“I slept well last New Year”: Soldatova - about life outside of sports, Averina's duel with Ashram and the new stars of the national team

"We got used to fight with ourselves, not with rivals"

- The main event of the outgoing year was the Tokyo Olympics.

Even before the tournament, you said that it would not be easy for Russian girls.

What bothered you?

- Yes.

This was shown by the last European Championships.

Even then it was clear: our competitors are stepping on their heels.

Previously, if we performed the program cleanly, we got a huge lead in points.

Now all the results are very close.

It adds excitement, and of course, ultimately affects the performance. 

- What was your first reaction to the assessments of the Averins in Tokyo?

- It is hard to say.

I was rooting for them.

But it is very difficult to judge the performance when you watch the competition on the screen.

I saw that Dina and Arina tried and did everything 100%.

And why such assessments, only the judges know.

- Dina admitted in an interview that before the last subject in the all-around did not know whether it was worth changing something in the program, since the judges' assessments did not coincide with her expectations.

Has this happened in your career?

- I usually performed with Yana Kudryavtseva and Rita Mamun.

Due to the fact that I did not have enough experience, privileges, with good performance, even better than Rita and Yana, my grades turned out to be lower.

The judges simply could not give the points that I really deserved.

- By the way, when a program is drawn up

- When we work out the program, we discuss all the points.

For example, I twisted more revolutions than planned, it took extra seconds.

This means that we try to shorten the next element, the exercise with the apparatus, but at the same time make it more difficult.

During the speech, there is real mathematics in my head, where it is better to complicate, in which place to shorten, and where, on the contrary, to lengthen.

But in training, we, of course, discuss all possible options with mentors.

- If Dina did complicate something in the last exercise, would it affect the marks, or was the decision made by the judges earlier?

- It is hard to say.

Indeed, one gets the impression that all this was planned in advance.

They wanted to leave Russia without gold - in the end they did just that.

At this Olympics, Dina really showed the maximum.

She did not drop the object, did not lose it, did not fall.

It is very strange and unexpected that in the end she did everything and lost.

I think Dina herself was not ready for this.

She's used to it: if she does everything cleanly, she wins.

- That is, she always fought only with herself, and not with rivals?

- Yes, it was the rule for all of us, Russian gymnasts.

We are not fighting with someone, but first of all with ourselves.

If you did it, you are smart, you won!

"Ashram won thanks to pressure and energy"

- If you look at the Ashram performance through the eyes of the judges, what could attract the judges?

- Linoy became an Olympic champion, because the rules have changed and the subject is very much appreciated.

She really demonstrated very difficult things that even I could not do.

In addition, her pressure and energy played a big role.

It was thanks to this that the Israeli woman managed to reach the highest step of the podium.

- Was Dina's program simpler?

- They had about the same level of difficulty, but there was a very big difference in performance and quality.

Lina bent her arms and legs while performing the elements.

Dina did everything according to the rules of rhythmic gymnastics.

To me, from the outside, it was striking.

And of course, it was more pleasant to watch the performance of the Russian woman.

- That is, Ashram's performance was difficult, but dirty?

- Yes.

But at the same time, it was spectacular.

And, apparently, the judges did not pay attention to the correctness and quality of performance of the elements.

Therefore, she became the first.

- For most people who are far from gymnastics, it still remains a mystery how you can win a tournament if you have an object dropped.

Did this happen when you performed?

- The loss of the object in this case is greatly exaggerated.

It happens when you lose a point for such a mistake.

But she dropped the tape next to her.

It only costs three tenths.

And she had enough points to cover this loss.

In fact, there were many situations when much more serious mistakes occurred, but at the same time gymnasts became Olympic champions.

In this case, I think they just find fault with her.

- Is the Ashram performing best with clubs?

- They are all the strongest, because in terms of bonuses and points it turns out to score a lot more than with other items.

And the most difficult is the tape, since there must be a very clear trajectory of each movement.

If you do something wrong, it is fraught with the appearance of a knot that will prevent you from performing further.

This is exactly what happened with Arina.

In my opinion, the most difficult subject is the ribbon.

- An unpleasant bell for our team sounded at the World Championships in performances with the same ribbon.

The judges rejected the protest of the Russian national team and gave gold to the Belarusian gymnast Gornosko.

Do you agree with this decision?

- To be honest, I myself really liked Alina's performance.

She was worthy of the first place.

- It turns out that next year Russian girls, first of all, should think about changing priorities.

Now does not everything depend only on them?

- Oh sure.

And this is very difficult, even for the audience.

But it is in terms of execution and quality that Russia is now much ahead.

I look at Lala Kramarenko, our new star.

She does incredible things, and with her Russia can again be ahead.

"It's time to give way to the young"

- There are three more years before the next Games.

And the big question is whether the Averins will stay.

After all, in Paris they will be 26 years old.

Is it possible to perform at a high level at this age?

- If health allows and there is a desire, then you can.

