Correspondent Boris KHODOROVSKY

Translation ALYONA
Released on 08.Apr.2010
Original Article Link: http://sport-weekend.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4511&Itemid=1

The Olympic Champion of Beijing – about her birthday, new style and impressions from the figure skating
Previous week-end the triumphant of the Olympics in Beijing Evgenia Kanaeva confirmed her highest class one more time during the World Cup held in Saint-Petersburg. She has won the All Around with the great score, and then got all the gold medals in Event finals. After the competition was over, Evgenia gave an interview to our correspondent.

Birthday in the training hall

– Is it hard for the Olympic Champion and the leader of the world Rhythmic Gymnastics to concentrate upon a usual World Cup?

–  First of all, this World Cup was held in Russia, therefore we needed to show the best we could to our fans. Secondly, the strongest gymnasts from the whole world took part in that competition and I am very happy that I managed to win the All Around and the Finals.

– One day before the beginning of the competition you had your 20^th birthday. How did you celebrate it?

– In the training hall. As long as we prepare for the European Championship, there is no time to think about any celebration.

– After the Olympics in Beijing which you won absolutely brilliantly, the rules have changed and your style has changed as well…

– I am very pleased that now a great importance is paid to artistic execution. I like to create new images. Of course, we try to make our routines more difficult, but now there is more harmony in them.

– The Head Coach of the Russian National Team Irina Viner said that after Beijing you began to work out in the gym even more…

– I like to perform very much, and in order to make it successfully, to satisfy the audience and myself I need to work a lot. Even having reached some high results in sports, one shouldn’t stop. I don’t like to use the old knowledge. The audience must be happy watching me perform my routines beautifully, and not watching the Olympic Champion Kanaeva always dropping the apparatus.

– Do you take part in creation of your routines or you absolutely trust your coaches and choreographers?

– I work with a great choreographer Irina Zenovka who has created all the four routines for this season. She can perform all the elements she puts into my program. She is a wonderful person! Lucy Dimitrova, the choreographer of the national Team, also helps a lot. And of course my coaches Vera Stelbaums and Irina Viner take part in creation as well.

– It must be hard to have your own voice inside such a professional team…

– You are mistaken. How could I perform on a music I don’t like? It would be an immediate failure. Of course, my opinion is taken into consideration. There are very wise people working in the Russian National team.

It is a pity that Kapranova and Sessina retired so early

– After the Olympic Games in Beijing there was change of generations in Russian RG team. Olga Kapranova and Vera Sessina have retired and they were replaced by two Darias – Dmitrieva and Kondakova, and also Yana Lukonina. Do you feel the pressure of the ambitious pursuers?

–  No I don’t. For me the main rival is myself. Of course, I watch the girls performing their routines in the training hall, but I never do it on the competitions. I always fight with myself and wish all the girls from the Russia team success. It’s a pity that Kapranova and Sessina retired so early. They were great gymnasts; in the National Team they were called ballerinas for their outstanding qualities.

– If it’s not a secret, how are you called in the team?

– Simply Zhenya.

– In Omsk RG School you were called Mother Teresa for trying to help everyone around…

– Now they don’t call me like this, the years spent in professional sport leave their mark on the character.

– In one of the interviews you said that you dreamed of learning playing piano, painting and English language…

– I keep dreaming of it. Before finishing the sportive career it is quite difficult to do something else, and so far I am not going to retire. We’ll live and see what will happen after sport. I would like to try many things.

There is no comeback to gymnastics

– Have you watched the Winter Olympics?

– I paid attention only at the male figure skating competition. I was supporting Evgeny Plushchenko.

– On your opinion, did he deserve the Gold?

– I am not the judge to speak about the performances of the skaters. Plushchenko is a great skater for he managed to come back to sports after a three-year break. And if the judges put him on the second place then it should be like this.

– Could you come back to gymnastics after a three-year break?

– No, it would be impossible. A gymnast who missed even one season cannot come back.

– And what about Kabaeva and Tchashina who missed the whole season because of disqualification.

– But they never left. They didn’t perform at the competitions but they continued to exercise two times a day. It was a hard time for the girls, but they did a great job. They managed to overcome all the difficulties and proved everyone who they were. They are great athletes as well.

– Do you keep in touch with Alina and Irina?

– No, they live their own lives and we don’t really meet. It’s good that they have found their places in life after the retirement. Sometimes it happens that the champions cannot do it, and it is very hard.

Mom always tells the truth

– Do you live in Moscow or Omsk now?

– I live in the training center. I visit Moscow oftener than Omsk, but I try to come home as soon as it’s possible. We practically have no vacations, only for New Year.

– You mom is a Master of Sports in rhythmic Gymnastics. Does she ever dare to give you any advice?

– Sometimes. She can even say me unpleasant things. She goes like, you’ve gained half a kilo and you don’t look good on the carpet. Mom always tells the truth and I am glad to have such an advisor. It is much better than to hear from your relatives: “Wow, Zhenechka, you are so good! Come and eat one pie!”

– Does the diet problem exist for you?

– Not really, but sometimes I have to refuse from certain things. I have to leave up to the status of the Olympic Champion and be the example for the young gymnasts!

