Lilia Akhaimova talked to Dnevnik shortly after coming back home from Tokyo.
Q: You got injured before the Tokyo Olympics and your participation in the Games was in question. How did you manage to recover and believe in yourself?
A: Yes, indeed, my ankle got injured in March, before the Olympics, and I only had two weeks for recovery. I managed that and started full training. After that, the ankle didn’t bother me much, only right before the competition, but it was tolerable.
Q: The example fo Simone Biles once again showed that psychology is no less important in the sport than the [physical] mastery. Are there psychologists on the team or someone else responsible for this work? Do the girls support each other?
A: The psychological part is one of the most important in the sport. Unfortunately, there’s no psychologist on our national team. Generally, each of us has a personal coach who will always provide support and advice on what to do. On the team, we also talk to each other and support each other when it’s hard.
Q: After the men’s all-around, I suppose, many thought that the Games could be done then – it wouldn’t get better. But Russian women’s team sensationally won the team competition, moreover, it was the first time in history. What do you think was the reason for this success?
A: After the guys had won, we didn’t think that the Games could be closed then. Everyone knew that the women’s team also had a chance, because we placed first in the qualification. That’s why we all hoped and believed that the same thing could happen in the final. We just did our job, something we’d been preparing to do for a long time. Our task was to go out and do our thing. In this specific case, the American team didn’t have their strongest gymnast, she withdrew during the competition. That’s why we could, let’s put it this way, compete with them on equal terms and we’re really happy that we managed to reach all our goals and achieve this result.
Q: Did you talk to the guys after the competition? How did they react to your victory and how did you react to theirs?
A: We watched the men’s competition together, we rooted and cheered for them hard. That day, we weren’t able to talk to the guys since they came back very late because of the press conference, award ceremony, and doping control. We have a schedule, so we went to sleep and were able to meet and congratulate the guys only in the morning. Of course, the emotions from their victory also helped us, we really wanted to repeat the guys’ performance. We are incredibly happy that we were able to meet the expectations for us, since, for many years, we hadn’t been able to do that.
Q: The director of the sports school where you train Vladimir Khodyrev told us that before the Olympics, the administration of Pushkin district started a flash mob “Akhaimova, forward!” How did you react to it when you learned about it?
A: When I came to Tokyo, people started sending me videos with the hashtag “Akhaimova, forward”. The fact that so many people support me is actually incredibly nice. Even people who aren’t connected to the sport. Besides the support of my coach, teammates, family, and friends, there was also support from strangers. It gave me more strength and helped me to become an Olympic champion.
Q: Why do you think Simone Biles withdrew and could something like this have happened on the Russian team?
A: I can’t say why Simone Biles withdrew. I think she had her reasons. Such setbacks happen during competitions sometimes. Both on our team and on other teams. No one has guaranteed protection from injuries or other issues. It’s a sport.
Q: No Olympics are free from hurt feelings and disappointments. Were you upset for the rhythmic gymnasts?
A: Everyone got upset about the unfairness in rhythmic gymnastics – both me personally and the whole country. The girls did an enormous amount of work. And when you invest your whole life in the sport and the medal, when you work hard in training, and then this situation happens – it’s painful and upsetting. We hope this situation will be solved somehow in the end.
Q: Were you able to attend the opening or the closing ceremony a the Games? What impressed you the most besides the absence of spectators at the stands?
A: We weren’t able to attend either the opening or the closing ceremony. The opening ceremony was the day before our competition and we didn’t go to the stadium. And we couldn’t watch the closing ceremony because we left earlier. But our main goal was to come and do our job. We tried to get distracted as little as possible by such things. And regarding spectators in the stands – we were missing them. But athletes from other sports cam to watch, So, there was noise in the arena, there was support. Athletes from the ROC team also came to cheer on us which was incredibly nice and helped us to compete, so we managed it without issues. To a certain extent, it was even easier to compete because it’s easier to focus when there aren’t huge stands full of spectators. But, overall, when you go out on the competition floor, you fully detach yourself from anything around you and try to ignore it.
Q: Did multiple videos and experiments with cardboard beds make you want to try how durable your bed was?
A: I’ll admit, we didn’t test the durability of the cardboard beds. They were actually very comfortable to sleep on. The mattresses were comfortable and we got good sleep.
Q: You’re one of the few people who are indifferent to food, so the lack of usual Russian dishes didn’t bother you. How did the Japanese chefs pampered the athletes?
A: Actually, in terms of food, the Japanese organized everything really well. There were various cuisines and everyone was able to find dishes they’re used to. Pastries, sweets, cakes – all that was available, too.
Q: The Paris Olympics are in three years. Can we hope to see you there as well?
A: At the moment, I can’t say anything about the next Olympics because I’m recovering now and I’ll make my decision as my recovery progresses.
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