“I like to be in the gym, but you must have something else. Sometimes it’s good to forget.”

or twice, but not when you want—just when you have luck. He was lucky that day. I’m sure his routine is not so well prepared that he can do it whenever he wants.

If you want to score over 7.2 (in Start Value), gymnastics would be very unpredictable. You’re not sure in this routine, because it’s impossible to be even 80 percent sure of it. If you want over 7.2, you must have two or three connections with two elements. So when you come to the first element and it’s not ideal, you can’t connect to the other, so it’s two tenths down. This can happen very quickly. You may have a routine prepared for 7. 5, but if you will do it, that’s another question. For 2010 I will also try to prepare a routine that can score 7. 5, but when I will do it, I am not sure.

How much of a disadvantage is it that judges
have known your routine for a long time now?

I don’t think the judges look at me differently. It might be an advantage because they know. But they also know the things you’re not doing so well—‘Ah, again his legs”—I don’t mind. The judges have their problems, and my problem is to do my own routine.

Is the Pegan (signature release skill) harder for you now than before? I don’t think much about it because I’ve been doing it for around 15 years. I don’t remember when I missed it in a competition, except for Stuttgart (DTB 2009). They told me also (I missed it) once in Glasgow, but … I have problems with other elements. I don’t feel pressure with the Pegan.

How do you keep from dwelling on 2012?
I say, ‘Oh, it’s too far for me.’ I don’t think so far
ahead—just for one year. If next year is good and
I can still do it with no pain, then I will try another
year. Maybe 2012 will come, but we’ll see in
2011. In life every year goes quickly, but not in
gymnastics.

Having worked with your coach for so many years, are you more equals now? We are more equals, but you must still know he’s the coach. It’s a much different relationship, but I think it would be impossible to work together if it were like 15 years ago, when he pushed me very hard. Now we discuss a lot about what to do and how much of it. We are functioning well together. The problem is that the coach says, ‘Now you’re older, so you have to do more!’