Whatever you say, it is undoubtedly sad to part with Kateryna Serebrianska who on Friday said good- bye to big-time sports. The overall Olympic champion in modern rhythmic gymnastics, the many-times winner of gold, silver and bronze medals at world and European championships, and of various prizes and grand prix. No longer shall we, the admirers of her brilliant talent, see her brilliant, gracious, and elegant exercises with the ribbon, ball, and clubs.
But so much for sadness! For life does not end at 22, and I believe Kateryna Serebrianska is still to see her best and most radiant day. This became the subject of the conversation between our famous gymnast and The Day’s correspondent.
“Kateryna, it is clear that it was not a simple decision to leave the world of sports, which brought you so many happy and victorious moments.”
“This was not a spur of the moment decision. Before taking this step, I reflected very much on what I will do later on. And only after setting a new objective did I set out to scale new peaks, if I may say so. But, to be frank, this period of reflection did not last very long.”
“Is it these harrowing hesitations that in fact prodded you to set up the Sportsmen’s Aid Foundation?”
“Partly. I hope this foundation will provide not only material but, first of all, moral support. Let’s put the record straight: so many human destinies have broken due to the absence of governmental guarantees and legal protection. Champions, who used to excel on many world sports arenas, would then, as they say, came down to earth with a bang and take to alcohol, drugs and crime; in other words, they fell to the lowest depths.
“There is one more thing. I myself experienced the situation when a young promising athlete, having no financial support and, hence, an opportunity to travel to compete, stops in his/her development and cannot achieve high results. It will never dawn on a governmental bureaucrat that it is precisely this kind of boy or girl just needs a little help, and he or she will glorify Ukraine with his/her athletic achievements on the international stage. So our foundation deals with just these problems. Just to confirm my words: during a big sports show on November 5 at the Ukrayina Palace, we awarded our first 12 month scholarship to a very young female track-and-field athlete.”
“By the way, you made a debut in that show as not only a participant but also as stage director.”
“And it is very interesting, I should say.”
“I know you demonstrated remarkable vocal abilities at the soiree. Are you going to try yourself out in this field again?”
“No, that was only a gift to my friends. There are things I manage to do far better.”
“You are working on a book about your sports life. I wish you’d tell me at least its tentative title.”
“It is too early to speak of this. All I will say is that this book will include reflections on the life and destinies of athletes, rather than the reminiscences of a champion. It will be sort of an inside look.”
“And what role does your coach and mother Liubov Serebrianska play in what you are doing now?”
“Hers is the role of a mother. And all this is my present to her.”
“The question that torments many is whether you might have abandoned sports too early?”
“I don’t want to speak about bad things. Frankly speaking, I was simply pushed off the dais, although I think I could still perform well at the Sydney Olympics as well. Of course, it is a pity. Anyway, perhaps this was destined to happen. This tragic period -I am not making things darker than they were; it really was tragic — is fortunately over, and I am full of desire and energy to do something new.”
“We can feel this even by the fact that, after graduating from the Kharkiv Institute of Physical Culture, you entered the very untypical department of psychogenesis at the Institute of Psychology.”
“I woke up one the morning and understood that I new nothing about people. No wonder I felt a need to study human psychology in detail.”
“Then let’s talk about this. As we know, many sports, including your favorite rhythmic gymnastics, have ushered in the era of an entirely new type of athletes, although both the International Federation and the audiences want to see more mature and, so to speak, well-shaped girl gymnasts on the platform. But the problem still exists. One cannot deny it. At the expense of what do you think a mature athlete can overcome those happy-go-lucky tomboys?”
“She can only hold the crown if she really is a queen. I mean if she looks a queen even before coming out on the platform. And everybody — judges, experts, and spectators — should see and know it.”
“And one last thing. Judging by your reasoning, you are getting ready to become a businesswoman.”
“I felt this inclination as early as the age of twelve when I organized a small buffet in our sports school. So I would spy from the adjacent room through a hole in the painted-over glass door at how my pastries were selling. Then I opened a small cafe in the school. And, in general, I am sure I can achieve very much in this field. For example, I suddenly wanted to become an Olympic champion after seeing our Oleksandra Tymoshenko on the dais. I then said to myself: I see myself there. This is what I also think about business. Once I even went to see the way my aunt’s husband was selling dresses and panties. It was interesting, that’s all. I will not say, of course, I want to see myself standing at a store counter. Yet, a familiar silhouette is already discernible at a higher level.”