P.S. A news clip for RUS team preparing EC 2010
http://news.sportbox.ru/Vidy_sporta/hud_gimnastika/spbvideo_Rossiyanki-gotovyatsya-k-chempionatu-Evropi
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Thanks GX for this beautiful photo
中譯: Zoe Wan
原文發表於4月8日
原文網址: http://sport-weekend.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4511&Itemid=1

Evegnia Kanaeva: 他們不再稱呼我「德蕾莎修女」了
北京奧運冠軍-談她的生日、新風格及她對花式溜冰的印象
上週末，在聖彼得堡舉行的世界杯，北京奧運冠軍Evgenia Kanaeva再一次證明她的最高水準，她以很高分贏得了個人全能冠軍，接著在單項決賽拿走所有項目金牌。比賽結束後，她接受本報記者的訪問。

在訓練館渡過生日
– 對於奧運冠軍跟RG界的領導者，在一般的世界杯比賽是否難以專注。
– 首先，這個世界杯是在俄羅斯國內舉辦，因此我們必須展現最好的一面給我們的fans。再者，所有世界上最強的選手都參加了比賽，而我很開心能贏個人全能跟單項競賽。

– 比賽的前一天是你20歲生日。你怎麼慶祝?
– 我在訓練館。我們要準備歐錦賽，沒有時間去想慶祝的事。

– 北京奧運之後-你在那漂亮的贏得了冠軍，規則改變了，你的風格也同時改變了…
– 我很高興現在很重要的一部份是更注重藝術的表現。我喜歡創造新的形象，當然，我們試圖增加成套的難度，但現在兩者之間更協調。

– 俄羅斯國家隊主教練 Irina Viner說北京奧運之後你在體育館練的更勤…
– 我非常喜歡表演，為了讓表演成功，且滿足觀眾跟我自己，我必須做很多的訓練。即使已經在運動上取得了很高的成績，也不該停滯。我不喜歡用舊的東西。觀眾要的是開心的看我漂亮地表演成套，而不是看奧運冠軍Kanaeva老是掉器械。

– 你有參與創作你的成套還是你完全信任你的教練跟編舞者?
– 我跟一個很棒的編舞者合作-Irina Zenovka 今年四個成套都是她編的。她能做所有她編排到我成套的動作，她是個很棒的人。國家隊的編舞者-Lucy Dimitrova也幫我很多。還有我的教練 Vera Stelbaums跟Irina Viner也參與創作。

– 在這麼專業的團隊裡，一定很有難有你發表意見的機會…
– 你錯了。我怎麼可能表演我不喜歡的音樂? 這樣馬上就會失敗。當然，我的意見會考慮在內的。俄羅斯團隊裡有很睿智的人。

很可惜Kapranova跟Sessina這麼早就退休
– 北京奧運之後，俄羅斯RG隊經歷了世代交替。Olga Kapranova跟Vera Sessina退休了，取而代之的是2個Darias，Dmitrieva跟Kondakova，還有Yana Lukonina。面對這些企圖心很強的後繼者，你有感覺到壓力嗎?
– 不，我沒有。對我而言最大的對手是我自己。當然，在訓練館裡我會看女孩們表演她們的成套，但比賽時我不會這樣做。我總是跟我自己競爭且我希望所有俄羅斯隊裡的女孩們成功。很可惜Kapranova跟Sessina這麼早就退休。她們是偉大的體操選手；因為她們傑出的素質，在國家隊裡，她們被稱為芭蕾女伶

– 在隊裡你被稱為什麼呢? 如果這不是個祕密的話
– 就是叫我Zhenya
– 在OMSK的RG學校，你因為樂於助人而被稱為「德蕾莎修女」…
– 現在他們不這樣叫我了，在職業運動這些年，我的性格已經改變了，現在我不會總是試著去幫助每個人，現在我必須多考慮我自己。(OK，這是我跟Alyona確認後的意思)
– 你曾在某次的訪問中提到你夢想著學習彈鋼琴、繪畫、跟英文…
– 我依然夢想著這些事。但在結束運動生涯之前，很難做其他的事情，目前我還不打算退休。等我退役後再看看事情會怎麼發展，我很想嘗試很多事。

體操一旦很難離開了就很難再回來
– 你有看冬季奧運嗎?
– 我只留意男子花式溜冰。我支持Evgeny Plushchenko。

– 你認為他是否值得拿金牌?
– 我不是裁判可以評論溜冰選手的表現。Plushchenko是偉大的溜冰選手，他能在休息三年後再度重返這個運動。而如果裁判給他第二名，那就應該是這樣吧。

– 你能在休息三年後再度重返體操界嗎?
– 不，這是不可能的。體操選手就算只休息一個賽季都不可能再回來了。

– 那Alina Kabaeva跟Irina Tchachina該怎麼說，她們兩個都曾因為被取消資格而錯失整個賽季。
– 但她們從未離開。她們沒有參加比賽，可是她們持續每天訓練兩次。對她們而言，這是最難熬的時期，但她們做得很棒。她們克服所有困難並向每個人證明自己。她們也是偉大的選手。

– 你跟Alina及Irina還有保持聯絡嗎?
– 沒有，她們有自己的生活，我們沒真的有接觸。她們能在退休後在生活中找到自己的定位，這是很棒的。有時候也會有冠軍選手沒辦法做到這點，這是很辛苦的。

媽媽總是說實話
– 你現在是住在Moscow 或 Omsk?
– 我住在訓練中心，我待在Moscow的時間比Omsk多，但如果可以我會盡可能回家。實際上我們沒有什麼休假，只有新年。

– 你媽媽擁有RG的”Master of Sports”頭銜，你曾給你任何建議嗎?
– 有時候。她甚至會對我說令人不悅的話。例如她會說: 你胖了半公斤，你在體操毯上看起來不怎麼好。媽媽總是說實話，而我很高興有這樣的忠告者。這比聽到你的親人說: “Wow! Zhenechka，你真是棒，來，吃個派!” 好的多。

– 你有節食的問題嗎?
– 不算有，但有時候我必須拒絕一些特定的事情。我必須符合奧運冠軍的身份並且要當年輕選手的榜樣!