Romashina Svetlana is rightfully considered one of the best synchronized swimmers in the world. The athlete is a multiple champion of world and continental championships.
Biography
Svetlana Alekseevna Romashina was born in Moscow in 1989. At the age of five, the future "goldfish" of Russia first came with her mother to the pool. At that time, the girl was already engaged in a dance studio, but it was in the water that Svetlana Romashina fully revealed her potential.
Swimming was very easy for her, so the coaches advised her mother to send her daughter to the synchronized swimmers section. So, at the age of 9, Romashina began to seriously engage in sports under the guidance of Tatyana Danchenko.
The future Olympic champion managed to combine synchronized swimming training, ballroom dancing and schooling. After the girl developed gastritis against the background of constant diets, only sports remained in her daily routine.
Persistent, and sometimes exhausting training has paid off - at the age of 15 Romashina Svetlana became the youngest in the Russian national team in synchronized swimming.
But even the tightest training schedules did not prevent the young athlete from getting an education. After school, she graduated from Moscow State University of Economics, and then chose the Faculty of Sports Management at Moscow State University as her second higher education.
"Golden" sports career
The beginning of a professional sports career for Romashina turned out to be simply stunning. Already at her first world championship, 16-year-old Svetlana makes a "golden" double, winning in group exercises and in combination. A year later, she repeats her achievement at the continental championship in Budapest.
World fame was at times a very heavy burden for the young athlete, because due to the tight training regimen, she practically did not see her parents. On the eve of the Beijing Olympics, Romashina Svetlana wanted to leave the sport, and only her coach Danchenko managed to dissuade the young synchronized swimmer from this act. As it turned out, not in vain.
During her sports career, Romashina won the world championships eighteen times, and she did it both in solo discipline, and in pair and group performances. Svetlana is also a ten-time winner of the continental championship. At the Universiade in Kazan in 2013, her collection of gold medals was replenished with two more items.
In 2013, the synchronized swimmer became the best athlete of the year according to the Federation of Sports Journalists, she was awarded the Silver Doe award.
One of the reasons for Romashina's successful career is her ability to stay under water for a long time. Svetlana can hold her breath for almost 5 minutes, which is very good for her.
Olympic glitter medals
Romashina Svetlana in 2008 performed for the first time at the Olympics in Beijing. She took part in group competitions as part of the Russian team, which managed to perform brilliantly and win gold medals.
Since 2009, Romashina has performed in a duet with another famous synchronized swimmer, Natalia Ishchenko. Together they won the London Olympics. But this "golden" medal rain did not end for Svetlana. Speaking in the group, she became a two-time winner of the Games.
In 2015, Romashina Svetlana missed the home world championship due to injury. There was a question about the end of a sports career. But after some deliberation, the leader of the Russian synchronized swimming team decided to compete at the games in Rio de Janeiro.
Together with Ishchenko, to the sounds of "Gypsy Girl", the mermaids once again showed their superiority over their rivals. A few days later, the Russian team won the group, ahead of the strong teams of Japan, China and Ukraine. Thus, Svetlana Romashina became a five-time Olympic champion.
Personal life
Even on vacation Romashina Svetlana cannot live without water. Her favorite hobby is, moreover, the synchronized swimmer has already managed to take part in several regattas.
For several years now, Svetlana has been living in a civil marriage with Nikolai Zakharov. In the future, the "goldfish" of Russia plans to officially legalize their relationship and become a mother.
Frankly, when the very real threat of Olympic beheading hung over the entire Russian team with a guillotine knife, it was them, the synchronized swimmers, who were most sorry for. Well, where is the doping - and where are these fragile beauties?
The working day in this sport in Russia lasts 10-12 hours. A candy is a holiday, a sandwich is a banquet... The fact that since 2000, after the performances of synchronized swimmers, no other anthem has been heard at the Olympics, except for the Russian anthem - this is years of plowing, bleach-corroded skin and the rejection of the vast majority of simple human joys.
No one could beat Ishchenko and Romashina (now 4-time Olympic champions) in Rio. In addition to the numerous organizational problems that the Brazilians brought down on the psyche of the already suffering (“are they allowed or not?”) “mermaids”.
