Azerbaijan’s Marina Nekrasova was a relatively unknown gymnast back in Russia who didn’t quite make the national team, unlike her more decorated ex-teammates Anna Pavlova and Yulia Inshina. However, she truly blossomed after moving to Baku and continues to improve every year. With the last of her ex-Russian teammates retiring last year, she is currently representing Azerbaijan as the lone senior gymnast at international competitions. Nekrasova won silver at the Baku World Cup last year and made finals at both Baku and Doha World Cups this year. At the Baku WC, she also surprised the spectators by wearing a unitard instead of a leotard.
She talked to haqqin.az about her plans for the upcoming year, her work with the new coach, Przemysław Lis, and her dream of finally qualifying to the Olympics (she was the first reserve for Rio).
About wearing a unitard:
“I’ve wanted to compete in an unusual uniform for a while but did not dare to. Finally, I’ll be able to do it! Mariana Vasileva choreographed a new routine for me and helped with the unitard. I hope that I’ll surprise the judges. I’ll do my floor routine to Sari Gelin. I’ve been living in Baku for five years now and I really wanted to use Azerbaijani music in my floor routine. I’m talking to you right now and getting chills, so much I’m feeling this routine, so much I’m into it. At the Baku Worl Cup, I’ll only wear the unitard during the floor routine. If the public and the judges will like it, then, in the future, I can wear it at all the competitions.”
About working with Przemysław Lis, her new coach (former coach of Katarzyna Jurkowska-
“Working with a new coach is unusual for me. The training process has changed. Przemysław pays more attention to conditioning, working out on exercises machines. For me, it’s all new because I’m not used to conditioning a lot. We communicate in English. I don’t speak it very well but we understand each other and feel like we are on the same wavelength. Of course, each coach is different. Compared to my past coaches, I feel less pressure. Przemysław treats practices like a game, his favorite expression is “Happy life – easy life”. That is, the pressure that existed before is not here anymore. For me, it’s a bit unusual for now but I’m also trying to be more positive.”
About qualifying to the Olympics:
“This year will be very important for me because the fight for qualifying to the Olympics is going on. The World Cup in Baku is the first stop on the way to my goal. I have new routines on all the events. I hope to compete successfully, even though the level of competition will be very high. To compete at home is both easy and hard. It’s tremendous responsibility. But because of the support of the crowd, you feel the adrenaline coming. The peak of the anxiety happens before the start of the routine. During the routine, you don’t feel anxious anymore.
I dream of qualifying
to the Olympics in Tokyo! I had a chance to compete at the Games already, I could have qualified to the Olympics in Rio but made many mistakes and didn’t earn a spot. Now, I need to assess everything correctly and work smartly and calmly. I think I’ll be able to do it. My main competitor is me. My coach and I are mostly counting on the World Championships, I want to earn an Olympic spot there through the all-around competition.”
On leaving her family in Russia and missing her teammates who retired last year:
“It’s really hard without my friends, I miss them. Yulia Inshina and I have been friends our whole life. In five years in Baku, we competed together at almost every competition, we shared joy and sorrow. Now, we are constantly in touch online, the girls are supporting me and believing in me. They know how much I want to fulfill my dream and to compete at the Olympics.
Of course, my parents back in my native Voronezh worry about me as well. I visit them when my training schedule allows and they visit me when they can. They really like Baky, my mom is anticipating her next visit. She wants to come during the warm weather so that Baku’s winds wouldn’t prevent walking around the city. I actually miss winter when in Baku, I really miss skiing and ice skating.
On meeting her boyfriend:
“Azerbaijan has different culture, different mentality. At first, it was a bit hard for me. From people to food – everything was unfamiliar for me. But now I feel at home in Baku. My boyfriend is Azerbaijanian, his name is Ismail. We met at the gymnastics arena, he was working here during a competition. I ended up injured and he tried to help me. Then we met at the stands… So, that’s how our relationship started.”
On coaching:
“I already train with young athletes every day, I give them tips. I want to pass my experience to them. After all, I’m also in Baku for the younger generation to see my example and strive for victories, so that they could see how much work you need to invest in order to achieve success. There are promising kids in Azerbaijan. A lot depends on a coach. Sometimes, athletes train in good conditions but can’t achieve results. It’s great when both the conditions and the coach are good.”
Photo: Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation
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