Angelina Melnikova’s mom Marina talked to RIA Voronezh on the day of her daughter’s arrival. She said she already made Melnikova’s favorite dishes – baked chicken, potatoes and two salads, one of them with tomatoes:
A: Angelina really loves tomates. She buys a lot of them in Moscow, and sometimes even gets covered in pimples because of the chemicals in them. I scold her for that and ask her not to eat a lot but she just can’t resist them. At home, our home-grown, right from the plant, tomatoes are waiting for her, we’ll feed her natural-grown food in Voronezh.
Q: Will there be a cake to celebrate her arrival? Or gymnasts can’t eat sweets even after competition?
A: Our Angelina has a sweet tooth. Even at the Olympics, she would not deprive herself of candy. She’d rather forgo something else but a piece of candy is always welcome.
Q: What did Angelina tell you about food and accommodations in Tokyo?
A: She liked everything. Beds, too, she says she doesn’t understand why other athletes criticise them. But my daughter is small and light, so, perhaps, that’s why she was fine with everything.
Q: When was the last time you saw her?
A: She flew in for literally half a day in June. We ate strawberries, visited grandma, and in the evening, she already flew back to Moscow.
Q: Did you have a feeling that your daughter would win an Olympic gold and two bronzes?
A: No! I prayed in my mind: “God, let her bring home at least a bronze, we don’t need much, the important thing is to be on the medal podium.” And here it’s three medals. I still can’t fully believe it.
Q: Is Angelina planning to continue competing? Is she planning to go to the Paris Olympics in three years?
A: I’ll tell you honestly, I’ve been begging her to quit gymnastics in order to save her health. After all, she’s going to have kids in the future, her whole life is ahead of her. She’s already achieved great results – she has a full collection of Olympic medals. But Angelina loves gymnastics very much, she won’t give it up completely, of course. I’m sure she’ll become a coach sooner or later, she won’t be able to live without gymnastics.
Q: In one of the interviews in 2019, Angelina told us that she would like for her parents to move to Moscow. Will you go if your daughter insists?
A: No way, I really love my Voronezh. I don’t know what needs to happen to make me move somewhere else.
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