“I will have several years at the 2028 Games, but maybe they will be allowed to compete in the 2025 World Cup.” Kolesnichenko on the future, doping intolerance and Paris

Three-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming, most successful active Russian athlete Svetlana Kolesnichenko wins the national championship both in duet with Maya Doroshko and in technical solo. What plans does she make for the season and the future – read this interview.

— Svetlana, what do you think of the new swimming pool in Yekaterinburg? Jumpers and swimmers have competed there before, but this is your first time going.

– I really like everything. I just want to take this incredible complex and move it to Moscow. I’m already not used to objects of this size. We even laughed when the control checked us – like in the Olympics. Everything about the pool itself is great: you can hear the music well, there’s nothing to complain about. Remarkable level of organization.

— How was the performance in the technical duet? Did you have to modify the program a lot?

— The links have been changed due to new rules that came into effect just a month ago. The Russian Championship is held according to the old rules, but for the BRICS Games and the Friendship Games we have to do it according to the new ones, and we decided to make changes now and start working on them immediately . Many thanks to Tatyana Evgenievna Danchenko and Elena Vyacheslavovna Voronova, they were delighted, for us this is the main praise. Of course, there is always something to work on.

— Why did you and Maya miss the start of the free duo?

— We made changes in accordance with the new rules and decided to further improve it so as not to fall in the eyes of fans and representatives of other countries. Still, a month is a fairly short period for such changes. We will play with him in the BRICS Games, in the Friendship Games.

— Is there also only one solo program at the Russian Championship?

– Yes!

— At the start of the season, did you decide not to go all out?

— I’m not 15, it’s a heavy load. We calculate our strengths correctly, before the “Friendship Games”. So, at the Russian Championship we have two technical programs. At the BRICS Games there will be at least three programs – two duets and one technical solo, I can’t say this for free either. We have modified the technical aspects very seriously; it has become very complex.

— How many screws can Svetlana Kolesnichenko make in one program? Have you checked the “screw per minute” indicator yourself?

– Thank God, no. But there are people who were counting on our propellers at the Fed Cup. The solo program has very difficult rules, there is a lot of time underwater. In physical terms it is very difficult – many elements have to be declared and the program is short, so the density increases.

— Someone said that even the preparation had changed, the room had become bigger.

— I gained physical fitness thanks to running. So it’s different for everyone.

— Have you seen the program of the World Cup winner? We talk about it a lot.

“I saw it and I want to say that the winners are not judged.” These are new realities. Many are simply used to something different, so they criticize. Now the main thing is to have good physical preparation, hold your breath and twist back and forth well. For our part, we continue to work on other components as well, in order to later show that it is possible to make these elements not only up to the knees, but also higher.

I congratulate Jacqueline (Simoneau). She won according to these rules, set the highest difficulty and tightened everything everywhere. The judges appreciated her solo more in terms of artistic impression than that of Vasilina Khondoshko, who also had great difficulty. She’s great too, she’s a hero, she changed the program in one day.

— It sounded like “show me later.” When is “later” for Russian synchronized swimmers?

“I don’t know, but we have to be ready.” They will say that they are allowed as a duo, under the flag and the anthem – the neutral status option is not very attractive to us – and so, at that point, we must pack our things and leave. This is what we work for every day.

— The question of performing in neutral status does not arise before you – our synchronized swimming cannot go to the Olympic Games under any status. But what do you think of the discussion itself about participating in the Paris Games?

– It’s a personal matter for everyone. I don’t know how I would have acted, I had no choice. I will watch the Olympic Games, I am interested in how the fight for medals will take place according to the new rules.

— What are your bets on who will become the first men’s Olympic synchronized swimming champion?

— There will be no men’s Olympic champion in synchronized swimming in 2024.

— Because China has no men in its composition?

— Do you think they’re going to install a man? Let’s see. I’m bad at guessing like that.

— Do you often get asked questions about the end of your career?

— The Yekaterinburg film crew has already requested it. I said, “I was going to finish in 2016, but I kept going. I wanted to finish after Tokyo and I’m still swimming, so everything I say is not a fact that it will happen. It’s difficult to talk about the 2028 Games, because I will be too old for synchronized swimming, but next season we will be allowed to participate in the World Championships under the anthem and the flag. Let’s see. Let’s finalize this season first.

— Do you like acting in the series?

— I really like it, thanks to Maria Alexandrovna Kiseleva. It’s good for creative development, for artistic talent. This helps to develop an acting impulse, which can be useful in professional sports – we have artistic swimming. Thanks to this, you will be able to remember why your parents brought you to this beautiful sport.

— Don’t you miss playing in a group?

— I stayed to go to the Olympic Games and also play in the group. We all grew up thanks to group exercises under the leadership of Tatyana Nikolaevna Pokrovskaya. But now the coaching staff and I have decided that we will focus on the duo and the group will work separately – it is quite difficult to combine according to the schedule.

— How did you perceive the history of Chinese swimmers?

— The story is noisy, but I think it is better to refrain from commenting, because I do not know what specific evidence the Chinese side cited. I can only say that I have always had zero tolerance towards doping. At the same time, I am tested more often than others during our competitions. They always take me after departure. I approach all these questions with great caution and I am calm about the arrival of doping control – it is part of our job.

— Will you have some rest before the Friendship Games?

– There will be a week after the Russian Championship – I will go to Doha. I promised to go to Doha in 2024, so I will go, but not to the World Cup.

— I noticed that you like to spend holidays in the East: you have been to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.

“I liked it there, despite the fact that you have to take into account a lot of rules of conduct in everyday life. I would like to come back when everything is built there. There will be something unreal and incredible.

— Have you seen Cristiano Ronaldo?

– Of course not. He lived there in his penthouse. But in this building, I was on the observation deck! I’m not really a football fan and I prefer Messi. Although, once again, I’m not a fan.

The Russian Synchronized Swimming Championship will take place in Yekaterinburg from April 24 to 27. Watch live broadcasts of the tournament on the Match Holding channels and on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.

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