“I like being a ‘white swan’, that’s how I feel too.” Platonov on lyrics, new rules and horse riding

European champion Oleya Platonova in duet with Alexander Maltsev On Saturday, she won gold in the free skate at the BRICS Games. We spoke with Olesya about how she got into synchronized swimming and what role she feels most comfortable in.

— Olesya, you come from a sports family, don’t you?

— Yes, I am the third generation of athletes in the family. Mom and grandfather master the sport in swimming, grandmother masters the sport in diving.

— Will there be water polo players in the next generation?

– Well, I don’t know (laughs).

— Why did you end up doing synchronized swimming?

“Mom actually said she would never send her child to play sports, but she wanted to teach me how to swim. But when we went to the sea, I didn’t listen to her and in the end they took me to the Olimpiyskiy to see a show jumping trainer they knew, just to teach me how to swim. This coach took me to another one – this time in synchronized swimming. I happened to be there for a while. The coach said: “I’ll take you for myself, you play a duet with this girl.”

– What did mom say?

“For some time she thought that all this was aimed at general development, but when the results of the competitions came, apparently, some kind of sporting interest appeared.

—Why weren’t you involved in diving?

— As a child, I was quite tall, I had long limbs. No one knew that I wouldn’t grow up to be as tall as my mother. I stopped growing very early.

– Right now you look like a high school student!

“Friendly diving coaches say I would be a great vaulter.”

— We’ve already talked about it with Maya (Gurbanberdieva), but I’m going to ask you too. You and her have very different temperaments. Was this what was planned when you were accepted into the mixed duo?

– No. But we are really different. I have known Maya for a very long time. She came to the sport earlier, but throughout my 17 years in the sport we were constantly close. We were in the same training when we were juniors. Now, the duo has rallied together and become friends. We are now like yin and yang.

“I like the way you sing karaoke.” Do you have a regular repertoire?

https://t.me/oleska_plat13/418

– We then sang everything that was sung. Even Bring Me to Life from our old show. The coach was amused, I think Gana Vladimirovna (Maksimova) was happy.

— You haven’t made it to the World Championships yet. It’s a shame?

— In my junior years, I also missed the World Cup. Then there was Covid, now we no longer have the right. But I try not to dwell on this problem. I would love to, but with the current circumstances, we are just past that point.

—Are you studying somewhere?

— I recently received a diploma, graduated from the Russian State University of Physical Education and became a trainer-teacher. Now I will take a little break from my studies and then, closer to next year, I will see what is interesting.

— Do you have dreams or desires for education outside of sport?

— All my childhood I wanted to become a veterinarian, but, apparently, it will remain a dream, because you have to devote all your time to it and study almost your whole life.

— How was the start of the season for you in general, given that you competed with a different partner?

— In principle, Zakhar (Trofimov) and I prepared a duet in a fairly short time and we played very well. Our coach was happy, and that’s the most important thing.

– But it’s a pretty complicated story – getting into a duo with another partner.

– Yes, but it’s an interesting experience, completely different sensations. She suggested things to Zakhar while he was working and he listened to her.

— Did you feel like a mature athlete?

– Well, not very mature, but she could help him with something.

— You played for the first time in Yekaterinburg. Love?

— The swimming pool is good. And a change of scenery is good too. We are accustomed to our, one might say, native Kazan, but here is a different city, a different pool and new emotions. Everything was very comfortable, at least everyone liked it, that’s for sure for me. However, I didn’t go into town, and what’s more, the weather wasn’t always nice.

— What do you think of the changes to the new rules?

“Because of them, all the beauty, all the spice of the programs that the teams had, disappeared. Now everyone has the same thing. Maybe the creators of the rules thought about objectivity, but it turned out terrible – athletes and coaches don’t like it. Now they are trying to correct the situation that prevailed at the World Championships with additional changes. To avoid observing the same movement, turn.

— So, did you watch the World Cup?

— I watched in part, saw the programs of the winners and prize-winners. It’s an apotheosis, it’s impossible to watch. I don’t know what kind of objectivity we’re talking about. It’s not normal for the solo world champion to have awkward legs, no splits, no lifts and bent knees.

— If you played solo, what kind of soloist would you become?

— I played solo in front of the national team.

— In a lyrical role?

— No, I played to the music of “Tango of Death”. My coach Tatyana Yuryevna Apanasenko said that I was always in such groups, with harsh music, and she believed that I would be able to cope with such production.

— In your three-way program, you are a white swan. Have you always wanted to change roles with Maya?

– No. I like my image. I like soft curves, elegance, vulnerability. I feel that too.

– How do you relax?

— I either spend time at home or meet friends. Or I can go horse riding. Instead of kicking my legs, I jerk the horse. I ride at the Nightingale Grove club.

The horses are all magnificent. They have a penetrating gaze, they all have different characters, each one is unique.

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