Interviews with Nastia

This portion of the site is going to be full of interviews with Nastia.

The anticipation of a big event can be more fun than the actual event itself. Do you feel that way about the Olympics?
You know, I think it's like all the lead up, just being really anxious for it to finally get here, and so many years of hard work...it kind of seems weird that it's finally the year. 2008 has always kind of been in the back of my mind, and now that it's actually here, it just makes it seem exciting.

When you injured your ankle in 2006, how did you keep your spirits up knowing you couldn't do the all-around, especially when Shawn Johnson came along and had an incredible year in 2007?
[Laughs] Yeah, it was pretty tough, you know, but there are always going to be those hard parts in your career, and there are ups and downs. But also, it makes you tougher and stronger, so I knew that I just had to pull myself together through that difficult year, and with the support of my friends, family and teammates, I made it through.

Now that you're back on all four events, do you appreciate it more?
Oh, definitely. I think that, especially when I was younger, I just didn't appreciate every little thing that I did. But now when I come to the gym every day, I'm thankful for being here and for what I have and what my accomplishments are so far.

At the 2006 worlds, the U.S. dominated the prelims but slipped to second behind China in the final. How did you feel about that?
[Laughs] I think in prelims we were ahead by four points, and then in finals we had a few uncharacteristic mistakes that shouldn't really have happened. So I think if we would have eliminated those we would have been on top, for sure. But we still appreciated getting any color medal. Silver was great, but gold would definitely [have been] better.

Then, in 2007, the U.S. did win the gold. Can you describe the feeling?
Yeah, it's funny, because it was, you know, the exact same situation. We were ahead by about four points in prelims, and Alicia (Sacramone) and I were like the older ones and we had experienced '06. And the younger [ones], like Shawn (Johnson), Sam (Peszek), Shayla (Worley), and Ivana (Hong)---before team finals they were like, 'Oh you know, we got it. We're gonna win'. And we were like, 'You guys, you cannot think that. It's not over until you're standing on that podium with the medal.'

You're a couple of years older than Shawn, the world champion, and you're both favorites to win the Olympics. What kind of relationship do you have with her?
We have a great relationship. You know, it's funny, a lot of people just don't understand, and I think they would think that I wouldn't be telling the truth. But honestly, we all get along so great inside and outside the gym. We're competitors inside the gym, but once we step out of the gym we're just like normal girls. It's never really been that way so I think it's been really cool these past few years that everybody's gotten along so great, and I think that it really shows in the results.

Your mother always seems to be smiling, and your father looks very serious. Is your personality a combination of the two?
Yeah, definitely. I think that when I'm out there on the floor I definitely am more of my dad. I'm serious and very concentrated on what I'm doing. And when I'm outside the gym I have a lighter personality that I get from my mom. I think it's a good mixture to have, though, because when you're competing you have to be extremely focused, especially in the sport that we do.

You're known for your expression on floor. Who chereographs your routines, and do you help with the choreography?
We have a choreographer [at WOGA], Natalia Marakova, and she's done all of my routines since I was, I think, 10 years old. The current routine I have I definitely helped out a lot...and we kind of created a lot of movements together. It was a lot of fun trying to think of new things, and we were both really happy with the result.

Do you feel a special connection to the Russian gymnasts, since you were born there?
A little bit. Anytime I hear the Russian language anywhere we are, I just turn my head and look. It's kind of like a funny instinct. And we have the WOGA Classic annually, and the Russian girls always come. In 2007 Ksenia Semynova was actually at our gym, so it was fun to be able to see her. And that that point I was like, 'Oh, she's so cute and tiny, and wow, she's pretty good on bars.' Little did I know [laughs], six months later she would win the (uneven bars) world title over me...

What would winning the all-around gold in Beijing mean to you?
[Laughs] You know, I'm not quite sure, but I'll definitely let you know when that happens [laughs].

-from IG Magazine June 2008 Issue