17/08/2015
Famous Russian synchro swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, 15-time world champion, 7-time European champion. Together with Natalia Ishchenko, she competed in the duet routine. After the London 2012 Olympic Games, she performs in the solo, duet (with Svetlana Kolesnichenko) and team events. She earned her latest two gold medals at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan.
Svetlana Romashina has answered your questions!
@ parmidasaga – What is your typical training day?
- I can tell you about my typical day before the Championships. Since I performed only in solo and duet program, I had one training session, not like the girls, who performed in the group. I woke up at 6 o'clock, come to the training venue, where I had a training at 8 a.m. Training in the pool lasted from 8 to 12:30, and then we went for an hour and a half to the gym, where we did general physical exercise, stretching and then went for massage, lunch and went home. At about 17-00 I arrived home and enjoyed my spare time.
@ anacatarina3 - What do you think of before the performance?
- I try to think of almost nothing before performances and suppress any thoughts. I can say that when I stood before the start in Kazan, there was a curtain, and I wanted to push it all the time and look at the audience, to find my parents who were there too . But then I remembered that it was still the Championships and I just can’t do such a thing right now. So I banished all the redundant thoughts out of my head, thinking only of my performance, trying to determine what can be done better.
@ bea_e2002 - How much do you get nervous before a performance?
- Always nervous, but it is hard to explain how much. In fact, I think the coach is more nervous because during the competition she can’t correct anything personally. I think it is normal for an athlete to be nervous. When we are 100% confident (though it is never really happens), probably something is wrong. If I'm worried, nervous, then everything goes stable.
@ bea_e2002 – Do you do something to attract good luck?
- Athletes are very superstitious people. I won’t mention any special signs, but let’s say we try to pay attention to dreams that we had before the competition. Also, we try to start the day and spend it as the previous one, if it was successful.
@ isobel.davies - What did you felt while preparing for domestic Championships in Kazan?
- Frankly - it was exciting. But I was sure that everything would be fine. For us it was a great responsibility to perform at home, and we could not let the country down.
@ kesha_kolokolchik - Do you have time to see the sights of the city in which hosts the event?
- Unfortunately, we only see the city from the window of the bus. Very rarely we have the opportunity to walk around, and even when we have such a chance, we are in a hurry to get back home, because we’re very tired, want to come to your family and friends, just to relax. It is my 10th time in Kazan so far. I was there on a vacation, competed at the Universiade. I feel really comfortable here.
Jesus Vazquez Altshow - A huge number of people always watching you. How do you deal with emotions? Do you feel the burden of responsibility to the audience?
- There is the burden of responsibility for the outcome. Honestly, I can’t say that we are incredibly worried about so many people watching us performing. Perhaps this is one of the components of our excitement. Personally, it helps me. I believe that this is some kind of support, a clot of energy that gives me some impulse to action.
Victoria Olenberg - Your sport is close to art. In connection with this question: do you love the ballet?
- I love the ballet, just recently went to the Bolshoi Theatre on the Small Stage. We are engaged in choreography, and we try to involve it in our sports schools program too. We have a choreographer Nicholas, who worked in the Bolshoi Theater. Indeed, synchronized swimming is very similar to ballet. I can’t say that we just borrow some elements, but we try to take over aesthetics and plastic, sometimes even imitate our ballerinas.
Denis Stepantsev - Are you familiar with a sense of courage? How did you reach it?
- Yes, it's a familiar feeling to me. I have it, I must confess, more on training sessions, because during competitions we are trying to remove all emotions, otherwise it may be something terrible. Each athlete has his own emotions, and sometimes splash of emotions can happen. Sometimes our coach on purpose stirs us up during trainings, cheers us up when he wants us to practice the performance with all the emotions, because as soon as you fully show your emotions, it increases the level of difficulty.
Andrey Ataev - How do you think when finally the entire planet will speak in Russian, and even foreign journalists will ask you a question in your native language?
- I think everybody understands that it is will never happen. I think sooner the planet will speak in Chinese. But people should speak their mother tongue. And even when we are present at the press conference, I believe that athletes who have won any place should be interviewed only in their native language. I speak in Russian.
Photo: R-Sport / MIA Rossiya Segodnya
