thatlonesomesong

• Question: People are saying again that Aliya doesn't like to work. That her talent let her get things too easily. How were you able to get her to overcome herself like that?
• Coach Aleksandr Aleksandrov: Again I want to know: who is saying that? I, as her personal coach, know better than anyone whether or not she likes to work. They are all talented: Aliya, Komova and Grishina. Could Aliya have been all-around world champion in Rotterdam and world team champion and co-champion on some apparatus if she hadn't trained? Talent alone is not enough for that. It's not just one day! If it was just one day, maybe she could slip through. But when it's a marathon like that, if you don't train, you're not going to get through. The same thing is true at the Olympics. she didn't just win one medal in London - she won four! Including one on the last day. Everyone was half-dead from exhaustion on the last day! A good example is balance beam. Vika Komova was in a great mood, and she warmed up really, really well. It was like the stars were aligned for her. but her leg slipped on the beam... You can't explain it by anything other than she was tired. I can tell you it wasn't a psychological break. She was simply tired.