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 Olga was completely at ease walking through
the streets crowded with shoppers and rushing tourists,
maybe because she isn't used to much attention: "Actually,
I have never been recognised in the street at home",
she giggles, "the only time I ever had some fans following
me was in China, after the 1999 World Championships in Tianjin.
I guess people had seen me win the bronze on beam in the
finals. Anyway, I was in a shop and all of a sudden there
were a lot of people there who all wanted my autograph.
Then they all wanted to have their picture taken with me.
It was funny!" But - isn't gymnastics popular in Ukraine?
"No, not really. They hardly ever show it on TV, sometimes
on Eurosport, but that's about it. It's not like rhythmic
gymnastics, that's on Ukrainian TV a lot. We never get shown."
Sniff...
 Poor gymnasts. It's always the same. Wherever
you come in the world you won't find a gymfan... But there's
a second chance for little Olga. Becoming a discoverer!
Why? Well, as we wander on through the jungle of modern
consumer society and it's global temples on both sides of
the street, Olga spots a huge bear outside a toyshop easily
three times her size! Yes! It was a specimen of the rare
and shy, nearly extinct ROSHUPKIBEARS! "Ohhh, he is
sooo cute!!!" More than delighted she poses with her
new friend... And speaking of animals - Olga comes up yet
another very funny story: "During one of our mock competitions,
a dog ran onto the floor mat while Oksana Andreshkova was
doing her routine. He semed to be a very knowledgable gymnastics-dog,
because he closely followed all of Oksana's tumbles",
she laughs and goes on: "The whole team thought it
was so funny that we sent a copy of the tape to a TV-program
which shows the funniest home-videos. And guess what, we
won the first prize! A brand new video recorder!"
 Seeing an add for a mobile phone company,
she parts with some information: "I have a mobile,
most of us do. But we often have pre-paid cards, which means
we can't always phone from abroad." After a pause,
she adds: "But my dad can usually phone me when I'm
away, so that's fine. We can keep in touch." Olga starts
telling us about her family. Her mother doesn't work and
her father runs his own small business: "He recently
bought a car and now he basically goes to Russia and buys
stuff there which he sells on the street in Ukraine. Potatoes,
for example." Olga has a younger sister and is very
close to her cousins, too. "My cousin has just made
me the god mother of their baby boy, Alyosha", she
tells us extacily, "he's amazing, he's just eight months
old and is already walking!" Olga has bought presents
for her family - and of course one for Alyosha! Exhausted
after walking around for hours in the blinding sun, we flop
into chairs at a shady cafe where she orders - no, not an
Obolon-Beer - but an apple juice to finish off the day,
before Vladimir Putin, eh sorry, Victor Lutayenko wants
to have back his best girl for the next training session
in the evening....
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