— You took part in the “New Stars of Africa” program broadcast on TNT and left the project in the first episode. What emotions did you experience then?
— To be honest, I was even glad that he (Oscar Kuchera – socialbites.ca note) won my competition. I didn’t bother too much: from the first days I quickly got to St. Petersburg. I wanted to return to St. Petersburg and my normal life.
— How do you remember Kuchera? Would you call him a worthy opponent?
— Yes, Oscar is a good man and an interesting person. I think we can be friends.
— You admitted in an interview that you were skeptical about joining the show at first because your personality type wasn’t suited to this kind of thing. What did you want to say? What is your personality type?
“I’ve worked hard most of my life, so I know better than anyone how much you have to sacrifice to achieve success. I’d rather stay in the shadows until I do something really important, like win the Olympics. That’s why I felt uncomfortable in the program; Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to participate. Actually, that’s why I said my personality type wasn’t suitable for this kind of thing.
—Have you ever been to South Africa before participating in the show?
“I’ve never been to South Africa before, so it was great to spend a few days in the wilderness before filming started. I would like to know this country better.
— Would you agree to take part in any other TV projects? Or are television and showbiz still not your thing?
“Yes, definitely, but next time it should be something that aligns with my values.” It would be interesting to explore Russia, for example. But in general, I feel comfortable on television when they show me during the Olympic Games broadcast.
— What place does sport play in your life right now? How much time do you spend working every day?
— I usually train 1-3 hours a day, even though it’s not very intense, I stay in shape.
— Last winter, after the Olympic Games in Beijing, you announced your retirement and said you wanted to compete in Milan this summer in 2026. What made you change your mind?
— Yes, I was ready to end my career, but it is clear that in Russia. [с того момента] A lot has changed. And it seems to me that trying to win the 2026 Olympics would be the right decision for me.
— You already have three Olympic medals. What motivates you to continue competing?
— Having a purpose in life is extremely important to me. I would be grateful for the opportunity to return to training to win the Olympic gold medal in 2026.
— Despite the events of the last year and a half, you are still in Russia…
– Yes, I am still in Russia, no one asked me to leave. However, now I started to feel that it was getting harder for me to stay away from my family. They’re getting older and it seems wrong to me that we see each other so rarely.
— Have you faced condemnation and criticism for your decision to live in Russia? What’s keeping you here?
– There was no criticism. It is very difficult for me to meet him, I have a very narrow circle of friends. What keeps me here? I love my life in Russia! There are interesting opportunities here, I am always looking for them and hope to find them soon.
— Do you think that the decisions of international federations regarding Russian sports are correct?
“Whether these decisions are right or not, they’ve already been made, so it’s up to me to make them.” And the debates about their truth or falsehood just made me sad. During my 10 years in Russia, I encountered various negative situations and learned to focus only on the things I could control. That’s why I keep fighting when something depends on me. And if not, then you need to accept it.
— What do you do to make a living outside of sports? Where do you invest your money? Maybe you are planning to start your own business?
— I am interested in learning about the world and myself, I always remain curious. I think a lot, sometimes too much, as I try to understand the world around me and my place in it. As for investments, there is nothing special here: I try to save as much as possible and invest in basic things to increase my acquisitions. As for work, we’ll see. I’m very obsessed with quality, so doing just any work is not for me. It must be something very high level. In general, I like working with my hands – maybe something interesting can come of it.
— You became a citizen of the Russian Federation more than ten years ago. Have you been able to understand Russians during this time, or do some issues still raise questions in your mind?
— In general, I understand Russians quite well. But of course no questions were asked.
— We can’t help but ask about Russian girls. How are they fundamentally different from American women?
— Russian girls are special, of course. I think everyone understands this so I won’t go into details.
– Do you have a girlfriend. If possible, please tell us how you met him, who he is and what he does.
– We met at yoga. He is a lawyer and a wonderful person; That’s all you need to know.