Legendary gymnast Svetlana Khorkina announced her retirement at the last Olympics. At the next, she plans on releasing her autobiography and returning as a commentator for Russian TV.
Svetlana Khorkina takes a picture of the National Stadium in Beijing on October 24, 2007.[China Daily] |
"It would be the perfect time to introduce my book to China during the Beijing Games," she told China Daily last week while visiting the capital with a delegation of Russian Olympians.
"The title of the book roughly means 'Gymnastics in High Heels'," she said in a pair of fashionable stilettos, adding that she plans to translate the book from Russian to Chinese first.
After retiring as one of her country's leading gymnasts, Khorkina could easily have faded from view. Instead, she reinvented herself as a celebrity and an aspiring politician.
"I like my current life, just as I liked my life as a gymnast," she said. "There is no comparison between the two and I cherish both."
Her sporting career is hard to beat. The seven-time Olympic medalist successfully defended her gold medal on the uneven bars at Sydney 2000 and made history with three women's all-around world titles over the space of a decade.
Since hanging up her dancing shoes, she has had a son, now two years old, acted in a Henry Miller play and a Rosie O'Donnell show, and spent three years writing her autobiography, already published in Russia.
She plans to release her first music album in China later this year and has also teamed up with Chinese singer Mu'er to compete for the theme song of the 2008 Olympics. Besides, she is vying for a place in Russia's State Duma.
Last week in Beijing, the 28-year-old was wearing a tight black dress, a throwback to the sequined outfit she wore when she ended her career in Athens.
Since her departure from the world of gymnastics, however, no one has managed to step in and fill the void. When she left, it was like the dethroning of a monarch, so majestic were the performances of the 164cm tall dancing queen.
"I love being called a 'diva'," she told NBC in an interview prior to Athens.
"A diva is magical, you can't catch her."
Glittering career
