“I’m watching the Russian championships. I hope there will still be Russian divers in the Hall of Fame” – Pakhalina

Olympic diving champion Yulia Pakhalina hopes that there will be more divers in Russia who will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF).

It has already been announced that Pakhalina will be inducted into the Hall of Fame; a ceremony on this occasion will take place in the United States in October 2024. She remains the most successful Russian diver in history.

— Do you think there will be more Russian divers at ISHOF?

– I hope so, but not in the next ten years. In our time, there was a powerful galaxy of coaches who allowed us to achieve such results. I don’t see any at the moment. Maybe someone from my generation who was an athlete will try it and achieve such success. I watch the Russian championships and watch them with pleasure. But so far I don’t see such bright athletes.

— Do boys jump better?

– Well yes. For example, there is a higher education student from the Penza school, Ruslan Ternovoi, who is the cream of the crop. I hope the girls reach the next level too. There must be a basis for this. I’m not talking about finances. There are finances, there are swimming pools, but the question is not only that, but the desire of people to work and dedicate themselves fully to their work.

— You do not regret leaving the sport, so to speak, unnoticed. Not with the announcement at the Olympics that this is it, I’m finishing it.

– I regretted it. I wanted to go back there. But she made a choice in favor of motherhood. In addition, you have to get back in shape, and not be seventh or tenth.

– Could be able?

– I think so. But I was already mature enough. If I was 22-23, I could probably leave the kid with someone and go train. But at 33, the desire to be close to mother took over,” Pakhalina told .