Local water changed its properties and characteristics at a prestissimo pace. Which in music, and in life too, means - "extremely fast." At first the water was just cold. Then it turned green. Then she got dim. Then it began to emit a very unambiguous aroma ...
Dancing in such water is like staging ballet in a garbage dump. Of course, in this age of art, "installations" and a bunch of crap can be called art. "He sees it that way."
Excuse me, gentlemen of criticism, in Rio we saw only a muddy and smelly swamp. In no way deserving the right to be an arena for the magic that our synchronized swimmers create.
What kind of wishes were not written by fans in social networks to athletes and their coach Tatyana Danchenko on the eve of the start! “You just look there, don’t croak and don’t turn green”, “If you turn into frogs, we will come, we will disenchant”, “Mermaids should live in the ocean, not in a swamp” ...
Danchenko remained cheerful and optimistic. Her wards worked, smiling. Because you can't work with clenched teeth in synchronized swimming... The last training before the golden performance took place at night, in cold water, and a tropical downpour was whipping from above.
Today they swam out to the middle of the pool - thank God, still a little cleared and decent color - and they did everything. In one gate. There is no word in Russian, Chinese or Japanese that would adequately describe the crushingness of their victory.
The Chinese women, of course, tried to pour bleach into the dim fire of intrigue as much as they could. We suspect that by the number of labor hours spent in the pool before the Olympics, if they lost to the Russians, then quite a bit ...
But the music of the composer Mikhail Ekimyan, written specifically for the "Mermaids" program, began to sound, and it became clear who was the real champion here, and who came out to play silver and bronze.
Ishchenko and Romashina did not compete with other duets. They did not seek to "squeeze" additional thousandths of points out of the judges. They just worked magic with every gesture they made.
We think that if they really turned into princess frogs as a result of this magic, the entire male component of the stands would immediately jump into the pool. Kiss and rescue.
No, dear macho. Our beauties already have Russian princes.
And the Russian mermaids themselves are not green. They are emerald!
Big sport №7-8(64)
Andrey Supranovich
Svetlana Romashina - about the lack of attention to synchronized swimming, love for ballet and hopes for Olympic gold
Our Olympic hopes - gymnasts, swimmers, synchronized swimmers - have a lot in common. The sword of Damocles of responsibility for Russia's performance at the Olympics hung over them, because medals are traditionally expected from representatives of these sports. And each of the athletes has a special inner core, which is so strong that it allows year after year to withstand monotonous overload, to sacrifice health and personal life for the sake of winning the main start of the four years. Beijing-2008 champion Svetlana Romashina told Bolshoy Sport about what is laid on the altar of the Olympic victory, as well as about the judges, makeup and life under water.
Let's start traditionally. How did you get into synchronized swimming?
The story is banal: they brought me to the pool, taught me how to swim, and I immediately liked floundering in the water. And then it somehow started spinning, and at the age of ten I already dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion. When I won the coveted title, my friend reminded me of those childhood dreams. In addition to swimming, as a child, I was also engaged in ballroom dancing, and in the same ten years I had to choose one thing. As a result, I refused to dance, because I did not like my partner. I thought I would be independent in synchronized swimming. Here, of course, I was wrong.
Do you like solo more than duet or group?
As a child, she loved solo performances: you do what you want and think that it comes out beautifully. Now I perform in a duet, a group, and I prefer a duet. This is a more prestigious look, the names of the participants are well known. So I won in Beijing in 2008 in the group - who knew the names of all eight group players there?
Recently, I learned with interest that group synchro swimmers have a role, like football players, for example.
In football, the division into roles is still clearer. We also have an acrobat girl - small, thin, light, she performs various tricks in the air. There is also a pusher - with strong arms, it just helps the acrobat to take off. And the rest are just "circus performers".
The acrobat, probably, clearly sees the reaction of the audience to the performance. And the rest have time to notice something, maybe hear the coach's tips?
If, God forbid, silver or bronze, our sport will be forgotten for the next 10 years. I have already heard the phrase of officials: “In water sports, 34 sets of awards will be played. Of these, Russia has two golds in synchronized swimming, one in swimming ... "It's scary not to live up to such expectations
Do friends or parents come to support?
It is very hard for me if someone close to me is in the stands, even during the warm-up, I always ask them to leave. After all, this is an additional stress. Let them watch TV.
