As Natalia Ishchenko has become a mom, she was able to reflect not the passion, but love. That was the idea of her coach Tatiana Danchenko. As well as the perfect execution of the elements. What is special about this routine: in general, Ishchenko spends almost half of the programme under the water, holding her breath.
Natalia Ishchenko (RUS), Xuechen Huang (CHN) and Ona Carbonell (ESP) ©Giorgio Scala for Deepbluemedia
To get ready for the competition Ishchenko, who will be competing in solo and duet events only in Kazan, had 6 hours of training every day. But before the Olympics she will practice 10-12 hours a day, which is the ordinary training schedule for team Russia.
Quotes
Gold medallist Natalia Ishchenko (RUS): "Each medal is precious for me, they are all unique, especially at the domestic world championships. Today I performed my routine better than in the qualification. I tried to show off both artistic impression and technique as best I could. The coach is very satisfied. She said that this was probably the best presentation of this routine".
Silver medallist Huang Xuechen (CHN): "I am extremely happy! This is my third medal at the world championship in Kazan. Although, I still don't have a gold medal in my collection. But that's ok. I will strive for gold in the future!"
Bronze medallist Ona Carbonell (ESP):"I am happy because I improved my performance since the preliminaries. So, I am happy, and it was important for me to do my best in this final, and I did it. I am not upset that I came third. Ishchenko's (gold medal) is very good, and I am proud to share the top prizes with her."