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This article was translated from Russian by osfish1. Thanks!

ALEKSEI NEMOV

      He became a classy gymnast in spite of  the circumstances. As
a kid he once fell on a metal bucket and badly hurt his back. That
injury reminded him of itself many years later when Aleksei was
already fully involved  in sport, but he did not quit gymnastics -
too
much time and effort had been given to it. Overcoming the pain and
drawing only on his inner strength Nemov won two gold medals in
Atlanta. Now he is getting ready for his next Olympics in Sydney.

      Aleksei Nemov was born on May 28,  1976 in Barashevo, Mordovia
Region. He lives in Togliatti and has an apartment in Nakhabino near
Moscow. His height is 174 cm and his weight is 75 kg. He graduated
from Togliatti Pedagogical Institute where he majored in Artistic
Gymnastics Coaching. Aleksei is a two times Olympic champion (team
competition and vault), world champion in floor exercises of 1998 and
1999.

His coach Evgeniy Nikolko remembers:

      `Quite a few things happened purely by chance  in the life of
little Lyosha Nemov. Coaches could have easily overlooked him. But
now
when I look back at this chain of coincidences I think more and more:
`That little boy was destined to be a gymnast'.
      `When Lyosha was only four and a half years old his mother
brought him to the gymnastics club but he was too young, so it was
suggested that the boy should wait a little. Nemov could have taken
up
a different sport, like ice hockey, since Togliatti had a strong
hockey tradition. A year and a half later a coach and choreographer
Irina Shestakova was looking for kids for her artistic gymnastics
group. She visited pre-schools and looked at children. It turned out
that the same Lyosha Nemov became one of her students. Shestakova
coached him for about nine months, but when she took maternity leave
the boy was taken up by a different coach Pavel Denisov who coached
him for another year. It so happened that at that particular time
Denisov had two groups of kids. He decided to continue coaching the
stronger group and to leave the other group to Musaev. Musaev is my
student and we started to coach these kids together. I still have my
record book from that time where I wrote about my students, their
results and personal characteristics. This is what I wrote about
Nemov: `School - satisfactory. Physically weak. Very good
coordination. Fighter. Audacious. Has good prospects in gymnastics.'
Indeed, Lyosha was physically unprepared but on a trampoline he spun
like a top. He was extremely agile and deft. It was impossible to
teach that skills, it was in his blood'.

-  Alexei, what was so attractive about gymnastics?

      `Now I love gymnastics because I can do certain things,  I
have achieved certain results. I can express myself through this
sport. But before I did not think why I had chosen that particular
sport. My mother brought me to the gym and I started to train. At
first it was not serious on my part, more than once I wanted to quit
but then sort of got used to it.'

-  Being qualified for the national team you, like other gymnasts,
have to spend about 8 months a year at Round Lake training facility
near Moscow. Year after year, at several daily practices you see the
same faces of coaches and gymnasts... What makes you enter the gym
again and again? What is your motivation?

      `I want to achieve certain results, but psychologically this
monotony makes you extremely tired. Sometimes I want to escape and
see
nobody.'

- Must be feeling crazy?

      `Yeah, going nuts. Sometimes these outbursts occurred and I
yelled at my coach... Used to do it quite often but now I grew more
mature and try to control myself. When I feel I cannot stand it any
more, I get into the car and go home to Nakhabino for a couple of
hours. When I get home I see my wife and son. I find myself in a
completely different world, different atmosphere. And I feel so much
better, forget about the sport for a while.'

- Does this rigid and harsh gymnastics training system exist only in
Russia?

      `It is found only here. In has always been believed in the
USSR and in Russia that if you want to achieve the results, you
should
give yourself fully to gymnastics. You shouldn't be distracted by
anything extraneous. It is difficult to be at Round Lake and
practice,
practice and practice... Foreign gymnasts do it differently. They
live
at home, study and practice at least twice a day. They have their own
system and they also work hard. I don't think there is any sense in
comparing their approach to training with ours.'

- In your own view, if Russian gymnasts had a different approach
towards training would they still achieve the results?

      `The results - yes. But they wouldn't be leaders in artistic
gymnastics...'

Nemov's coach Evgeniy Nikolko remembers:

      `We began working with Lyosha very intensively. His school
started at 1 p.m. and every morning the boy came to the gym. After
practice he went to school. At 7 p.m. he had his second practice
after
which he went home to do his homework, and in the evening he came
again for about 40 minutes to do his trampoline. Lyoshka lived across
the street from the gym and was always happy to be in the gym. He was
very active, lively and very afraid that I might drop him from the
team. Each time I threatened to do this he burst into tears. Lyosha
clung to gymnastics. Despite the fact that he was sensitive and
easily
offended Lyosha quickly became the leader. He has taken the place of
the leader in the national team also. He is respected by his
teammates
not only for his achievements in sport. Yes, he is hot-tempered,
passionate. Occasionally he even yells at me in the gym, like
Kafelnikov on court. But I understand where this unrestrained rage
comes from - tiredness, overworking, injuries. When it happens I
pretend not to hear it. I understand that the boy simply needs to
relieve this emotional pressure. Sometimes I even tell him:
`Lyosha,
let it out and you will feel better.'

- When you finally leave sport aren't you gonna ask yourself:
`Why did
I need all this for?' You have to pay a price for your medals, your
success and glory. You have to pay with your health, your unsettled
life after you leave sport?

