From Russia with Love

Elena is still in Spain . But we were fortunate to telephone her parents and her coach.

“I got a text message from my daughter last night,” says Nikolai Shportun joyfully. “The message read: ‘I am the champion! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!’.”

As it turned out, Elena had to borrow money from her relatives and friends to pay for her airfare, board and lodging during her stay in Spain. The trip cost her $1,500. Elena was saving up every cent. For example, she sewed a swimsuit for the tournament herself. Designer competition swimsuits cost several thousands of rubles. However, her win will not pay pack in terms of money because it does not carry any prize money.

Elena first appeared in a gym ten years ago. Her reasons were quite typical for a girl: fat deposits on the thighs.

“Her butt simply became too big,” says Nikolai Malyshev, Elena’s coach, rather nonchalantly about the shape she used to have. “And she looked pretty thin above the waist. Elena was keen to improve her body. So she began using bodybuilding equipment to get into shape. Little by little, she got “absorbed” into her hobby, which eventually became her athletic activity,” adds Malyshev.

Elena is normally pumping iron for several hours a day.

Choosing the right diet is also important to keep one’s body in shape like this. Elena does not eat a lot but she eats frequently. She does not touch any candies or meals with a high content of fat. Elena’s diet mostly consists of turkey, and plenty of rice, fish and eggs.

Reference data courtesy of Komsomolskaya Pravda: