Lilia Podkopayeva participated in a live Instagram stream organized by XSport.ua. She talked about her love of gymnastics:
“The sport was my boyfriend for many years. I came to the gym and was charmed. It was my destiny. The sport is very hard and injury-prone but it’s a drug without which you can’t live. It was my love. It gave and is still giving me a lot. I’m happy that I didn’t stop during the times when it was tough.”
Podkopayeva said gymnastics was her choice from the start:
“At five years old, it’s hard for a child to evaluate the situation but we’re still making a choice. I was also offered to do rhythmic gymnastics or swimming back then. And for some reason I chose artistic gymnastics, it settled in my heart and my soul.”
She described her success in the sport as a mix of luck, good coaches, and hard work:
“It’s some sort of magic, you think that this can happen to anyone but you. But it doesn’t matter where you are from, doesn’t matter who your parents are, the most important things are desire and hard work. But it’s also important to be in the right place in the right time. I’m also glad that I met my coaches back in the day who helped me. I’m really grateful to the people who gave me my start in life.”
She also talked about the difficulties she faced after retiring from gymnastics:
“I was really depressed about it. When you are an elite athlete, a lot of things are done for you so that you could focus on your work. And when I retired, I realized that I didn’t know anything and needed to start from scratch. A big advantage of an athlete is never being afraid. You need to try everything and go in different directions. You need to make mistakes and not be afraid of falling. A champion is someone who can get up despite their falls. This period of establishing myself and accepting the life outside of sport took me quite a while. I was supported by my family and friends. I learned how to do it from my colleagues.”
Support Gymnovosti on Patreon from only $1 a month and help us bring to you even more awesome gymnastics coverage!
Buy cool gymnastics-themed t-shirts, hoodies, pillows, phone cases, and more at our store on Teepublic!
