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Let's cover the new issue of the Aggregator of Happiness magazine, which will be released soon. Young media volunteers met Svetlana Khorkina, a Russian gymnast, two-time Olympic champion, Honored Master of Sports of Russia. The guys asked Svetlana Vasilievna questions about happiness, family, career and much more.
Fight for the dream
Standing on top, on the podiums of the Olympic Games and World Championships is the dream of many athletes. But what is the path to this peak: how does it begin, what events become the brightest and what lessons does it teach? We talked about all this with Svetlana Khorkina, a Russian gymnast, winner of prizes at the European and World Championships and two Olympic medals.
Your parents were not involved in big sport. How did you come up with the idea to devote yourself to such a difficult activity?
My parents did not compete in big international arenas, but they were actively involved in sports both at school and as students. Both my father and mother are big fans of Russian sports, of its various types. Thanks to my mother, I myself became more interested in other sports. When I started doing gymnastics, I knew everyone who was good at skiing, shooting at biathlon, jumping into the water. It would seem that I got into the sport by accident. I lived with my parents far from the city and was a very weak girl in health, but energetic. One day, our hostel neighbor suggested that my mother take me to gymnastics with her daughter. The two of us were taken to the gymnastics team in the city center. The way to this center took an hour and a half one way. The neighbor's daughter quickly finished practicing, and I fell in love with this sport. First of all, thanks to my first coach.
Combining study, training and competition is difficult. Didn't you want to give it all up and be a normal teenager?
When I started to travel around the Soviet Union, to perform and I had success, it was not easy, but teachers helped me. On the pages of your magazine, I want to thank my secondary school No. 19 in Belgorod, all the teachers who worked with me stayed after classes when I arrived after training camps and competitions. I not only caught up, but even overtook the curriculum, which allowed me to finish school well and get two higher educations. Therefore, I thank my teachers of school No. 19 for the fact that they felt my boundless love for sports and saw in me that athlete, a world gymnast who will succeed. At that time, I was just a teenager, but I believed in my strength, they believed in me, the coach believed in me, the city of Belgorod believed in me, the country believed in me. Together we won the Olympic gold medals.
You have many sporting victories under your belt, that few would dare to. What motivated you to move forward?
There were many both sports victories and victories over myself. First of all, the motivation to go forward was given by the love of gymnastics. I had an amazing first coach Elena Andreevna Tkacheva, my second coach Boris Vasilievich Pilkin - they are my second parents. They opened the way to big sport for me. The motivation was also in the desire to help parents. We lived a very average life, and when I started traveling around the Soviet Union, I saw how people lived in other cities. At that time, I had already started receiving food stamps, which was a big help to my parents. I really wanted to help them further, so that they live in dignity, the whole family lives in dignity. I tried to make sure that my successes could improve our social position, and that all the people who helped us were proud of me. But in the first place there was still a boundless love for gymnastics, which remains to this day. And then - a chance to grab the firebird's tail and work hard to make all my dreams and desires come true.
Do you follow modern gymnastics, competitions? Who is your favorite today?
I always keep my finger on the pulse. I follow the competitions in artistic gymnastics both within the country and in the international arena, where, unfortunately, we are now only observers. According to the results of the last Russian Championship, which took place in the spring in Kazan, several athletes became my favorite. In women's gymnastics, this is Victoria Listunova, our young Olympic champion, and already a veteran of modern artistic gymnastics Angelina Melnikova. If we talk about boys, it was nice to see the new name of Daniel Marinov. He is the absolute champion of Russia, not yet Olympic, but I believe that his dream will also come true. And of course, Nikita Nagorny, who came out with dignity, fought. I have always said that when the reserve team of the national team and the young girls and boys who have just joined the national team move the main team on the pedestal, this keeps the already established athletes in shape.
What advice can you give to the younger generation of artistic gymnasts?
I would like to wish them to be universal, bright, take care of their sport, and popularize it. So that they overcome themselves and never stop at the first obstacle, do not give up their favorite business. You always have to fight, fight for the dream. I am sure that the dream will come true, as it happened to me. When I was leafing through pictures with legendary athletes at the age of 5-6, I told myself that I would become an Olympic champion and I would definitely write a book about what my ascent to Olympus was. I wish the younger generation perseverance, hard work and overcoming themselves.
One of your books is called The Magic of Victory. What is the magic of victory?
I always say that big victories are made up of small ones. For example, overcoming is a small victory over oneself. The book is made up of the magic of this victory. It is outspoken and very honest. I wrote there that many authoritative experts in artistic gymnastics did not believe at all in our victory with the coach, Boris Vasilyevich Pilkin. They didn’t believe fact that we would become world-famous personalities and would brightly write our names in the history of world gymnastics and several elements will bear the name of Khorkina. Fate brought its magic when he took me to his gymnastic group. Magic also happened when the coach dreamed of the elements and he came to training and said: “We will do it first!”. And we were the first in the world when it seemed impossible. But the magic of professionalism turned the impossible into the possible.
You give time to charity. What category of the population do you most often support?
I have a foundation which implements several programs. The first area concerns the popularization of artistic gymnastics. Within the foundation, there is a mentoring program, we also organize master classes in the regions of our borderless country of Russia. The strong and beautiful side of my project is a sports and theatrical gymnastic show by Svetlana Khorkina, which presents artistic gymnastics and other sports based on gymnastics in a format understandable to young people. Thanks to this show, we draw the attention of young people to gymnastic sports, including artistic gymnastics, so that they continue to practice and follow their dreams.
What is the most important thing for you in motherhood?
First of all, love. For me, the word "mother" is associated not only with the birth of children, whom mothers carry under their hearts for nine months. "Mum" for me is also in the words "motherland", "border", "fatherland", and they too are connected with the feeling of love, devotion.
Do your children plan to follow in the footsteps of the famous mother and play professional sports?
My children are always involved in physical education, and I support them. And if they have a hint that they will strengthen their physical skills and continue to develop them to professional ones, I will only be glad. I'll tell you, I'll do my best to make them succeed.
What is happiness?
For me, happiness is when all my relatives and friends are healthy, when my children are happy, when everything works out for them. When the sun shines overhead and peace on the planet. Happiness, when there is harmony in the soul, confidence in the future. When there is a desire and opportunity to do what you love, what benefits the country, my work team, my family.
Article prepared by Alexandra Reznikova
The Aggregator of Happiness is the only magazine in Russia that is a media platform for young media volunteers. Articles are prepared by children and adolescents, including those with disabilities, under the guidance of mentors. Young journalists write notes, take interviews, believe in happiness and share this belief with readers. The Eurasian Peoples' Assembly is the co-organizer and general partner of the publication.