Getting ahold of the 1996 Olympic champion, and the 1997 world and 1998 European all-around champion during a competition is incredibly hard. Every day during the European championships, which were held in St. Petersburg in the beginning of May, Svetlana Khorkina was shadowed by fifty or so reporters, and each of them was angling for an exclusive interview. Not one of them got a direct refusal, merely a promise for "tomorrow." And then the day after tomorrow, and so on. "Of course it`s shameful that I have to feed so many grown-ups breakfast," a tired Khorkina complained. "But what can I do - everyone has their job to do. For journalists, it`s asking questions, and mine is competing on the podium. And believe me, I also have sour bread!"

That outburst did not exactly conform to the stated theme of "anything but gymnastics", which is why she invited us to talk to her after she returned home, to Belgorod. We began with her relationship with the media. And so, Khorkina and...

Journalists

- Do you really dislike my colleagues?

- Depends. But for some reason, they all seem to want to talk to me right before a competition, just when you have a million other things going on inside your head. Times like that, I`m really nervous, though I try not to show it. But you know, I realize today that I`m not just Sveta Khorkina, but in some sense the personification of gymnastics.

- Has anyone ever tried to tear you down?

- Only once. Four years ago, at the Goodwill Games, this one journalist asked me if I knew who Nabokov was and if I knew any of his works. But your colleague wasn`t really interested in my response, because to him it was obvious that I was just an idiot who didn`t know anything but gymnastics. That made me really angry, and I`ve disliked him from the get-go. And as a matter of fact, I did read Nabokov`s "Lolita" and liked parts of it.

- There was recently a TV show about Larisa Latynina, the famous Olympic champion. She told a huge audience about her private life, how sometimes it was happy, but more often than not, not so happy. Could you be so open?

- In principle, yes. Now if only I had such a private life.

A Private Life

- Are you an open person?

- If I want to, I can be. But I could never just spill my guts on a first date. First I have to get used to a person so I can believe and trust him. Only then can I talk about personal stuff.

- When did you fall in love for the first time, do you remember?

- Two years ago, when I was seventeen. But I don`t want to talk about it- not because I don`t trust you, but because this guy was from gymnastics. Yeah, that`s ancient history now.

- Do people often recognize you on the street?

- They come up to me sometimes, of course. But instead of the broken-record approach of, "Do you have the time, miss?" or "Why do you look so sad?", they`ll hold out a hand, documents, money and beg for an autograph. To them, I`m not an attractive woman, but a just a faous athlete. Sometimes that sucks.

- How should your ideal guy look?

- Ideally, he should be tall and well-built - so he doesn`t look like he`s malnourished or something. Former athletes are a possibility - a basketball or soccer player. As for personal qualities, he should be charming and very nice.

- One famous director said that friendship is love without sex, and love was friendship with sex. What`s your definition of love?

- (Two minutes later) Shakespeare`s: Love looks not with the eyes, but with the heart.

- And do you have many friends?

- Among my true friends, I can count three girls and three guys. One of my best buddies is Lyosha Nemov. By the way, journalists really love to "marry" us. Lyosha and I are really close - but just as friends, not lovers.

- Do you live alone?

- If I`m in my hometown of Belgorod for longer than a week, then I live in my own two-room apartment, which I received after the 1996 Olympics. It`s cosy there, just a bit drafty, but because of my hectic schedule I`m barely ever home. Sometimes I`ll hang out in Belgorod for two- or three-day breaks between competitions, like right now. Then, I`ll stay with my parents and sister. There`s less hassle, and I don`t have to cook.

- Are you a good hostess?

- In principle, yes. But you`re going to have to take my word for it, because there`s o way to prove otherwise!

- Are there any favorite recipes "from the kitchen of Svetlana Khorkina"?

- Do you know how to make fried eggs? No, I`m not kidding - I just love fried eggs! And I like almost all kinds of food, except for olives and olive oil - those I can`t stand! As you know, female gymnasts ahave a pretty tortured relationship with food. Luckily, I have the kind of metabolism where I can eat whatever I want. I only ever go on a diet right before a meet.

- You`re rarely ever home, so obviously you don`t see your parents very much. Do they worry much about you?

- Actually, I worry more about them. Especially my mom. She`s a nurse in a kindergarten for blind children. It`s really hard work, and she`s constantly under a lot of stress.

Hobbies

- What do you usually do when you`re in Belgorod for an extended stay?

- I go to university, write tests. I`m studying physical education, to become a coach. Often, I`ll stroll along the city - Belgorod is real pretty. I love dancing and go to discos a lot. I like all kinds of music, except for electronica and so-called acid jazz - raves and what have you. I really like Russian music - from "Ruki vverkh" [or "Hands up!", a wildly popular techno duo] and [Marina] Khlebnikova [a pop singer] to [Larisa] Dolina [a Streisand-esque chanteuse] and Na-Na [the Russian answer to the Backstreet Boys - N.K.]. By the way, I met the guys from Na-Na at the Olympic banquet at the Kremlin, and they and their producer Bari Alibasov seemed like really nice kids.

- Do you like going to the movies?

- I don`t have time for that, so usually I`ll watch the new movies on video. The most recent ones I saw were "Titanic", "Man in the Iron Mask" and "Romeo and Juliet".

- You haven`t been hit with Leonardo DiCaprio-mania like so many others, have you?

- No. Of course, Di Caprio is not a bad actor, but to me he doesn`t really emote like a grown man should. I feel much closer to our Russian actors, especially the famous troika of Nikulin - Witzin - Morgunov. Among actresses, I like the "Caucasian prisoner" Natasha Varley.

- What kind of wardrobe do you like?

-I like classic clothes. I love pants suits, and for denim I like Versace. Ususally, I travel with five outfits - I don`t need more than that because I couldn`t manage to wear them all!

- Have you found your scent yet?

- Not yet. That`s why I like to try new perfumes whenever I travel abroad. I like Estee Lauder, 5th Avenue, Kenzo, Armani.

The Future

- .....What would be your idea of personal happiness?

- ...Hmmm, let me dream a little. OK: I live in a large villa somewhere abroad - in Switzerland, Italy or France. I have a cat or big dog at home (just not a Rottweiler, because they seem really mean to me). Finally, a garden and path where I`ll be able to take walks at night.

- And no place for your beloved?

- Not yet. Because of the absence of one in my present life.

- There is this rather sentimental saying: that to men every woman is a flower - a flower that if it is to bloom, must be taken care of. Which flower would you compare yourself to?

- I`d be something between my favorite burgundy roses and a cactus.

- Can you really prick?

- And how!

Thanks to Nikki Kim for the contribution