Angelina Melnikova appeared on MatchTV to talk about her Olympic experience. Russian artistic gymnasts left Tokyo right after the last day of the competition, so they didn’t have a chance to be at the closing ceremony and Melnikova watched it on TV:
“I watched the closing ceremony today and felt really sad that it was all over so fast.”
She said it was difficult for her to focus on the next competitions after the team won gold:
“It wasn’t easy to get myself together after the gold medal, I wanted to celebrate, to read thousands of messages. We couldn’t believe it happened to us. But we needed to get ourselves together, put the phones away and go to sleep in order to be physically prepared for the next day.”
Melnikova was worried about the change in her floor routine and didn’t think she’d be able to do very well on this event:
“I had an issue with my floor music. It didn’t happen in Tokyo, it happened about three weeks before leaving. The author demanded $25,000 in order to use his music, so I had to change 30 seconds of my music urgently, it’s half of my routine. On floor, our routines are trained for months – the tempo, the accents, the choreography. I went to Tokyo not believing in my floor routine because I was sure I didn’t have enough time to prepare it because of the music. Perhaps, at some point, this helped me to concentrate better. At first, I didn’t like the music at all, I made myself to love it. We select the music – it’s also a lot of work. And so, it was like my work was destroyed.”
Melnikova talked about her love for the sport:
“I think my attitudes towards artistic gymnastics will never change. I’m just in love with the sport thanks to my coach. They showed me that it’s possible to become a champion not through pain an injuries, but to walk a more measured, more professional path. Because of that, I’m healthy and I don’t have major injuries.”
In an interview to KP, she talked about the Olympics experience and her plans for after the Games.
Q: Does the competition feel somewhat unfinished because you weren’t able to compete with Simone?
A: No. As everyone knows, Simone had some issues and that was why she decided to withdraw. The whole world supported her because everyone understands what it is, many went through the same thing.
Q: Is it true that you trained for six hours a day for a year and a half?
A: Sometimes more. We don’t have a strict schedule. We finish training depending what they’re filled with.
Q: What are your plans for the nearest future?
A: I need to rest and recover after such a difficult year, the competitions and the pandemic.
Q: Was it nice to see such a crowd greeting you at the airport?
A: It was really nice to be greeted like that. But I got a photo in advance that there would be an orchestra playing. It’s really nice that the media are starting to promote gymnastics. It’s very important. We always want gymnastics to be on TV more. Because we work very hard and it’s a beautiful sport – it combines strength, beauty, and grace.
Q: How was the flight? You had a pleasant surprise, right?
A: The flight was just great. Yes, we were upgraded to business class. Aeroflot gave us such a gift. It’s was very cool, nice, and unexpected.
Q: What happened to your floor music?
A: It happened before we left for the Olympics. Changing the music affected me psychologically. I had to change the choreography and the content of the routine. But I managed.
Q: We were told that you slept on cardboard beds and lived in tiny rooms at the Olympics. How was life at the Olympic village?
A: It doesn’t really get better at the Olympic village – you get a bed, a bedstand, and that’s it. Of course, we were surprised by the cardboard beds, it was a bit unusual. But everything was quite comfortable, actually. And the pillow was comfortable and compensated for everything.
Q: What did you miss the most?
A: My family. I haven’t seen them for a long time because of the pandemic. My parents are probably my biggest fans. They’ve been following my successes since I was a child. We are constantly in touch and they support me.
Q: Three medals! Have you exceeded your goals?
A: Of course not, there’s always room for more. You always want more and are capable of getting more. But I was 100% prepared, so I guess, that’s what it is for now.
Q: Which competition will you train for now?
A: I don’t know yet. I actually want to rest. Perhaps, to take a break, because I need to recover emotionally.
Q: First gold in 25 years. What are your thoughts about it?
A: We knew we made history. I actually haven’t fully processed it yet. I want to think about it at home and understand what happened.
Photo: Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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