Gymnast Anastasia Tatareva took gold in the group competition in Rio: interviews, photos, details

Nastya has been stubborn since childhood

– The rhythmic gymnastics team flew to the city of Sao Paulo in Brazil on July 27, almost a month before the performance in Rio – athletes need a certain amount of time to adapt to the time difference and climate. The Olympics are colossal work, but they are used to working hard. The gymnasts trained every day for 8 hours, sometimes more. There was only one day off during the week, during which they slept and gained strength.

The rise there usually took place at 6.00–6.30, then – choreography classes, breakfast, the first training session, lunch, a little rest. The second training session is until 19.00–20.00, and sometimes even later. Then dinner and lights out at 23.00. The regime is the same both in Moscow and in Sao Paulo. The Russian national team always trains at an intense pace.

During the day, they had mandatory medical procedures: in the morning, in the evening, and before each workout. Our team has a first-class medical staff! The condition of the athletes was closely monitored, each step was coordinated. Even in Rio, they have a staff of service personnel, excellent food – in general, everything you need.

Since childhood, Nastya has traveled to many countries, but she has not been to Brazil before. In Sao Paulo, no cultural program was foreseen – the team went to work, they have no time for walks. We are used to texting Nastya during the day via WhatsApp, but during the Olympics it was difficult to do this – round-the-clock training and 8 hours of time difference: when we got morning, they were already going to bed.

– We did not expect Nastya to go to Rio. Professional sport is always a lot of competition, and it is not customary to think ahead – everything can change in one day. Preparations for the Olympics take four years: at each competition, coaches watch the performances of gymnasts. But even if you performed well all the time, this does not guarantee a place in the Olympic team! In rhythmic gymnastics there is a large bench, we have a strong school. Therefore, relaxing and dreaming about the future is an impermissible luxury. There is a main task: to work well. Who will be in the team, we found out at the last moment – somewhere in the end of July.

I did not go with my daughter to Rio – it is not customary for me to go to competitions. And I don’t watch my daughter’s performances live: I’m afraid that my excitement will be passed on to her. At this time I try to go somewhere or just do household chores. I already look after the fact, in the record. But the husband does not miss a single broadcast!

Nastya in childhood

– Nastya goes to all competitions with toys. All girls-gymnasts have their own talismans, which they collect from childhood: they throw soft toys on the carpet when they are small … Nastya has 7 or 8 of these who always travel with her: favorite gifts from her friends, parents. And the first “thrown” toy – a teddy bear – is always next to her.

My daughter started doing gymnastics at the age of 4. It was our joint decision with my husband: a beautiful sport that gives the girl a royal posture, the ability to move, and good health. We think this is the most suitable sport for a girl. Another reason was the desire to help the child find a favorite pastime, a hobby that guides her restless energy: Nastya was a mobile child, nimble, energetic. A little touchy, but extremely stubborn: if she has thought of something, then she goes to the end.

At the age of 5-6, the first victories began: first at the local level, then at the regional and Ural Federal District. Everything went steadily, incrementally. To be honest, we didn’t even track the milestones. The realization that gymnastics is not just a hobby came when Nastya was 7-8 years old. And we started helping our daughter move forward. Nastya has passed many competitions of the Russian and All-Russian levels. At such events, children are shown. The promising ones are invited to Moscow. Nastenka was also called … It was scary and difficult to let the child go – this is a serious test for the parents! But when the coaches say that they gave everything they could at the local level, a decision must be made: quit sports or move on. Nastya wanted to continue, she liked what she was doing, and she had goals. I think we made the right decision – the child needs to be given the opportunity to realize himself, and overprotection only interferes.

So at the age of 13, she went to the Olympic reserve school in the city of Dmitrov near Moscow, and a year later to Novogorsk to train with the Russian national team. The entire national team of the Russian Federation lives there. They have gorgeous conditions: a swimming pool, a sauna, beautiful grounds, a cafe … No other country in the world does so much for professional athletes as we do!

Nastya had time to study and train

– Children-athletes are happy. Everyone says that they are deprived of childhood, but on the other hand, they gain a lot: they become more independent, they learn to appreciate every minute. Almost all athletes study well, because they know how to manage time and quickly get involved in the educational process, catching everything on the fly. Nastya studied at gymnasium number 108 with two languages ​​- English and German. Sport is great discipline and teaches you to go towards your goal, overcoming pain or temporary difficulties. This is an invaluable experience that will come in handy more than once in the future! Many professional athletes then take leadership positions – they are business people with healthy ambitions, who know what they want and what needs to be done for this.

Many children quit playing sports. I think this is the fault of the parents, because they lack the discipline and some kind of system to support the child. A small athlete should feel that his parents are nearby, that they are also interested in it. Therefore, take an interest in classes, discuss what is happening there. And if suddenly the child said that there was no more workout – no foot, explain that failures are temporary and everything will definitely work out. And you can never give up. Sport just develops the ability to take a punch. There are not always first places, not always gold, silver and bronze medals – sometimes you are in last place, and this is normal. Young children have a strong competitive moment, and failures unsettle them. At such moments, parents need to be close and support, push forward. Parents should be result-oriented too! My husband Nastya and I never lisped. We always went through all the difficulties together and taught us that problems need to be solved, and not run away from them.

– But Nastya never wanted to leave the sport. I have never heard that she will not go to training. Maybe because she mostly held a leading position. Sometimes, of course, I lost … At these moments the coach joins in, and he, together with his parents, provides psychological assistance, stabilizes the situation.

And we also have a sports family: I myself was professionally engaged in gymnastics from school to the first year of the institute, I received a candidate for master of sports. My husband played a lot of football, basketball, volleyball, athletics, skiing. So Nastya has it in her blood. Probably, the character is transmitted genetically.

Nastya is very beautiful – this is also the merit of gymnastics

– The athletes have very little time for themselves, and there is no time for personal life at all. Nastya sometimes corresponds with someone, but this is not the main thing now – she is focused on sports and studies. We must do one thing and preferably well. And since Nastya is on the road all the time, in her free time she just wants to be with her family. She has two vacations a year: 5 days – on New Year’s holidays and 1,5-2 weeks – in summer. Well, I visit her in the suburbs from time to time. We try to get out somewhere together. For example, Nastya and Dad cannot be taken away from fishing either in summer or in winter – this is their joint hobby! She also goes to the gym in which she began to train, although during the summer vacation they are allowed to gain weight on her mother’s sweets.

Although they have a strict, balanced diet. Despite the buffet, everyone knows what he can and what not. After all, they are accustomed to eating right from childhood. When there is great physical activity, it is imperative to give preference to healthy food and organic products.

– Nastya’s best friends are girls from the national team. As our coach Irina Viner says, girls in a team should be like five fingers folded into one fist. One millimeter error will affect the results of the whole team. Therefore, the team is so close-knit that girls with closed eyes feel each other at a distance. And they are all best friends, it is no longer possible to communicate with someone …

Now Anastasia is studying at the correspondence department at the Institute of International Relations. This year she passed to the second course in the specialty “Advertising and public relations”. Many athletes go to a sports institute in St. Petersburg, but Nastya decided to get an education “for herself”. Perhaps Nastya will leave the sport and start advertising, or maybe she will never touch this area. It all depends on her. We do not discuss such long-term plans. It’s more effective to take small steps to a small goal and solve problems as they come. Life has taught us not to make plans, because the more specific goals you set, the better.