By the way, about the coaches: how is it working with the duet Danchenko - Pokrovskaya?
Excellent. Tatyana Evgenievna Danchenko is my personal trainer, she is in charge of the duo. I've been with her since I was ten years old. And Tatyana Nikolaevna Pokrovskaya is the head coach of the national team, her area of responsibility is the group.
I've heard a lot about Pokrovskaya's favorite dog, Danya the Yorkie. Does he often spend time with you?
He is constantly on the side of the pool, running after us, barking when we leave training. Get used to his company.
How do Danchenko and Pokrovskaya divide your time between them?
I will tell you my daily routine, so it will be clearer. We get up at seven in the morning, and at eight we already have to be in the pool. Then three hours of duet training in the water, then we go to the gym, and our place is taken by a group that trains six of us. After that, we conduct another three-hour training together from seven to ten in the evening.
Do you practice holding your breath underwater? Maybe you are holding competitions - who will last longer?
It was all there before, now it's not. At one time we went to the Center for Disaster Medicine, where we breathed mountain air, which, as I understand it, increased lung capacity. Before that, she could hold out under water for three minutes, and after - 4.20. This is without movement, of course, but the increase still inspires.
And during performances, it happens that there is not enough air?
Unfortunately, such incidents are not uncommon. Here in Beijing, one Japanese woman did not calculate her strength and on the last bunch she began to sink to the bottom - hypoxia. It was not very pleasant: the Japanese team played just in front of us, and the girl was taken away on a gurney. In general, different things happen - we perform close to each other. There was a case - someone's nose was broken, the clamps were knocked down. At the last World Championships, this happened to our team, but my colleague ended her performance heroically, pinching her nose with her upper lip.
How do you get along with your partner, 16-time world champion Natalya Ishchenko?
We have a great relationship. We used to go on holiday together. Now, however, everyone has their own personal life. Natasha is married, so she tries to spend almost all her free time at home.
Has there ever been a rivalry between you? Would you like, for example, to take the place of Natalia in solo?
In fact, you need to be born a soloist, it’s not just like that - you took it and wanted it. Natasha is a very creative person. Much more than me, I think. I once did a solo at junior competitions, but I don’t know if it would have turned out now. Maybe something would work out, but I don't even want to try it yet. So there is no rivalry, on the contrary, we try to support Natasha, who trains the most. For example, fooling around with her music for a solo performance.
Who chooses the musical accompaniment?
All decisions are made collectively, together with the coaches, and various elements and combinations are also thought out together. Natasha and I have never performed to classical music, we decided together that this is not for us, and we choose only from modern compositions. But accompaniment can be anything. For example, we did the program "Jungle", where there were the cries of a monkey, and the hiss of a snake, and the roar of an elephant.
How else can you surprise the judges?
New elements, of course. Here we are ahead of the rest - we are constantly inventing something. True, it's a shame when you come to the next competition, and there the Spaniards are already using your achievements.
There was a case when, before leaving for the Olympics in Beijing, Dmitry Medvedev gathered the Olympians and wished us to be equal to the football team that won bronze. I stood and thought: “We’re kind of going for gold ...” And then you listen to the salaries of those players - and it’s a shame
The last three Olympiads were left for the Russian team, and there is no question of the World and European Championships. Haven't conversations started on the sidelines on the topic “How to make others win too”?
There is such. Often such conversations reach both us and the coaches. Before the last World Cup, it became known that Chinese specialists called the judge from Malaysia and told how great they were. Something like "we have cool girls, give them dozens, and omit the Russians." The funny thing is that the judge was next to us at that moment - we were just at the training camp in Malaysia. We don't know yet how to deal with it. Apparently, there is only one way: to come and show that they are really the best.
So, should we expect surprises from Chinese women in London?
Maybe. Rumor has it that both China and Canada are training with Cirque du Soleil, which is a big boost. This is an exciting moment, who knows what acrobatic tricks they will eventually show.
When drawing up a plan for the Olympics, our sports officials write “gold medal” in advance opposite the “synchronized swimming” column. What does it feel like to be the favorite all the time?
