Vladislava Urazova had a huge success at only the second senior international competition of her career – she won gold as a part of the Russian team, qualified to beam and AA finals and finished fourth in the all-around final. Urazova will have a post-Olympic vacation and will then return to Round Lake on August 16th for the next training camp as she hopes to make the Worlds team. She told KP.ru that she thinks the affection that the athletes on the team feel toward each other was an important part of their success in Tokyo:
“I don’t have any emotions left, I spent everything at the Olympics. I think we won because love reigns on our team and we support each other. And now I need to rest and start working towards results again. There will be the World Championships in Japan soon and I’ll be training for that and fight till the end.”
Urazova’s teammate Elena Gerasimova ended up the only Russian WAG without a medal in Tokyo because she came to the Games as an individual competitor. However, Gerasimova hopes to make up for it at the next Games:
“I’m happy that I made it to the Olympics, it was an unforgettable experience for me and it gave me motivation to grow. For me, to defend the honor of the country is motivation and a lot of pride. We all felt the support of our parents, colleagues, and fans. I intend to go to the next Games in Paris and come back with medals. I don’t think I did very well in Tokyo, I made mistakes, but I’m happy I competed alongside strong competitors. There’s something for me to strive for.”
Gerasimova will also be trying for the Worlds team this fall.
After the team was greeted by fans and media at the airport in Moscow, Urazova flew to her home city Rostov-on-Don. She talked to the local website BloknotRostov:
Q: How are you feeling?
A: I can’t yet comprehend that I’m an Olympic champion. There’s emptiness inside. I haven’t processed it yet.
Q: You were fourth in the all-around final. It’s a great result but still.. What did you feel when you ended up without a medal?
A: I was a bit upset and I understand everything well. I need to upgrade my routines – to add in some places, to clean up in others – in order to be on the medal podium at the next Olympics.
Q: You are only 16 years old. Is your head spinning from such success at your age?
A: No, it’s not spinning. I move on and keep working.
Q: What are your plans for the near future?
A: To keep training and working. I’ll train for the World Championships in October.
Q: Are you going to take a little break?
A: Yes, I can rest a bit. But it’s better not to relax much.
Q: What did you do at the Olympics [outside of competition]?
A: We stayed in our rooms and went to the gym. And we had a bit of time for walks.
Q: Was there any entertainment for the athletes in the Village?
A: There were, but we didn’t have time for it. We were working hard on preparing for the competitions.
Q: Did athletes from other countries support Russia?
A: They did but not like [they supported] other countries. Usually, America is the one that gets the most support.
Q: What was the most memorable at the Olympics?
A: Training, endless emotions and the competitions themselves.
Photo: Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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