It was very hard, of course. I’d come back from the world championship as the winner, the champion, and everything was just great. Then two days later, in the morning, there was call and I was told that I’d been disqualified and stripped of my world title…

They’d taken the samples at the Goodwill Games, three months before the world championship. That’s plenty of time to do a medical test, wouldn’t you say? So it turns out we were allowed to take part in the world championship because they realized that it would be boring without the Russian team. We won the championship, of course, and then they told us about the drugs…

It was a huge stress for me, of course. Six months later, I was allowed to take part in the European championship, and I won again, but then I was reminded of my disqualification and was banned for another six months. It was just awful! All my life, all my plans – EVERYTHING was connected with rhythmic gymnastics, and they’d just gone and taken that life away from me…

It was all very distressing for me. From the outside, I might have looked as if I was enjoying myself going to discos and clubs, just hanging out…But in fact I was simply trying to somehow take my mind off my miserable thoughts. But then I suddenly realized that that kind of life wasn’t for me. And I realized that time was flying and I wasn’t doing anything. In the past I’d always had a goal and was working towards it. But what now? I could give up rhythmic gymnastics, but what would I do instead? Or I could continue training – but for what?

Actually I’m glad I went through that period in my life. It was perhaps precisely because of those events that I’ve been able to find a place for myself today, now that my sports career is over. And what I’m doing nowadays is really fascinating.

In fact, I think it would have been much harder to live through that time if I hadn’t had the support of my mother, my trainer and my friends, and if hadn’t been dreaming of taking part in the Olympic Games. Thanks to everyone for that!