When we were making the programme about Zhenya Kanaeva - the winner of the 2008 Olympics - I visited Novogorsk. I really missed that training camp – so many different experiences and memories were associated with it. I’d been planning to visit for a long time, but never managed. So a big thank-you to Zhenya!

Novogorsk has definitely changed for the better. It’s become even more beautiful and homely. The hall in which I trained was recently redecorated and looks stunning – it’s so bright, there’s so much sunshine, and such gorgeous views! It’s just impossible to leave that hall. A super environment to train in! For me, Novogorsk was and is one of the best camps in the world.



I remember when I was about 12 and things were quite difficult in Russia: there was hardly any money available for sport, and the younger team was often sent off to train at other camps in other towns. So I trained in Dubna and, to be frank, it just made me appreciate Novogorsk all the more.

Dubna actually had a good gym, but it wasn’t designed for rhythmic gymnastics. The ceiling was too low, so the hoop or ball kept hitting it and this would interrupt the routine. And the mat was as hard as sandpaper: you would do a roll and get up with your skin almost torn off.

I used to train until late at night, but just couldn’t mange to do a clean routine, and they wouldn’t make allowances because you can get all sorts of conditions at competition…

When the training was finally over and we went back to Novogorsk, the first thing I did was to rush into the hall and kiss the carpet. And after that I never complained again that I was tired of Novogorsk. I just loved that camp, and however good the conditions might be in any other place, I was always dying to get back to Novogorsk. And not only because we had such a good hall to train in, but because of the wonderful people who worked there. It was largely thanks to them and the attention they lavished on us that we went on to win so many awards.