Lilia Akhaimova missed out on being an alternate for the Rio Olympics because the federation hasn’t applied for her FIG license in time. Now she’s not only an Olympian but will likely compete in the vault final. However, she says that the team competition is the most important of all for her:
“The most important thing is that we did well as a team. A very important day is ahead of us – the team final. We also really hope that we’ll make event finals. I could’ve done better on two events. But whatever happened happened. I wasn’t able to fully control a difficult tumbling pass. Overall, I’m happy that I managed to do well on vault.”
She didn’t really pay much attention to the empty stands:
“Absence of spectators? Honestly, during the competition, we try not to pay attention to this. We supported each other, cheered for each other.”
She talked about supporting her teammate Viktoria Listunova after she finished behind Melnikova and Urazova and didn’t make the all-around final:
“Of course, it’s hard for her because the Olympics are an important competition. It’s really hard to get yourself together when you’re so anxious. It’s understandable that she’s upset. But she’s a young gymnast, she has many competitions ahead of her. She did well on beam, she missed out on the final by only a little. We’re a team and we have to support each other. Everything’s ahead for her. Perhaps, she will go to another Olympics where she will be able to compete more confidently.”
Photo: Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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