- What feeling prevailed after returning to Russia?

- We were not at home for more than a month, so I felt tired.

After a nine-hour flight, I had to take a bus to the center in the heat.

At first I had a fuse, and then I just wanted to get home and lie down.

The change of time zones was also superimposed.

Although, of course, all this was covered by the joy of victory and return to their homeland.

Finally we got the opportunity to listen to our anthem and sang it, touched the flag.

And so many people gathered, relatives came to Red Square.

- Can you call the Tokyo Games the most nervous in your career, given the postponement for a year and until the last there was a possibility of cancellation?

- It seems to me that all the Games are nervous.

I flew to London as a young debutante and was very afraid to let experienced teammates down.

In Rio de Janeiro, until the last moment, nothing was clear about the admission of the Russian national team.

Now they were more worried about the coronavirus pandemic.

It was important that everyone stayed healthy.

Yes, after the transfer of the Olympics, we understood: we still have to train for a year.

It is very difficult to realize this, but at least they knew that the Games would definitely take place and believed in it.

- Did you have to feel uncomfortable due to severe restrictions?

- Of course, the Tokyo Olympics turned out to be at least unusual: there were no fans, I constantly had to take PCR tests and walk exclusively in masks.

This added complexity, but we are already used to this.

After all, the European Championships were subject to similar restrictions.

And the whole world now lives like that.

Plus, they were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the spring.

And so - they wore masks and did not communicate with anyone, so there was no reason for concern.

- The absence of fans affects all athletes in different ways.

It helps some to get together, while others, on the contrary, demotivate.

How did you perform?

- This, of course, is a serious minus, because you do not get a response from the stands.

It is always great when there is a charge of energy.

In our emotional sport, this is a great help.

With good support, you can actually do better.

- How much did the restrictions imposed on the Russian national team in Japan put pressure on?

- The main thing is that we all did it.

The Russians brought many medals from Tokyo.

To be honest, I cannot say that there was any particular pressure on us.

This was definitely not the case.

Most importantly, during the warm-ups, the team was still called "Russia".

For example, they gave music and said: "Russia is leaving in one minute."

At first, they were surprised: we ourselves could not say which country we are from, but all the same, the whole world knows where we are from and calls us Russia.

  • Shishkin about performance at the Olympics under sanctions

- Have you ever faced negative attitudes?

- We heard conversations in the camp of rivals.

Many did not understand the meaning of the sanctions imposed on us and considered them stupid.

Everyone understood everything.

They did not feel any sidelong glances, even more so.

In synchronized swimming, a friendly family was formed, and, on the contrary, they supported us.

In particular, Ukrainian women, with whom we are very close friends.

Calmly congratulated each other and hugged.

Sometimes foreigners came up to us and, pointing to the OCD logo on the chest, asked: "Who do you represent at all?"

Answer: "Russian Olympic Committee".

Those shouted: “O, Russia?

OK! "

In general, the Olympics are a symbol of friendship and unity between athletes from all over the world, and borders are blurred there.

Therefore, everyone was like one family.

- During the duet competition, Svetlana Kolesnichenko and Svetlana Romashina had problems with music.

Was there any fear that the situation would repeat itself during the performances of the bands?

- We agreed that if problems with music suddenly begin, we will count ourselves.

We had a safety net and certain points were agreed.

Believe me, the team is so experienced and ready for anything that I usually say: "Even if the roof in the pool collapses, we will still finish all the elements."

We are ready for any emergency situations.

It is difficult to explain what happened.

Something's wrong with the hardware.

Not only Kolesnichenko and Romashina were unlucky, but also the Ukrainian women in the group.

I don’t think it’s a matter of malice.

- You became a three-time Olympic champion, but you had to endure this title ...

- It's hard to disagree with you. These Games were definitely the most difficult in their career in terms of preparation. Psychologically, it is very difficult to live locked up and not see family and friends. But in general, on the way to each competition, you go through hard training, hardship and injury, so all medals are valuable in their own way. However, I will definitely end on this. For me, the Tokyo Games were the last.