“Partly happy with how I jumped mixed doubles with Sasha, partly not,” Anna told . “I understand that somewhere something went wrong. I’m a perfectionist and I really don’t want to let my partner down. I want to do eight-point jumps, like Sasha, not drop him and myself.
– Sasha is even older, more experienced.
– My partner is amazing! I am grateful for that. He also takes risks, tries something, reminds here of the jump, which he had not done before for a year since 2014. After the Russian Cup, we did not jump “synchronously” from the “tens”. So today, six months later, we climbed “ten” together and jumped back. We didn’t expect anything, we just wanted to enjoy the process.
– Past?
We relaxed and jumped in for fun.
– It seems to me that so far in mixed doubles everyone feels much more relaxed than in Olympic sports.
– It really is. You jump for fun first and foremost. Tomorrow I have to skip the individual semi-final and the final – I have already spent unnecessary energy. Also, in mixed doubles, you have a partner and you can chat with him.
At what age did you climb 10 meters for the first time?
– I usually came to diving late – at the age of twelve. She climbed 10 meters in a year and a half.
“So you’re new to this business!”
“Just six years old. I came from gymnastics and I didn’t even think that they would even take me to a sports school. If they had told me five and a half years ago that I would be going to the Olympics, that I would be jumping with Alexander Bondar in mix… I would have replied: “You’re kidding!”
– At the time of your arrival in show jumping, Sasha had a few adult Olympic cycles in her career.
– Yes. And six years ago, I didn’t really know what a three-meter springboard was.
Why did you leave gymnastics?
– Rather for personal reasons: problems with the coach, the weight, I didn’t want to make everything worse. The desire to train was lost because of the coach. In gymnastics, there is this: they constantly tell you that you are fat, they forbid you to eat baked goods and all that.
But I am very grateful to my first coach – Alena Borisovna Cherentsova, we see each other, we communicate. She laid the groundwork for me.
And then it turns out that I was transferred to another coach. We had a very good year then, I won, there were medals, but they didn’t let me go beyond city competitions – I only played in St. Petersburg . I was hurt. I wanted to show myself, and not just perform during the starts in town.
How did you end up jumping?
– Not the first time. A year before leaving gymnastics, I met a diving coach at camp, and was offered a transition option. But then I said no. I had no idea what kind of sport it was.
Then, six months later, in fifth grade, the parents’ committee presented tickets for a water show at our Neva Volna pool. And I lit up this sport! After the New Year holidays, they began to figure out how to get there. I had to ask my parents for money for a paid section. We talked to dad, he said we’d sort it all out.
I came, my trainer Svetlana Sergeevna Leontievskaya looked at me – she asked me to raise my legs in the hall, get up, do somersaults on the trampoline. And then she said we had to go in the water. I was so surprised that I had to go straight to the pool, but I had a bathing suit – I jumped aside, from the meter board. She said, “Let’s try, we’ll see.” That’s how I stayed in this sport.
– Was it scary for the first time in the “top ten”?
– Adrenaline in the blood, jumped like a “soldier”. A normal person in general should be afraid. A person has fears, therefore he plays sports from an early age – then the moment of awareness is less. But I was not afraid, I liked it. And I can say that in show jumping, I don’t train hard, but I love what I do.
– Any regrets about leaving gymnastics?
– Not. I am grateful to the coaches who gave me a great experience.
– Were you surprised to have become European champion in such a short time?
– My first coach Alena Borisovna called me and congratulated me.
Sometimes I come to the children’s room. It is important that they see that if they fail in gymnastics it is not the end, there are other outcomes. I did gymnastics for five years, sometimes girls drop out in the third year of training. But if you had to start suddenly, it’s important to understand that you can do another sport, something else in general.
— You have your own YouTube channel. Can you tell me about it?
— It’s interesting for me, I like shooting, telling something about our sport. I do everything myself, including the installation. It’s a new experience and I’ve always enjoyed working with computer video. Not great yet, but gradually improving my skills.
Besides, it’s a way for me to relax. Sometimes I go to competitions and talk to the camera. Many are embarrassed to do this, but I, well, watch and watch. It allows you to relax, to feel more free.
Source : MatchTV
