Voinova, Olympic cycling medalist: “There was talk of not returning to sport due to lack of international tournaments”

Double Olympic medalist in track cycling Anastasia Voinova told that in 2023 she plans to retire from her career due to the lack of international tournaments.

Voinova took a career break after the birth of her child in 2023. She returned to training with the team in January. Earlier, the athlete told that her first start after maternity leave would be a competition in Omsk.

— How difficult was it to return to the constant training process?

– Of course, it’s hard. But I already have the impression of embarking on a training process. I’ll say more: my coach and I decided to start competitions at the beginning of March. At first I laughed and thought, “Where to?” It’s too early”. And then I thought why not try it. Where else, if not during races, can you check your form?

— Was there a question of not returning to sport?

– It was like that, yes. Due to the fact that there is no international arena, due to the whole situation, it was thought that, most likely, after the birth of the child I would not return to sports. Then I decided not to think about it and act intuitively. I will give birth and then see if I want it or not. A few months after the birth of my daughter, under the hormones of joy and motherhood, I felt that sport was my inner fire that I needed in life, Voinova told .

Voinova is a multiple world and European track cycling champion. The runner has two Olympic medals: silver in Rio de Janeiro and bronze in Tokyo.