But I'm not sure that they will succeed, since back in 2020, while there was no news about the postponement of the Games, they voiced their desire to end their sports career after the Olympics.

So I don’t think they will stay.

It seems to me that we need to give way to the young.

But the girls themselves must decide.

- Did they discuss this with you?

- We communicate, but we try not to raise such questions.

They feel sick without it, so we discuss, first of all, the positive aspects.

- After the World Cup, when the status quo has been restored, it would have been nice to leave ...

- On the one hand, yes.

But they themselves do not yet know whether they want to continue their careers or not.

Only time will tell.

And neither I nor they themselves will be able to answer this question now.

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Publication from Alexsandra Soldatova.

(@ soldy21)

- You have already said that you like Lala Kramarenko.

And who else from the Russian youth can shine brightly on the international arena in the near future?

- I don't follow that often, but I really like Lala.

I see the work of Irina Aleksandrovna (Viner-Usmanova -

).

There are elements that I did, and now Kramarenko repeats.

I also like Anastasia Simakova.

She performs very difficult - she would even emphasize - bold throws and elements.

Something that I probably would not have dared to perform.

Let it be for now.

And then we will follow.

A new season begins in January, and the situation will already become clear.

Now it is not yet completely clear who the leader of the team is.

- What was the most striking event for you personally this year?

- I'm not so close to rhythmic gymnastics now.

But I really liked the Grand Prix in Moscow.

She came to the tournament, performed at the opening and closing with demonstration performances.

It was amazing.

- You are in excellent shape and calmly participate in demonstration performances, despite the fact that you have finished your career.

How much time do you spend in the gym now?

- I try to pay as much attention to training as possible, because in any case, whether you are a professional athlete or not, the health of the muscle corset is very important.

Especially in my case.

From nature got very soft ligaments.

If they are not strengthened, it is fraught with health problems and damage.

- You left the sport due to injuries, among other things.

Now the pains associated with them have faded into the background?

- Already Yes.

It's all gone.

Now I just maintain my level so that there are no more health problems.

I am doing everything in moderation - I train, but I do not try too hard.

This is the most important thing now.

"Rhythmic gymnastics has become a hobby"

- You have just returned from a master class that took place on Sakhalin.

Where else have you been this year?

- On the one hand, there have been many places, but on the other, even more trips were canceled due to covid, since the parents did not dare to send their children to public events.

I am very glad that I managed to get to the east coast of the country.

I visited Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk for the first time, there is an incredible atmosphere, I really liked it.

Hopefully next year I will be able to travel much more often.

- What age children do you work with?

- From 6 to 12 years old.

During this time, the base is being formed.

Subject and physical training is important.

And then the nuances begin.

When they already know everything basic, and you point out the subtleties.

Of course, this is much more interesting.

Therefore, I like working with adults more.

- A year has already passed since the end of his sports career.

Did you manage to find yourself during this time?

- Now the main task is education.

I am studying to be an economist, and this is very important for me.

When I was finishing my career, I understood: I took everything I could from sports.

I felt that I needed to develop further.

This is what I am doing now.

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Publication from Alexsandra Soldatova.

(@ soldy21)

- And at the same time traveling with master classes?

- Yes.

Master classes and trainings are my hobbies.

That which gives pleasure.

I just love it and nothing more.

- This new year will be the second in a career when you can afford almost everything.

How are you going to celebrate it?

- The last one was an exception for me.

There was such a state and mood that I celebrated absolutely alone.

In another apartment without seeing anyone.

I listened to the president's speech and went to bed.

This time I'll do everything as usual.

I will spend a holiday with my family.

- Did you feel devastated last year?

- Yes, it was very difficult.

I ended my career, broke up with a young man, and restored my health.

She turned out to be so tired, emaciated that she simply did not want to portray joy and a smile at the sight of loved ones, so I decided - let it be better than me at all.

I slept well, it seemed to me that at that moment it was the right decision.

- Didn't want to wear a mask, as in performances ...

- Yes, exactly the mask.

I always want to stay sincere with my family.

But that time there was no inner strength even to smile and, moreover, to pretend that everything is fine.

- Is everything different this year?

- Yes, everything is great.

I even celebrate with my family and with a young man.

It's straight two in one, very happy.

- How has the festive table changed compared to the period when you were performing?

- To be honest, not at all.

I really love red caviar.

This is all I eat every year.

There were no prohibitions on it before, and even more so now.

- Speaking of bans, the Russian national football team is no longer allowed to sugar.

And you, being an athlete, could you afford sweets?

- This is a very strange and ingrained stereotype that gymnasts cannot eat anything.

In fact, we sometimes eat even more than ordinary people, as we spend a lot of energy and strength in training.

Everything burns out.

- That is, perhaps you eat as much as footballers?

- Yes, I still face the fact that they ask me: "You probably shouldn't eat!"

Although she has long finished her career.

But even when I was performing, I ate normally.

If you want, we can indulge in sweets.

We spend so many hours in the gym that we can leave even a minus one.