This only makes it harder. If, God forbid, silver or bronze, then our sport will be forgotten for the next 10 years. I have already heard the phrase of officials: “In water sports, 34 sets of awards will be played. Of these, Russia has two golds in synchronized swimming, one in swimming ... ”It’s scary not to live up to such expectations.
You have one Olympic gold. Is it easier to enter this river the second time?
On the one hand, yes. I know what to expect, besides, we have already tested the Olympic pool, we understood what water and lighting are there - this is important. On the other hand, anything can happen, this is the Olympics.
Games are a different story. And how to motivate yourself to the world championships, where the number of gold medals has already gone to dozens?
Yes, it can be hard to find motivation. You try to push yourself with something, you perceive it as your job that you have to do, and do it very well. You think about the Olympics, imagining that each championship is a step towards it.
But you are only 22, and the same Elvira Khasyanova is already 31! Where do they get the strength to perform?
I do not know. Elvira had already retired from the sport, but returned. Asya Davydova too. The girls have no problems in their personal lives, maybe they just miss sports.
What about your personal life? You constantly disappear at training camps, trainings and competitions.
With personal life everything is in order. Fortunately, my chosen one perfectly understands everything - for the sake of what all this is being done and what is the goal in front of me.
Do you plan to take a vacation after the Olympics, following the example of your colleagues?
I don't know yet. Though I think about it. Strength is becoming less and less, and health must be protected. In any case, you need a month and a half to relax. Sea, sun, beach - that's my choice. Once I went to a regatta, I really liked it, I began to understand how a yacht works.
We get up at seven in the morning, and at eight we already have to be in the pool. Then three hours of duet training in the water, then we go to the gym. After that, we conduct another three-hour training session from seven to ten in the evening.
Not so long ago, the European Football Championship ended, which was extremely unsuccessful for the Russian team. And you will bring a gold medal from the Olympics, but you will still be paid less and less will be written about you. Isn't it embarrassing?
Painful question. There was a case when, before leaving for the Olympics in Beijing, Dmitry Medvedev gathered the Olympians and wished us to be equal to the football team that won bronze. I stood and thought: “We are going to get some gold…” And then you listen to the salaries of those players - and it’s a shame. We used to be paid a penny in general, it's good that at least in the last four years the situation has improved, and the lifetime presidential scholarship for Olympic champions also helps.
By the way, do you have a tattoo, how do the judges treat it?
We cover them up because they distract the attention of the judges. But my orchid is still nonsense, here Asya Davydova has 17 butterflies in the back. Fortunately, almost everyone is covered by a swimsuit.
Everyone could see Asya butterflies in one of the glossy magazines. How do you like that candid photo shoot?
Yes, frank, unusual, unusual, but beautiful! I would not have acted topless, like Nastya Ermakova, but like Asya in a bathing suit - completely. Some liked it, some didn't, but most importantly, it resonated. The guys at the institute shoved magazines at me almost in piles and asked me to get an autograph from the girls. What-no, but additional attention to our sport.
What about preparing for a performance? How long do you put on makeup?
Makeup is a separate conversation. Sometimes you put on makeup, look at yourself up close - dear mother, run away from here. From a distance it's fine. This is all for the judges to see the facial expressions. It turns out that we are in the water for only five minutes, and the preparation takes about an hour. Still, the hair needs to be laid - we dilute edible gelatin in water, and it must be completely dissolved, without lumps.
Does everyone have the same "outfit"? How do you differ from your competitors, except for the color of your swimwear?
Well ... Here Natasha and I do not one bunch of hair on the head, like everyone else, but two. Nothing but variety. We also have not the most common make-up - “puppet”. We draw our eyelashes.
I heard that men also began to try to become synchronized swimmers ...
Yes, there is one American, he even competed at international competitions. In Russia, a boy from St. Petersburg is engaged in and participates in various shows. Natasha and I once even had a number with that American, a very peculiar experience. Personally, men's legs pulled out of the water do not impress me.
Is our "ballet" photo session close to you?
I love ballet very much, it's a pity that my young man does not share this. Recently we went to the Bolshoi Theater to see La Bayadere, but everything is like a joke: he fell asleep already in the first act. And I enjoyed watching it. I remember that four years ago I took time off from training and left for a day in St. Petersburg to watch Swan Lake at the Mariinsky Theater. And as a child, I often went with my parents.
