|
 After leaving gymnastics,
Yulia switched sports to judo a familiar sport since her
father is a judo coach. The Moscow Under 23 Championships
in April this year saw her competitive debut in her new
sport with a commendable fourth place. "I'm not professional
yet, but I would like to become Olympic champion",
she joked at the time.
 But Korostleyova
has not turned her back on gymnastics. She still keeps
an eye on the sport albeit from a different angle. A student
at the Institute of Physical Culture, Yulia specialises
in sports journalism. A frequent contributor to Russian
sports daily "Sport Express" and their online
news service, she says she would like to work in television.
 In Ghent representing
Sport Express, the cheerful redhead was extremely active
at every press conference, letting her competitive experience
show in her questions. She kept close tabs on the fate
of fellow Muscovite and good friend Lyudmila Yezhova while
still finding the time for outings around Ghent - some
of them adventurous. "The other day we rented bicycles
to get around town", she recalled laughing, "and
while cycling I lost my shoe.
 Friendly and open-minded,
Korostelyova is always happy and at ease interacting with
the public and is keen to practice her English. Her career
may have been short but it wa slong enough to earn her
a solid fan base which still has fond memories of her
as a gymnast and person. The Chunichi Cup caught up with
her in Ghent when a Japanese photographer reminded her
of an encounter in a Japanese shopping centre. He subsequently
sent her an album of photos from the meet. "Oh, I
remember that album, it meant so much to me. I was feeling
very bad on the day and getting it just really cheered
me up!"
Nora Schuler
|
