Taekwondo princess hails from Russia’s arsenal of tanks and taekwondo fighters

 

 

With her long blond hair and Slavic good looks, Anastasia Baryshnikova of Russia could pass for a champion figure skater or maybe a Romanov princess.
But the 24-year-old hails from Chelyabinsk, the city in the very heart of Russia that was the arsenal for the Soviet Union’s World War II tank fleet - and is known across the WTF as the setting for the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships and as an arsenal churning out some of Russia’s top taekwondo fighters.

It was in Chelyabinsk that the tiny Anastasia started the sport. “I had an elder brother and my mother decided to put us in it together,” she said. “It was an interesting sport with a lot of kicks and a tactical game.” Her brother did not persist; she did.

Now one of the most recognizable faces on Team Russia, the world-ranked number five is a definite medal possibility for Rio 2016. Though she went out in her first fight in the 2015 Manchester Grand Prix Series 3 on Oct. 16, 2015 against Cote d’Ivoire’s Ruth Gbagbi, she had seized gold at the Samsun Grand Prix Series 2 with a convincing tactical victory in the finals against China’s Hua Zhang.

The Russian took an early one-point lead then added another as she found her distance, taking the first round 2-0. Round two started faster with the Russian girl picking off her opponent with two more fast points, varying her front-leg attacks with a rear-leg round kick. Zhang managed to claw back two points, but the round ended 5-2 to Baryshnikova.

The third started with both girls wielding their front legs; the Chinese girl scored again, with a round kick fired from the clinch. With Zhang on the attack, Baryshnikova displayed some lively circular footwork to keep out of firing range. At the end Zhang was firing every weapon, but Baryshnikova’s work rate early in the match, combined with her cagey defensiveness, allowed her to walk away with a 5-3 victory.

“I am very glad, as I needed these points,” she said. “And of course the whole team was glad - we can only win all together.”

Prior to Samsun, her top competitive achievements include Olympic bronze in London, 2012, three golds at the European Championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014, and gold at the European Games in 2015. What she did not win was gold on home turf at the Chelyabinsk World Championships. “I would not say it was terrible but it was not too good,” she recalled. “It was pressure.”

As a player, she sees her own strengths as footwork and movement; her favored weapon is that point-scoring, crowd-pleasing favorite, the ax kick. Of her strengths, she says, “I listen to my coach, and he sets the goals.” And her weaknesses? “I won’t talk about my weaknesses!”

Among her competitors, she is a fan of Team Korea’s Hye-ri Oh. “I like how the Asians – especially the Koreans – operate,” she said. “She moves quickly, feels out the distance and has a lot of head kicks.”

Baryshnikova professes herself happy with current ruleset and with the PSS but finds her size, 3, a problem: “It is a bit too big for me.” While some female players are unhappy that the protective gear hides their faces, hair and figures, she is not: “For me the main thing is safety and I don’t want injuries, so it does not matter how I look,” she said.“I will show myself off in the stands!”

 

 

Outside the ring, she enjoys socializing, picnics and cinema. She is also in a relationship: “I have a boyfriend and we have been dating for a long time - seven years.” While she is not married to taekwondo, her boyfriend is both a Chelyabinsk native and – perhaps inevitably – a taekwondo coach. “He always supports me, he is my greatest fan.” In the future, one of her greatest wishes is, “… a big family with lots of children.”

Her other great wish is for Olympic gold - hence her focus now is set. Her time leading up to August 2016 will be divided between training sessions with Team Russia and her personal training with her personal coach. Then it will be Rio de Janeiro and the ultimate destination: the Olympic field of play.

“I believe in God and I know he will help me be the winner in the Rio and this is very important to me, because when I went to London, I wanted to be the winner,” she said. “As I did not do so, I have a great desire to do it in Rio - to win!”

And beyond 2016? “My biggest joy in life is that God gave me life, family and relationships and friends,” she said. “I see the future positively; I regret nothing.”