Svetlana Alekseevna Romashina. She was born on September 21, 1989 in Moscow. Russian synchronized swimmer, Honored Master of Sports of Russia.
As a child, she was engaged in ballroom dancing and swimming. But by the age of 9 she decided to seriously take up synchronized swimming and even then she began to dream of the title of Olympic champion.
As Svetlana admitted, she had to work a lot on herself, because she was never a super flexible child.
“When at the age of 9 she came to Tatiana Danchenko for the first time, she told my parents: “I’ll take her if she loses weight and sits on the twine.” From that moment on, my diet ran out of bread, all flour and favorite chocolates. In addition to hard diet every day after a workout, my mother arranged me between two chairs and sat on top herself. The execution continued until the first tears, after which my mother left, and I continued to sit on the twine with a textbook. Nobody canceled the lessons and homework! "She said.
However, such self-execution bore fruit: at the age of 15, she already became a member of the national team of the country.
The first serious success came to her in 2005, when Romashina took two golds at the World Championships in Montreal - in the group and in the combination.
She plunged into an adult sports life early, which made it very difficult at first, in particular, she missed her parents very much.
There were difficult psychological periods when Romashina wanted to quit synchronized swimming: “By the age of 18, weight crept up, my back and shoulder hurt every now and then, and skipping even one workout caused quite understandable dissatisfaction of coaches ... This led to the fact that in the Olympic 2008 "I was on the verge of leaving professional sports. At home, in tears, I told my parents that I would no longer do synchronized swimming, that it was not for me. Mom and dad tried to support me, but the words of Tatyana Evgenievna Danchenko turned out to be decisive. "If everything is now quit, it turns out that you went all the way in vain, you worked so much in vain, ”she said,” the athlete recalled.
And she gritted her teeth and continued to work hard.
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing she won the gold medal in the group.
In 2009-2012 she performed in a duet with. At the 2012 London Olympics their duet won the gold. She also received a medal of the highest standard in the group, thus becoming a three-time Olympic champion.
After the 2012 Olympics, Ishchenko went on maternity leave, so in 2013-2014 Romashina worked in tandem with Svetlana Kolesnichenko, with whom she won gold at the World Championships and the Universiade. Since 2015, he has been working again in a duet with Ishchenko.
Also at the moment when Ishchenko was absent, Romashina showed herself as a soloist - before that, there were no such titles in her collection. She won gold in solo at the European and World Championships, as well as at the Universiade.
In 2013, the Federation of Sports Journalists of Russia awarded her the Silver Doe prize as the best athlete of the year.
Svetlana Romashina can hold her breath underwater for 4.5 minutes! For synchronized swimmers, this is a very important indicator.
The athlete herself once said about this: “Here in Beijing, one Japanese woman did not calculate her strength and began to sink to the bottom on the last bunch - hypoxia. It was not very pleasant: the Japanese team performed just in front of us, and the girl was taken away on a stretcher " .
She missed the 2015 World Championships in Kazan due to health problems. Before her was the question - to continue her career or leave the sport?
She said: “I already had two operations, and then a third loomed on the horizon. When new sores appear, albeit not very serious ones, you start to think: “If all the medals and titles have already been won, why are these torments?” The coaches gave Natasha Ishchenko and my young man, to whom I turned for advice, unanimously declared that I should make the decision myself ... As a result, after much deliberation, I nevertheless decided to perform before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on the reserve of strength and health that we have. I didn’t want to let Natasha down, who returned for the sake of our common victory in Rio."
She was an ambassador for the 2015 FINA World Championships.
She approached the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as one of the most titled athletes in the history of synchronized swimming: three-time Olympic champion, 18-time world champion, 10-time European champion.
In Rio, she performed in a duet with Natalia Ishchenko. “She is a very good partner. It’s just that Natasha is already like a native person for me. We understand each other without words,” Svetlana said about her partner.
Ishchenko and Romashina brought the technical program "Gypsy" and the free program "Mermaid" to the Olympic Games. The latter was first shown at the May 2016 European Championships in London, according to the athletes and coaches themselves, this program surpasses all previous ones in terms of complexity.
Seriously fond of sailing, actively takes part in regattas.
