see, for the most part without the Russians. Take you close the women's team: first, the lack of results attributed to the fact that we do not have sufficient "bench" and you just have to wait until this "bench" will appear. Now everything is blamed on the fact that the former coach, Alexander Alexandrov, to such an extent handled athletes before the Games in London, that the current leadership of the past two years have to rake the consequences in terms of injuries. You had to work for many years with much more tough coach - Leonid Arkaevym. When it was less injuries?
- Injuries certainly happened just about them was not accepted by a lot of talk. And since we just never "covered" by this lack of results. Well, yes, we always someone sewing, darning or "collected" in CITO. But it was believed that the injury - is the internal affair physician coach and athlete. And certainly not the public. Especially do not think it's right make this information at the international level. Why?
At its last European Championship in 2004, I also spoke with an injury - broken metatarsal bone. Me for four weeks on foot wearing langetku I safely removed after a week and went to speak. Do not understand how I can not do it? It's been my team!
Know to what extent I was ashamed of the girls in Beijing? Well, yes, of course, a change of generations and all that. I'm at the games sitting on the commentary position in the headphones. And found herself burning desire to lose these headphones and most leave the platform in a bathing suit.
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- You are now argue very hard categories characteristic rather Soviet than Russian sport. And whether the cost of the sports titles? How, for instance, was justified stiffness of the same Alexandrov, which for it was removed from the team immediately after the Games in London?
- What was his toughness? In rigor and discipline? So without this result does not happen. In gymnastics, for example, still loves to tell how the monster was Arch. Yes, he was tough and strict. Always, in addition, called a spade a spade - and it is not always pleasant. But he had a result. And Alexandrov invited to make their results. He did it. Who even after Beijing could have imagined that in 2010, our team has for the first time in 19 years to win the team championship at the World Championships in Rotterdam, and Aliya Mustafina will be the absolute champion? But just after Rotterdam became clear: we have thereby win in London.
I myself worked with Alexandrov still before the Games in Barcelona in 1991. I was then at the age of one year is not enough for me to perform at the Olympics. I can say that since Alexander was much softer. Work abroad in general greatly change people in this respect. There is not a child shlepnesh not tell him, say that he's fat and should lose weight. Circular "swapping" Alexandrov to develop endurance, I still remember. Perhaps something like this is now, but I it is obvious that the girls are working on the equipment with great difficulty. And this - the first indicator that a person lacks stamina.
Our team regularly staged runs the so-called "twin" free exercise, without interruption when you need to perform two hands in a row. It is clear that the acrobatics in this case was somewhat lightweight, but the double somersault in the diagonals remain. For me, with my feet it was horrible torment, but jumped back! A log? In training we were panic-stricken with his fall, performing combination. Because it meant that you would repeat the exercise several times. Apparently, due to the fact that education and hardened and I went through three Olympic cycles. Although physically weak child has always been considered.
- You many years it has successfully managed to hide.
- I was lucky in this respect: Boris Pilkin was always there, followed closely by my condition and made me very shore. When he saw that I reloaded, instead of the third training session could send me to walk in the woods. Or pull the net for badminton and bring the racket.
Perhaps this is nonsense, but I, for one, never allowed herself to cry in front of the cameras. In the locker room, the hotel - for God's sake. But never - for all to see. Cried even in Athens when I was sued by a jump.
- Do you think that public tears - it is a manifestation of internal weakness?
- Do not rule that out. And internal weakness always comes from insecurity. So you're somewhere flawed. So, you have weaknesses. When I see how our girls periodically cry in front of cameras, I think that's about it.
- Probably because you have a case, the period when it seemed that the personal trainer over crushes, restricts freedom does not give any concessions. Never had a desire to change the coach?
- No. Too many times seen than such ends. It is clear that it is very comfortable to train with someone who does not make the work, watch my weight, to a regime. But the result, then a coach will be?
- What kind of impression on you right now, the Russian team?
- From the results of me, to be honest, sometimes done at ease. I look at a lot of videos of performances. And see, for example, that American Cup almost every athlete does Vault 2.5 screws. We also considered it some special prowess. See how the floor exercise gymnast end bent double somersault - the same element I finished them a decade ago. At the same bars, none of our girls do not show anything unique. Jumping and floor exercise we generally lagging behind the leaders on the order. Have you ever could have imagined that at the European Championships Russian team will outdo the UK team? I - no.
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- After the Olympic Games in Athens, for some reason I was sure that you have a very long time do not want to go back to the gym in any capacity.
- It is much more difficult to me was after the Sydney Games. Remember the situation with a horse? That's really been awful. Not only that, I was ready for those games so that the "ringing", so more on the basis of preliminary performances had all-around half a point advantage. And when it turned out after the fact that the horse was not installed at that height, I remember, was in such a state, as if all this is not at all to me. Cried all night. Arch, I remember, came in the morning to put us on the charge - we lived in the Olympic village in a single package - pulled my heel and said, "Go to sleep, do not go anywhere. I heard ..."
Well, what is he ruthless after that?
After Sydney, I thought for a long time what to do next. Tried to negotiate with them for a month. So after Athens everything was in this respect is much easier. I knew in advance that this is my last Olympics.
- Which you really wanted to win ...
- Not just wanted, was ready for it. But when she saw the marks for the jump - despite the fact that it made in the "doskok" - it's certainly much broke down internally. The judges then as much as 15 minutes did not expose me an estimate. If there had been it by two-tenths above, I would become an absolute champion.
- Retiring from the sport was hard?
- No. I was so tired after the Olympics, so thin and so devastated internally ... She pulled out all the time. And put on the line. After the final day of lost bars, again cried all night - the nerves have finally surrendered. Mourning, probably, all the failures immediately. But that was my own personal grief. In fact, I'm still proud of the fact that in all the years of their statements never nobody gave reason to doubt yourself. It does not matter what it cost me.
Later, when I had a rest and internally withdrew from the competition, suddenly realized: after what took place in the sport, more than is absolutely nothing in my life I'm afraid. And surely achieve success in all whatever had to deal with in the future.
- With strong women sometimes costing lives ...
- Too hard? Agree. It really is.
- You've already withdrawing from the sport, feel deeply unhappy?
- Different cases. At times it seemed that my life is collapsing everything. What I'm going into some black hole. Consoled herself in such cases, the fact that somewhere at the bottom certainly has the bottom, which I will sooner or later push down and then get out to the surface. And it's better than hanging motionless in the warm swamp.
And then there was a child, the family, which has become for me a place where I can not be cropped and "show tummy", knowing that no one will kick off and not hurt. What else should a woman?
With regard to some of life's troubles, I think you just need to look around more. Is the rest of life is easier and they do not have problems? There are, of course. I so do not complain. Hands and feet and head on the ground, the work is, the house is, the family is, the child is, even has a hobby.
- And what do you have now a hobby?
- Gymnastics!
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