I took him like the major challenge of my life, and pretty soon I’m beating him and we are pushing each other so hard, so fierce. But out of the arena, we are friends.
I still love to find and develop the young athletes in traditional ways. I like to watch the physical and mental growth. That has always been very exciting.
Back in Romania, always I was struggling to compete with Vladislav Rastorotsky, the great Russian coach of Lyudmila Turishcheva. He was a powerful coach, internationally.
In gymnastics, smaller will always be better in many ways. The stress in the head, that will be the same for all. But the stress on the body and the concussions it must endure, that will always be easier for the little ones.
When I open many books, or most leading women’s magazines, or see almost all TV shows, I don’t find myself at all. I am completely anonymous. My value system is not there.