On the sea more than once got into extreme situations. “Once, with a strong wind of 35 knots, our steering wheel failed. The ship was flying straight onto the rocks! I had to remove the sails and go home on the motor. Then there was more adrenaline than at the Olympic Games!” Svetlana admitted.
In one of the interviews, she stated that she does not exclude in the future her entry into the Olympic team already in sailing.
The growth of Svetlana Romashina: 173 centimeters.
Personal life of Svetlana Romashina:
For several years he has been in a relationship with yachtsman Nikolai Zakharov. Together with him, he participates in regattas, while Nikolai acts as a skipper.
Svetlana plans to start a family and have children. According to the athlete, if she gives birth to a girl, she will give her to synchronized swimming or figure skating, and if she has a son, she will enroll him in the hockey section.
Achievements of Svetlana Romashina:
Olympic Games:
Gold - Beijing 2008 - Group
Gold - London 2012 - Duet
Gold - London 2012 - Group
Gold - Rio de Janeiro 2016 - Duet
Gold - Rio de Janeiro 2016 - Group
World Championships:
Gold - Montreal 2005 - Group
Gold - Montreal 2005 - Combination
Gold - Melbourne 2007 - Group Free Skating
Gold - Melbourne 2007 - Group, technical program
Gold - Melbourne 2007 - Combination
Gold - Rome 2009 - Group, Free Skating
Gold - Rome 2009 - Duo, technical program
Gold - Rome 2009 - Duet, Free Skating
Gold - Shanghai 2011 - Duo, technical program
Gold - Shanghai 2011 - Duet Free Skating
Gold - Shanghai 2011 - Combination
Gold - Barcelona 2013 - Solo, technical program
Gold - Barcelona 2013 - Duo, technical program
Gold - Barcelona 2013 - Solo, Free Skating
Gold - Barcelona 2013 - Duet Free Skating
Gold - Kazan 2015 - Solo, technical program
Gold - Kazan 2015 - Duet, technical program
Gold - Kazan 2015 - Duet, free program
European Championships:
Gold - Budapest 2006 - Group
Gold - Budapest 2006 - Combination
Gold - Budapest 2010 - Group
Gold - Budapest 2010 - Duo
Gold - Budapest 2010 - Combination
Gold - Eindhoven 2012 - Duo
Gold - Berlin 2014 - Solo
Gold - London 2016 - Solo, technical
Gold - London 2016 - Duo, technical
Gold - London 2016 - Duet, free
Universiade:
Gold - Kazan 2013 - Duet
Gold - Kazan 2013 - Solo
DatsoPic 2.0 2009 by Andrey Datso
I came into the sport from the desire to be strong. I have achieved this. Then I wanted to be the first. Achieved too.Brumel Valery Nikolaevich
Svetlana Romashina was born on September 21, 1989 in Moscow - a Russian athlete, performs in synchronized swimming, in the Russian team since 2005.
Three-time Olympic champion, once in 2008, and twice in 2012, 11-time world champion, 5-time European champion. Performs in a duet with Natalia Ishchenko. After the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Natalia Ishchenko decided to take a break from her sports career and at the moment she will not perform in a duet, she will be replaced by Svetlana Kolesnichenko, who had previously been in the group. A new duo Svetlana Romashina and Svetlana Kolesnichenko will perform at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships. Svetlana Romashina and Natalya Ishchenko became the only ones in the Russian team who won two gold medals at once at the London Olympics.
(interview with Svetlana Romashkina)
Our Olympic hopes - gymnasts, swimmers, synchronized swimmers - have a lot in common. The sword of Damocles of responsibility for Russia's performance at the Olympics hung over them, because medals are traditionally expected from representatives of these sports. And each of the athletes has a special inner core, which is so strong that it allows year after year to withstand monotonous overload, to sacrifice health and personal life for the sake of winning the main start of the four years. Olympic champion Svetlana Romashina told Big Sport about what is laid on the altar of the Olympic victory, as well as about the judges, makeup and life under water.
Let's start traditionally. How did you get into synchronized swimming?