      `That's a good question! I am sure many ask themselves this
very question. As far as I am concerned, I started to practice
seriously when I was in the 4th grade. That means that since then I
did not spend as much time on school as I should have. Later I
graduated from the Pedagogical Institute and can work as a coach. And
that's it! In other words my prospects in life are very grim because
after leaving sport, after travelling all around the world not a lot
of gymnasts would be willing to work as ordinary coaches. Firstly,
they are not being paid. Children's sport schools and centres are
closing. Only because of Leonid Yakovlevich Arkaev (President of the
Federation of Artistic Gymnastics) we still have some traditions. But
the work of a coach might be unrewarding one also. You find a
talented
boy, you pamper him for six years, give him all yourself and what is
next? He quits because he looses interest. This is like gambling -
good luck or no luck. Many coaches give up after this. When I started
gymnastics our gymnastics group was the biggest. We had more lockers
than wrestlers or boxers...'

- But still, have you decided what you gonna do in the future?

      `Well, it might sound ironic, but I would probably become a
coach, but not here, not in Russia. Look at the teams at the last
meet
in Moscow "World Stars 2000". They all have Russian coaches!'

- Well, and you won't feel regret that you'll be working abroad and
training competitors of Russian gymnasts?

      `But what if coaches and athletes aren't being paid at home?
Why should I sit there with my family hungry and keep telling myself:
"I am a patriot". That is not our fault that it is happening this
way.
We have to face the reality. When I hear the stories of my foreign
colleagues, how much money they earn - it is like heaven and earth if
you compare with our life. If only coaches in Russia could make half
of what they make abroad I would go nowhere. I love my country no
matter how unpredictable it is. As the song says: `Let them call
it
ugly, but still we love it'.

- Does that mean that the present generation of athletes focuses
solely upon money?

      `It would be nice to have some money but nowadays many
athletes train and work practically without any. It is probably in
our
veins, especially when you are single, you do not think how much you
get for winning a competition. It is much more important not to let
your team down and to achieve good results. Now that I have a family
I
started to look at broader picture including its financial side. That
is why I, like others, have to continue my training no matter how
much
pain it causes me. Otherwise you will not survive in Russia today.
Without good results at competitions you won't earn your living.'

Nemov's coach Evgeniy Nikolko:

      `It is not easy to deal with Lyosha because he has a strong
personality. One should find special approach to him. I have to make
adjustments for him, sometimes I even play the role of a weaker
person. For example, Lyosha does not like when you openly point to
his
mistakes. Neither he likes to be pampered. Even upon the completion
of
a very successful routine when I pat him on the shoulder he gets
hurt:
"Evgenich (his way of calling me), please stop". Lyosha cannot stand
this `fatherly' familiarity and in such cases he usually
distances
himself from me. He seldom confides in me because he is used to
making
his own decisions. What he needs most of the time is not my advice
but
my support. This was also true in case of his marriage, when he
decided to marry a woman who had a child from previous marriage. Many
people did not approve of his decision but I told him: `Lyosha,
when
you deal with love there should be no advisers. If you made your
choice I will support it.'

- Alexei, how important is it for an athlete to have a support of the
family?

      `I would prefer not to touch the topic of my family. But I
will say one thing: I love my wife although we are not officially
married. I love her son because now he is my son also. My wife
understands me completely and I am happy that I met this woman. I
love
absolutely everything about her. I find peace when I am with her and
this is very important for an athlete.'

- How are you coping with the role of father?

      `At first I felt strange because I am myself rather young. But
it is challenging - trying to understand and to be understood.'

- Does your son call you `daddy' or `Lyosha'?

      `Both ways. I like it when he calls me `daddy', but I also
want this to come from his heart and not because he's been told to do
so. I will do my best to be a good father for him. Occasionally I
have
to be strict with him, even yell at him because if you always let
children have their way they will soon become spoiled and start using
you...'

- What is love for you?

      `Love is when you know that someone is always waiting for
you.'

Nemov's' coach Evgeniy Nikolko remembers:

      `Lyosha did not have serious sports injuries, like falling and
breaking something... But small injuries - he's had more than enough
of them. This is understandable since fatigue accumulates. For
example
his shoulder got injured because a ligament became `too soft' due
to
overexertion. He injured his back when he was a child. `Lyosha -
his
mother told me - `fell on a metal bucket when he was very young'.
Later sports doctor confirmed that he had this  back problem. I even
put together special exercise routine for him. Before any competition
I give all my attention to him. Good massage is important: I rub and
knead his back for twenty minutes. How can he compete and win with
his
injured back? Overcomes pain. And his dismount is almost perfect:
stays like a rock. Lyosha is a born gymnast. By the way, Lyoshka is
such an extraordinary person! Not every coach can say that about his
or her student. Nemov's is a real gentlemen. You can count upon him
when you need help. A few years ago I was really moved by his
behaviour: there is a coach at our training centre whose wife was
very
sick. She needed an urgent  orthopaedic surgery but they did not have
money for it. So they borrowed money from others but still that was
not enough. When Lyosha found out about it he offered his help. He
gave them the money and said: `You pay me back when you can'. Now
this
woman is OK. She even walks without crutches and back then she could
hardly move...'

- Aleksei, what are you afraid of most?

      `To be alone and to loose my loved ones.'

- Does your mother admire you? She must be saying: ' Lyosha, what a
person you became!'

         `No, she says: `I always knew that you would become like
this!' I deeply love my mother because she brought me up alone. My
father left us when I was still very young.'

- Do you want to have your own child?

      `Yes, very much. But the coach says: `Wait until the
Olympics...'