Diana Varinska talked to TSN Prosport about winning two bronze medals at the European Games (one on beam and one in the all-around), her routines and the plans for her gymnastics career.
Q: Are you happy with your results in Minsk? Did you expect to fight for medals?
A: Generally, I’m happy with my results. I was preparing for this competition very thoroughly. I’m happy that I managed to win two medals. Perhaps, not everything worked out in the beam final, I made a few disappointing mistakes. I think I could’ve tried aiming for a bit more and reaching the silver.
Q: What did you feel after your fall on bars in the all-around? How did you manage to get yourself together and finish the competition?
A: I fell and, at first, I was disappointed. It was something unexpected, I wasn’t quite ready for it. My coach was telling me something: “Don’t worry, get yourself together”. I replied to her: “That’s it, this is the end!” Usually, if you fall in the all-around final, you lose too much, so there’s no point in expecting a medal anymore. Then I managed to get myself together and did the other three events cleanly, and, as it turned out, it was enough for the third place.
Q: What did you feel when you learned that you ended up winning the bronze?
A: I was told: “So, you stay here, the medal ceremony will happen now, you’re third”. I was like: “How am I third?” It was unexpected joy because the results after each event weren’t shown on the screen, I didn’t know what place I was in. I later learned that I was 8th after the third event. I couldn’t believe that I managed to snatch third place. In the qualification, I downgraded my vault because I was having issues with it, but in the all-around final, I managed to do a good vault and, thanks to it, I got a medal.
Q: What can you tell about the level of the organization in Minsk?
A: I liked everything a lot, it was organized very well, everything was according to the schedule – buses, practices, meals. Everything was great. The crowd was really good, they all supported us, screamed. I felt sizeable support from the fans.
Q: What do you expect from the Tokyo Olympics? Will you do the same routines or try to change something?
A: Of course, everyone dreams of winning gold at the Olympics and I do too. For now, I don’t know about the routines, there’s still time to think. I should improve everything. The World Championships are still ahead of me, it’s also a very important competition since we still need to qualify to the Olympics.
Q: Have you ever thought of quitting gymnastics?
A: I’ve had quite a few such moments, especially when I was still little and didn’t understand why I was doing it. My parents supported me, helped me and even forced me sometimes. Now, I also get really tired sometimes but I understand that it’s just fatigue. I really like gymnastics, so I get a grip and keep working.
Q: For how long do you plan on competing?
A: I don’t know for how long I’ll keep training. When I was a kid, I used to think that the Olympic Games were the end [of the career]. But now, I don’t think this way. I hope to get to the Tokyo Olympics, I’ll be only 19 then. I’d like to compete at one more Olympics four years later, and then we’ll see.
Q: What is your favorite even and which even is the hardest for you?
A: I like competing on all events but vault is the hardest for me. I always get not so high scores for it. Although anything can be difficult. At competitions, you don’t notice it because of the adrenaline, but during training, it’s hard to work on every event.
Q: How much do you train? Do you have time to rest or to travel?
A: From 7:30 to 9:00, we have light conditioning. From 11:00 to 14:00, we have the first and also the main practice, and then one more practice from 17:00 to 19:00. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, I only have one practice and Sunday is the day off. We don’t have vacations, we still keep training. We only decrease the training load during the breaks between competitions. At the end of the last year, I was allowed to go on a beach vacation for a week. But there are no breaks in the middle of the year.
Q: Do gymnasts have to adhere to certain diets? Who plans your meals?
A: I decided for myself what to eat. If a gymnast can’t control their weight, then the coach helps and prohibits something. But since I’m an adult already and understand what weight I’m comfortable in, I can watch myself. I don’t follow any diets. I can eat sweets, chocolate, or ice cream, just in limited quantities.
Q: Who are you the closest to on the team?
A: I’m training together with Nastia Bachynska, we can help each other sometimes or give advice.
Q: Which athlete is your idol?
A: I don’t really have idols to follow and try to be like them. In gymnastics, the ideal for me is Nastia Liukin, the 2008 Olympic champion. I like her because she managed to combine all of it: beauty, elegance, and strength.
Q: What do you think about athletes switching countries? Have you ever got any offers like that and how would you react to one?
A: I only had one such offer two years ago – to move to Belarus. And that was only because the coach who I’m working with now, Oleg Ostapenko, was offered a job in Belarus and he moved there. On vacations, he would come to Ukraine and help my coach. He liked me. When he moved to Belarus, he took me to a camp there, we worked together. So, I had thoughts about switching countries and moving just because of a coach. But we later decided that it would be a bad option and it would be better for me to stay at home. Back then I was younger and I just listened to my family and coach but now I consciously realize I love Ukraine and I would never agree to change citizenship.
Q: Do you get financial support from the government?
A: I think that lately, the level of support has really risen. Before, all the equipment was old but now they bought new apparatuses. We get paid a salary for every camp and our meals and accommodation at the Olympic training center are paid for. Everyone gets a salary. Slowly, the level is rising.
Q: Do you have any hobbies besides the sport?
A: I don’t know, I don’t really have hobbies. On weekends, I sometimes want to go out, go to the movies, or go home, since we live at the training center all the time. Sometimes, I like cooking. I don’t have a signature dish, I just like to feed my family and friends something yummy.
Q: Who are you grateful to for developing your talent?
A: I’m endlessly grateful to my coaches and, first of all, to my parents for getting me into this sport, for helping me fight laziness, for supporting me throughout my career. And, of course, I’m grateful to my coach who’s been working with me since I was a kid. Everyone said that my body type was wrong, that I was too weak. My coach, Yulia Nikolayevna Kayukova came to the gym and liked me right away. She started working with me a lot and taught me so much. Almost everything I know how to do in gymnastics is thanks to her. I’m also grateful to Oleg Ostapenko who I’m working with now.
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