The story is banal: they brought me to the pool, taught me how to swim, and I immediately liked floundering in the water. And then it somehow started spinning, and at the age of ten I already dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion. When I won the coveted title, my friend reminded me of those childhood dreams. In addition to swimming, as a child, I was also engaged in ballroom dancing, and in the same ten years I had to choose one thing. As a result, I refused to dance, because I did not like my partner. I thought I would be independent in synchronized swimming. Here, of course, I was wrong.
Do you like solo more than duet or group?
As a child, she loved solo performances: you do what you want and think that it comes out beautifully. Now I perform in a duet, a group, and I prefer a duet. This is a more prestigious look, the names of the participants are well known. So I won in Beijing in 2008 in the group - who knew the names of all eight group players there?
Recently, I learned with interest that group synchro swimmers have a role, like football players, for example.
In football, the division into roles is still clearer. We also have an acrobat girl - small, thin, light, she performs various tricks in the air. There is also a pusher - with strong arms, it just helps the acrobat to take off. And the rest are just "circus performers".
The acrobat, probably, clearly sees the reaction of the audience to the performance. And the rest have time to notice something, maybe hear the coach's tips?
Do friends or parents come to support?
It is very hard for me if someone close to me is in the stands, even during the warm-up, I always ask them to leave. After all, this is an additional stress. Let them watch TV.
By the way, about the coaches: how is it working with the duet Danchenko - Pokrovskaya?
Excellent. Tatyana Evgenievna Danchenko is my personal trainer, she is in charge of the duo. I've been with her since I was ten years old. And Tatyana Nikolaevna Pokrovskaya is the head coach of the national team, her area of responsibility is the group.
I've heard a lot about Pokrovskaya's favorite dog, Danya the Yorkie. Does he often spend time with you?
He is constantly on the side of the pool, running after us, barking when we leave training. Get used to his company.
How do Danchenko and Pokrovskaya divide your time between them?
I will tell you my daily routine, so it will be clearer. We get up at seven in the morning, and at eight we already have to be in the pool. Then three hours of duet training in the water, then we go to the gym, and our place is taken by a group that trains six of us. After that, we conduct another three-hour training together from seven to ten in the evening.
Do you practice holding your breath underwater? Maybe you are holding competitions - who will last longer?
It was all there before, now it's not. At one time we went to the Center for Disaster Medicine, where we breathed mountain air, which, as I understand it, increased lung capacity. Before that, she could hold out under water for three minutes, and after - 4.20. This is without movement, of course, but the increase still inspires.
And during performances, it happens that there is not enough air?
Unfortunately, such incidents are not uncommon. Here in Beijing, one Japanese woman did not calculate her strength and on the last bunch she began to sink to the bottom - hypoxia. It was not very pleasant: the Japanese team played just in front of us, and the girl was taken away on a gurney. In general, different things happen - we perform close to each other. There was a case - someone's nose was broken, the clamps were knocked down. At the last World Championships, this happened to our team, but my colleague ended her performance heroically, pinching her nose with her upper lip.
Who chooses the musical accompaniment?
All decisions are made collectively, together with the coaches, and various elements and combinations are also thought out together. Natasha and I have never performed to classical music, we decided together that this is not for us, and we choose only from modern compositions. But accompaniment can be anything. For example, we did the program "Jungle", where there were the cries of a monkey, and the hiss of a snake, and the roar of an elephant.
How else can you surprise the judges?
New elements, of course. Here we are ahead of the rest - we are constantly inventing something. True, it's a shame when you come to the next competition, and there the Spaniards are already using your achievements.
There was a case when, before leaving for the Olympics in Beijing, Dmitry Medvedev gathered the Olympians and wished us to be equal to the football team that won bronze. I stood and thought: “We’re kind of going for gold ...” And then you listen to the salaries of those players - and it’s a shame
What about your personal life? You constantly disappear at training camps, trainings and competitions.
With personal life everything is in order. Fortunately, my chosen one perfectly understands everything - for the sake of what all this is being done and what is the goal in front of me.
By the way, do you have a tattoo, how do the judges treat it?
We cover them up because they distract the attention of the judges. But my orchid is still nonsense, here Asya Davydova has 17 butterflies in the back. Fortunately, almost everyone is covered by a swimsuit.
Everyone could see Asya butterflies in one of the glossy magazines. How do you like that candid photo shoot?
