At Home with Alexei Nemov

It is always interesting to meet an outstanding personality. And four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Alexei Nemov is one of the most outstanding gymnasts of our times. As one sports observer put it, “He’s one of the few gymnasts who can draw the kind of gasps from the crowd usually reserved for only the worst falls ... He looks like a trapeze artists on the high bar, drawing ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ with his soaring flips. On one, he throws himself high above the bar and does a somersault, slapping his thighs in a move that looks more suited for Cirque du Soleil than the Olympics.”

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Nemov earned two gold medals and the nickname “Sexy Alexei” from female fans around the world. Four years later, in Sydney, he won the men’s all-around gold medal and a second gold in the high bar.

In May, Russian Life Executive Editor Mikhail Ivanov, together with photographer Andrei Golovanov, caught up with Nemov at his home.

Russian Life : Alexei, let’s start with a few short questions on sports. How do you assess your recent performance in Greece? [Nemov won a gold in the floor exercises at the European Championships.]

Alexei Nemov: I am very positive about it. It was very important for me to win that medal, so, altogether, I feel it was not a bad performance. I am satisfied.

RL: Can you give us some first hand information: are you going to compete in Athens in 2004? If so, how do you evaluate your chances and the chances of the Russian team? And what goals are you setting for yourself? It would be your third Olympics. Do you see any new rising stars in the Russian team who could take up the baton?

AN: Yes, I intend to compete in Athens, but I am not setting any specific goals. All I want is to come away with a decent performance, decent for my level. As to the new guys, yes, I do see some promising people, but let’s not jinx it. So please spare me from naming specific names.

RL: What are you immediate sports plans?

AN: My next goal is to get in top condition and prepare well for the World Championship to be held in Hungary in November. That’s the next immediate, serious challenge.

RL: Now let’s tell our readers a few words about your family life. You know, we often receive letters with requests to print more information about you, namely letters from America. For instance, say a few words about your wife.

AN: My wife’s name is Galina. She is now helping me with bringing up our two children—our eldest child, Yevgeny, is now 11 years old and is in 5th grade. Alexei is now 1 year 8 months.

RL: We remember your younger son—Alexei Nemov, Jr.—was born shortly after you left for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Do you see a knack for gymnastics in either of your sons?

AN: Alexei is already performing a somersault on the floor and he is pretty good at that. I don’t know if he will become a professional gymnast. We’ll see. But he will definitely take up gymnastics, at least at the primary level.

RL: They call you a sex-symbol in America, where you are extremely popular. How does your wife feel about your popularity in general?

AN: First, it’s great to know that I am popular in the US. Actually, at the Sydney Olympics it was my friends from US television who gave me a video of my newborn son, Alexei. I have never felt anything like that in my life, when I watched that video …

RL: You didn’t tell us how your wife feels about your popularity ...

AN: My wife likes it that I am popular.

RL: However, it looks like, much to the chagrin of your millions of female fans, you are a loyal husband, attached to your family...

AN: Well, yes, of course I am very attached to my home, my wife Galina and my two kids, and I try to spend as much time with them as possible.

RL: We saw you doing the dishes. Is this a regular chore or was it just an exceptional case?

AN: Well, I don’t do them very often, as I happen to spend very little time at home. But I don’t mind doing it, helping out Galina when I can.

RL: How would you define your main principles and credo? In short, what makes your world go around, as they say?

AN: It’s all pretty simple. The main thing is to be a decent man, do well the work you do best, not betray one’s friends, not betray your family. This is what guides me in life.  RL