She is still called the most beautiful athlete in the country, and many foreign publications are generally sex- symbol of Russian sports. And today they remember this much more often than Klishina's best result in her career — a jump of 7.05. As well as her silver medal at the 2017 World Cup in London and her participation in the last two Olympics.
Since 2013, Daria has been living and training in the United States, without changing her citizenship and representing Russia in all competitions . She told Sport about her current life.
— Can you be called an active athlete today? >
— I did not officially announce the end of my career, but I can also be called an active athlete with a big reservation. I don’t see the motivation to focus on training, knowing that the result of this work will have nowhere to be demonstrated. Besides, I consider myself a realist. After a 19-year career, my Achilles have specifics: they don’t cause problems in everyday life, but in the sector I have been trying to negotiate with them in recent years. It didn't always work out. After an injury received in Tokyo, doctors from Russia, Europe and the United States made a unanimous diagnosis: in order to jump over seven meters, you need to do an operation. This was not my plan.
— Do you currently receive financial support from the ARAF, and do you have the opportunity to play for some American clubs in commercial tournaments? strong
— Performances in the USA are legally impossible. You must either have citizenship or study at an American university, which will only allow you to compete in student competitions. Neither option applies to me. I don't get anything from Russia, which is also absolutely logical.
—Now in Russia there is a lot of discussion about whether it is worth agreeing to compete at the Olympics without a flag and an anthem. The President of the Russian Ski Racing Federation, Elena Vyalbe, said in general that she would not let our athletes in on such conditions.
— Other sports are in a slightly different situation, so I can only talk about athletics. A very narrow circle of athletes was given permission, and we even went to commercial competitions without a flag and an anthem. Perhaps someone will not like such a judgment, but Russian athletes put up with it. In the current realities, you had to live just like this: either you agree to the proposed conditions, or you don’t compete in international competitions. Moreover, every year the leading Russian athletes had to wait, sometimes for a very long time, for permission from World Athletics or the IOC. I was the only one who had an indefinite one. The rest were forced to fight for themselves twice a year, before the start of the winter and summer seasons. rivals with whom you have competed in the same sector for many years?— I have friends among athletes all over the world. Not once in all recent years has our relationship changed, no matter how the political situation changes.
—Now that your sports career has been put on hold, are there offers from advertisers?
— Advertising offers — which is a sin to hide — has become less than in those days when she actively performed. Contracts most often depended on my sports results in direct proportion. Now the vector has changed a bit. I am actively engaged in the promotion of the Canadian brand for the production of clothing for fitness. I promote the collection named after me, participating in all stages of the process. I'm interested.
Is there enough advertising revenue to live on?
br> — I was not a spender and created a certain safety cushion. I consider today's advertising revenue as a pleasant appendage.
—Which of the athletes, in your opinion, monetized their achievements best of all?
— I will not be original, calling Cristiano Ronaldo. Everything came together for him: he goes in for sports, which is most popular among the male audience, has an appearance that attracts women. Cristiano is actively involved in projects that are not directly related to sports. I would love to participate in some joint with him.
— Why do you still hide your personal life so carefully, and the public learned about your eldest son only after the birth of the youngest? br>- I never wanted to take my personal life into public space. I wanted to be interesting to fans as an athlete. I completely agree that happiness loves silence. Although, having moved to America, it became much easier to relate to the desire to learn as much as possible about my personal life. I calmly accepted the photos of my second pregnancy. I am sure that I would have had many more advertising contracts, being active on social networks and flaunting my personal life. It's not even about a photo with children, but with a dog. It just doesn't interest me at all. Close people know everything about me, the rest will receive information in a dosed manner.
— Do you manage with two boys?
— No problem. The youngest has grown a little, he is about a year old. Senior with him willingly tinkering. With such an assistant, nothing is scary! The main thing is that the guys love each other very much, and I hope this will remain for life.
— Are you thinking about a sports career for your sons? — I would like them to go in for sports, but insist on a professional career I won't. I won’t resist either.
— Do you communicate with the guys at home in English?
— No, in Russian. The younger one, of course, does not yet have a language of communication, and the older one speaks three — Russian, Latvian and English. Now she is still studying Spanish at school.
— Have you already registered a marriage with the father of the children? — I was brought up in the old traditions. Both children were born in marriage.
— In Russia, many are convinced that there are no adherents of the old traditions in the United States, and transgender people and representatives of homosexual…
—In America, orientation is easier, and people there are much more open. Nobody hides anything. Russia still has a different culture. I have no prejudices, but I myself live in accordance with my traditions. will win, shall we say, not quite women?
— A difficult question. More recently, in the United States, a transgender person was simply not allowed to participate in women's competitions. I would not ignore tournaments if I was offered to compete with them. Although it is clear that men who position themselves as women have higher physical capabilities.