Yes, frank, unusual, unusual, but beautiful! I would not have acted topless, like Nastya Ermakova, but like Asya in a bathing suit - completely. Some liked it, some didn't, but most importantly, it resonated. The guys at the institute shoved magazines at me almost in piles and asked me to get an autograph from the girls. What-no, but additional attention to our sport.
What about preparing for a performance? How long do you put on makeup?
Makeup is a separate conversation. Sometimes you put on makeup, look at yourself up close - dear mother, run away from here. From a distance it's fine. This is all for the judges to see the facial expressions. It turns out that we are in the water for only five minutes, and the preparation takes about an hour. Still, the hair needs to be laid - we dilute edible gelatin in water, and it must be completely dissolved, without lumps.
Does everyone have the same "outfit"? How do you differ from your competitors, except for the color of your swimwear?
Well ... Here Natasha and I did not one tuft of hair on our head, like everyone else, but two. Nothing but variety. We also have not the most common make-up - “puppet”. We draw our eyelashes.
I heard that men also began to try to become synchronized swimmers ...
Yes, there is one American, he even competed at international competitions. In Russia, a boy from St. Petersburg is engaged in and participates in various shows. Natasha and I once even had a number with that American, a very peculiar experience. Personally, men's legs pulled out of the water do not impress me.
How do you work with a new partner?
Since we have been working with her as a duet for only a week, there are no difficulties so far. (Prior to this, the girls worked together only in a group - Approx. ed.) The training is calm, without a strenuous regime, since I am just starting to get into shape. At the moment, it is quite easy for me with Sveta. She is quiet, calm, does what I tell her. (Laughs) So far I like everything. The main thing is that the coaches like our tandem, and that they see a future in us. In addition, for the first time we have merged two competing Moscow clubs. And usually, athletes of the same coach get into a duet. We hope that this will also bear fruit.
Will you continue to perform in the group in the new season?
No, this year I'm taking a break from the group. A variant of my performance in a technical solo is possible if Natalia does not return and this position will need to be closed. But this is in question. Let's see.
After the London Olympics, you planned to take part in a sailing regatta. Did the plans come true?
Yes, I took part in the regatta and in general took up this sport seriously. It is not excluded that after synchronized swimming I will switch to sail. As for the regattas, unfortunately, we did not win prizes there, but we won in all competitions.
And what were those regattas?
I participated in two regattas in a row, both took place along the coast of Turkey. One is called the Sail and Fun Trophy (from September 28 to October 7 on the Fethiye-Fenike route. - Ed.), and the second is Volvo Week, very famous in the world.
Speaking about the transition to sailing, do you also mean getting into the Olympic team?
Why not? As I was told, the main thing is to understand how the yacht is arranged, how the wind blows. I'm being taught this little by little. So everything is possible.
At first you will combine, and the transition will take place as soon as you feel sufficient strength?
Most likely. I'm not saying that this will happen right now, but it's interesting to try yourself in another field.
Then let's get back to synchronized swimming and your work with a new partner. Are there any ideas, images that you did not have time to embody with Natalia Ishchenko?
It seems to me that we managed to do everything with her, and most importantly, we won Olympic gold. Therefore, now I am not planning anything special, the main thing is that the program will turn out well. So that both us and specialists like it. And then we will try to win the gold of the World Championship in Barcelona and win the Universiade.
What will this program be like?
We already have some ideas and the first two pieces of music. I will not reveal the secret, even about the images. Let me just say that it will again be stylized. We used to be agents, then puppets, and something similar will happen here.
How do you usually celebrate the New Year?
Usually I meet with friends and family, but this time we are going to go with a young man and a large company to Austria. We want to go skiing. True, I will ride the cable car more, because the arms and legs are still needed. (Smiling.)
That is, sailing is not the limit?
No. But this is my first time skiing, so it's too early to talk about anything. Let's see what happens. (Laughs.)
Have your New Year's wishes come true?
So far, all my wishes have come true. I would like it to continue like this.
So, do you believe in Christmas miracles?
Yes. I even write down my desires on a piece of paper, then I set it on fire and throw it into champagne, as so many people do in our country. And then you have to drink it all. Well, here are some more secrets.
Svetlana Romashina: "It's scary not to live up to expectations"
August 10, 2012 Synchronized swimming. London Olympics - Gold.
