Victoriya Komova: components of the success

The first Youth Olympic Games among junior athletes aged from 14 to 18 years took place in Singapore from 14 till 26 August 2010. Ninety-six athletes represented Russia there. As a result of the competition the Russian national team was second to China. Russian team won 43 medals including 18 gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze medals. In all Russian athletes are worthy of attention. But now let's talk about a miracle.15-year-old Victoria Komova is a three-time champion and a bronze holden of the games.

Victoria is known for her lightweight, psychological stability and technique. She won the gold medal in the all-around, being a few points ahead of Tan Cicinho from China. This girl won the individual all-around types. She was equal to nobody in the vault. Then Komova excelled on the uneven bars. In all of her performances there was some zest – her program: exercises are difficult, but they are performed to automatically. The judge always appreciate the high level of technique. Vickoria amazed Chinese teams. Despite the error during the flight to the lower pole, Victoria surpassed Chinese athlete Tan Cicinho due to hight level of the program. At the age of 15 Vick has already the element on the uneven bars which can be perfomed by nobody but Vick. Probably in a year there will be a flight named after Victoria Komova in gimnastics.

In the finals, Vicky was qualified for the second result on the Balance Beam, but her unlucky two falls deprived her of the chance to compete for a medal, she was in the seventh line of the final protocol. In the final part of the program an athlete won the bronze medal in free exercises. Victoria's mentor, Gennady Elfimov, explained that the reason Victoria is bad luck pupil on the final day of competition was a tedious doping procedure. The athlete was kept at a doping control for a very long time. She arrived at the Olympic Village only at two a.m.

Selicate figure, pointy nose, red-rimmed eyes. During the four days of the Olympic marathon Vick seems to have become even smaller. Three gold medals and one bronze have been received. But everyone understands that Singapore's success is only the beginning of a sports track. Komova‘s main goal is an adult competition. Having arrived from Singapore in Moscow the heroes of the Olympics seem only to start understanding what a burden of fame is. There is the anthem, fanfare, the lights of cameras. It is too little to win a gold medal, you must keep your fame. Victoria Komova is the smallest and the most fragile and having more gold medals than any other winners. In total Singapore's four medals weigh about 3 kilograms. It makes ten percent of Vika's own weight. Komova weighing thirty-one kilogram looks like a little one comparing whith other gymnasts.

Who is a Victoria Komova, and what contributed to her fantastic enchanting success in the sport?
1. Victoria was born on January 30, 1995 in Voronezh. Her gymnastic data is not accidental. She was born in a family of gymnastics. Father Alexander Komov is a master of sport in sport gymnastics, her mother Vera Kolesnikova is Master of sports of Internatonal Level in gymnastics, the world champion in 1985 in team competition, absolute European champion, the winner of the Goodwill Games in 1986.
2. Vick was familiar with the sport since childhood, she grew up in the atmosphere of sportsmanship and healthy lifestyle. Victoria's mother started giving her 5-year-old daughter first lessons in gymnastics. When Vick was 7 years old, mother led her to train to a Gennady Elfimov and Olga Bulgakova for training.
3. Professionalism of personal trainer
- Before the Olympics we are were at the training camp - says Vick – The program is very complicated. It sometimes I‘m afraid of doing an elements, especially if it is a new element or I have not performed it for a long time. But the coach belays. If I'm ready, then he let me do it. Of course, I fell and hurt myself. But then again I tried and tried again and again until I was successful.
4. Victoria since her 12 years has been in the Russian youth team in gymnastic. Three weeks a month she spends at Moscow-based on Krugloe Lake, where she trains according to well-done schedule. Athletes get up at 6.30 a.m. Thus meet in the hotel lounge their coach and do morning exercises from 7 a.m. till 8.30 a.m. Then breakfast, a brief rest and the 2nd training session from 10.00 a.m. till 13.30 p.m. Lunch and school lessons. The third training session is from 4.30 p.m. till 7.30 p.m. Then they have a dinner and have a rest. This is the daily schedule of a young champion.
5. Personal qualities: personal leadership, belief in oneself, high efficiency, sense of responsibility
- Of course, she is very tired. And, perhaps, she hasn‘t realized completely what happened - Victoria‘s mother says. - Vick is hard to achieve such results. During the last three months before the competition she practically didn‘t leave the gym, she was working for seven hours a day. Victoria set a very high target for herself at once. At this Olympics huge responsibility was laid on her. She was the one only to represent Russia in this sport. But our federation announced they were expecting Komova‘s "gold" medal. Therefore, she had no right to make a mistake.

Now Victoria‘s bank has a number of awards. But her way to glory and victory was not easy. Gymnastics is one of the hardest sports. During the years of training Komova had tears and nervous breakdowns, and even the desire to give everything up. But her desire to win was much stronger. The first Youth Olympic Games showed the world some future adult champions and revealed the greatest potential of young athletes. On the example of Victoria Komova we can see main components of success of future champions and the factors which can promote the development of high-level athlete.

Vika's finest hour took place in Singapore. In the all-around she was the best in three out of the four apparatus. It‘s a unique fact in gymnastics. Now all the world talking about Russian super girl. If adult gymnasts took part in junior Olympics, many of them wouldn‘t feel like competing with Komova. Of course, Victoria Komova is a phenomenon. She is the athlete, to watch and she will be cheered all over the world, like Khorkina was. As one of our fans said, there was Komova and all the rest in the gym of Singapore. Victoria doesn‘t think whall will be with her after big sport. Why should she do it? For Victoria sport is the sense of her life, it‘s her present and future. So, as you know, Victoria means victory.

A. Lomako, L. Shvetz