"Two or three years ago, I was sitting on the bench, and now I'm in the top 5 in the world."

One of the heroines of the European Championships in Paris, Alina Gayfutdinova, failed to win medals at two stages of the Short Course World Cup, which were held in Tashkent and Astana. The 21-year-old athlete admitted that she did not expect high results, given the eye surgery and the damage she received shortly before the trip. In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, Gayfutdinova said that she would try to qualify for the December World Cup in China, where our national team would perform with a flag and anthem.

"The results, of course, are not what you want to see"

— You have competed at two of the three World Cup stages. Why did this happen?

— I had surgery after the Olympics and missed the first stage. The coach and I understood in advance that we would not be able to swim all three stages. Plus, we had an injury a week before the start, and we thought about giving up the World Cup altogether. But in the end, they decided to go to Tashkent and Astana. We planned to swim one distance, and that was it. And when we arrived, we got caught up in the atmosphere and realized that we all had to swim. I was very pleased to work out my program at both the second and third stages. It turned out very cool. The results, of course, are not what I want to see — the commentators are waiting for other seconds from me. But I'm glad that I showed such time at the beginning of the season [in short water] without preparation.

— In all the heats, you reached the finals and were in the top five.

— Yes, and I have four fourth places. But I'm not upset. They started to calm me down, but I was thinking, what are you guys doing? Two or three years ago, I was sitting on the bench during the short water, and now I'm in the top 5 in the world, competing at the World Cup. It is clear that not all the leaders of their national teams were at these stages, but I fought well with those who came.

— Was the operation performed on the eyes?

- yes. My eyesight was bad enough, and now I'm enjoying life to the fullest. I'm getting high.

— Many people are afraid to have this operation. Did you have any fears?

— Of course, there were. Many people scared me, saying that my eyesight might deteriorate even more after giving birth, stress would be prohibited, and so on. But the doctor reassured me, explained everything in detail, and assured me that everything would be fine. The clinic is wonderful, so, thank God, everything went great. The next day, there was an inspection, and I had already flown south. Although many people talk about photophobia, I didn't have it. The first few hours were hard, but then everything became wonderful. Everything is magical now. I remember swimming my first distance on the first stage in Tashkent: in my normal life, I wore glasses, and that was the only way I understood what it was like to see normally. I've never felt this way in the pool before. I immediately swim 50 m on my back, look at the scoreboard, turn away, realize that I really saw everything, turn around again… There were a lot of emotions.

"I admire Marrit Stenbergen"

— How will you get in shape for the Russian Championship in St. Petersburg?

— Of course, we will try to prepare for St. Petersburg. And we must try to qualify for the World Cup. But if something doesn't work out, I won't be upset. I had an important task — to have an operation. And no less important is to smoothly get involved in the season. What happens will happen. Of course, we will fight and try our best. We need to support our team and defend the honor of the country, especially now that the flag and anthem have been returned to us. We will work hard and hope that everything will be fine.

— The Russian national anthem has already been played at the Cup stages — what does it feel like?

— Emotions, of course, go through the roof when we can wear a uniform with a flag with the inscription "Russia". Before that, we were afraid to say something unnecessary, to appear somewhere in the wrong light. Now I am completely proud of my country. I am very glad that we have the anthem and the flag again, that the fans in the stands can shout "Russia! Russia!".

— Three representatives of our country won the Triple Crown at once, including Egor Kornev. Is he still the same simple guy he was? Has his fame changed him?

— It is difficult for me to answer this question. We don't communicate closely with him, either before or now. I know him as a good teammate, and that's it.

— Who are your closest friends in the national team?

— We have a great company: Arina Surkova, Zhenya Chekunova, Dasha Klepikova and me. There are a lot of cool guys in the national team with whom you can communicate and make friends. There are three close friends.

— You participated in the Short Course World Cup in Budapest at the end of 2024. What are your memories from there?

— I don't have any special memories: I was put in the relay, but far from being in the lead. The first international launch, everything was in turmoil, there was a misunderstanding of a number of processes. I'm just glad that I visited the Hungarian capital. The World Aquatics Championships will be held in Budapest soon, and we will try to qualify there.

— Have you ever competed in Beijing before?

— I have never performed in China before, so it would be interesting to get there and swim there.

— If we talk about the main competitors, do you have a guideline for whom you want to emulate in terms of technology?

— In terms of technology, no. I admire Marrit Stenbergen: she has now won several "crowns" and sets many records. Moreover, I admire not so much the results as her composure and the way she goes through the underwater part of the race. She's not super pumped up, she's not skinny, she's just well—built, but she does cool things underwater. You have to learn this from her.

"Maybe I'll join amateur volleyball later"

— How, in your opinion, has the coverage of swimming changed in recent years?

— There's a lot more attention, and that's great. We feel more support as athletes, and the fans are happy to learn something new about us. Swimming is an interesting and spectacular sport. A lot of content is being published about him now, and his fan base is growing. We feel this support, and we are even more motivated to continue working. My family used to just cheer for me, but now they've started following other athletes as well — they really like it.

— Do you like any of the creators and bloggers on aquatic sports?

— There is no one channel that I follow the most. I like the way Dima Miloserdov writes: he doesn't just copy someone's interviews, but analyzes them and provides clear and interesting facts. I can't comment on his commentary work, but he writes very well. I also keep an eye on Andrey Zhilkin — he also has interesting content.

— Do you have a favorite athlete that you follow on social media? Not necessarily related to swimming.

— Subscribed to many — from volleyball, swimming, biathlon, skiing. For example, since 2019 I have been following Johannes Klebo. He has nice social media and, of course, cosmic results.: 11 Olympic gold medals and a bunch of world champion titles. Moreover, it should be taken into account: in skiing, you can take only 5-6 medals in one Olympiad, not like in swimming, where there are more awards. And he took all the gold in Italy — it's powerful. Although it is worth noting that his main competitor, Russian Alexander Bolshunov, was not at the 2026 Games.

— You said that you play table tennis. And what kind of sports do you like to watch on TV, if not swimming?

— Volleyball for sure. And I don't like to watch table tennis, but to play it — it really unloads my head. We have a table at home, the whole family plays, sometimes we arrange home tournaments.

— And who usually wins?

— Dad. He and Mom play really well, and they teach us. But one day I beat my dad. It was the only time in his life when he didn't give in. We fought for a very long time, and the game turned out to be intense. He usually gives in a little bit, but then he stopped, and it became interesting for both him and me.

I also really like playing table tennis with my grandfather. He always gives in to his grandchildren, but when he goes up against dad or mom, that's where the real rubble is. He's already over 70, he seems to be barely moving, and then suddenly he starts hitting hard from left to right, diving for balls — it's really interesting to follow. Otherwise, I'd like to play volleyball.

— Did you practice this sport as a child?

— No, but Dad studied himself and taught me. When I was a little older, I started going out to the playgrounds when we were vacationing in the south. Then we even rented a gym and the whole family would play on Sundays. We always play with the guys at training camps, too. I want to learn how to control the ball accurately. Maybe I'll go into amateur sports later — I like it.

— Who is the best volleyball player in your team?

— In general, all our swimmers play well: their bodies are prepared, and the teamwork is good. There's no one who's super cool, and there's no one who's really weak. Everything is on the same level — some are a little better, some are a little worse. For example, Kirill Gennadievich Prigoda plays very well, Dima Savenko is also excellent.

— Do you call a friend by his first name and patronymic?

— We just call him Kirill, but in more serious matters — Kirill Gennadievich. He's like a father figure to us, the father of the team. He will always support me: for example, at the European Championships in Paris, he was very supportive of me in difficult moments.