Meeting. Alina Kabaeva Interview with Alina`s Father

Sport connected you. What place did sport take in your family?
Sport was not only our work but also our leisure. When I played for "Pahtakor" Lyuba and Alina did not miss a single match. They even had their own palces which no one took. I always took Alina with me to the training center in Kibray - her entire childhood passed there.

Which moments do you remember most, being far away from your daughter?
There are many moments. Alina was a very active and bright girl during childhood, she always invented something. Most often I recall her smile. Even now her smile is the same as it was in childhood.

Did Alina make the decision to leave Tashkent herself or was it a concatenation of circumstances?
Concatenation of circumstances? No, it was more a decision which was made on the family council. At that time it was a necessity. She had to develop her talent and together with my wife we decided to send her to Moscow. Of course, there were tears as she only turned 12 then, but she understood that she had to leave for the sake of achieving success in sport and attaining the objects which she had set for herself. My wife was worried when Alina lived alone in Moscow and soon she left to live with her. Of course Alina had friends and a wonderful coach on whom she could rely. However this is not a mother and father. Though our Alina is a strong girl - if she decides something, she will achieve it.

When Alina was asked if she has enemies, she replied: "Probably not, but if they appear, Irina Viner will definitely get rid of them". Don't you think that the coach is too strict with her learners?
Viner is a professional, she cannot do it otherwise. Yes, she is very strict to her learners. She demands a lot, some, including Alina might even cry at her trainings. When Alina first came to Moscow for a review, Irina gave her 3 days to lose weight. Alina grew thin very quickly - of course, since she ate only bread and drank water. I think that this is right. One has to be strict in sports. One has to cry once in a while in order to achieve considerable success that Viner's learners attain. Although Viner has many ill-wishers she performs her coaching duties brilliantly, does everything that's possible and impossible so that her learners from the Russian national team were the best.

Does Alina have any male and female friends left in Tashkent?
She has many male and female friends as she is a sociable person. She did not have friends-coevals in the house where we lived. She was younger than everyone and of course she was the most loved as the youngest. When she calls she always send her regards to everyone.

What is Alina like beyond sport?
Alina is of principle both in sport and in life. In Moscow she often invites her friends and tries to treat them to dishes from our Uzbek cuisine.

Does Alina have spare time?
Practically not. If there is no training then she is participating in some-kind of project doing everything well. This is why she doesn't spend her free time the way it is customary with the youth.

In the Russian press a scandal story about Alina and the militia captain Museliani is now exaggerated. He is 15 years older than Alina. Turns out that Alina and Shalva Museliani have hidden their relationship for so long not only because of dislike of publicity. In fact Museliani is…married. This was found out when the journalists tried to reach Shalva. One of his telephone numbers was answered by a woman: "He is not here. This is his wife speaking. Yes, I am his wife, why are you so surprised?"

The captain has a 7-year-old daughter in the marriage with Olga. According to his wife, the marriage is not officially dissolved, the last three years they are communications only because of their daughter. At the husband's urgent request she quit work and is still not working. According to Olga, "he wanted to make a "Georgian wife" from me, put me at home. He thought that the wife should not work".

In Olga's opinion "he will try to somehow reclaim her, and he will succeed. Something can be done to a girl who is very young. 15 years age difference is a good difference for her to listen to him and respect him". Lyubov Kabaeva, Alina's mother, says: "I like Shalva very much. He is a good man". Olga Museliani, the wife: "He should star in movies. He is wildly handsome. However I don't know if it is in his character to revolve in those circles, where he will be when he becomes Alina's wife". Shalva Museliani came to Moscow from Georgia in 1996. In his homeland he got two degrees - athletic and legal. He came to the capital of Russia in order to apply for a post-graduate course of the Moscow Institute of Law. Before the militia service he was a talented boxer.

This story attracted attention also because of the "Mercedes" which was presented to Alina by him. Journalists started to clear up if a militia captain is capable of presenting a "Mercedes" to his beloved and where did he get money for an expensive car. In the numerous interviews there is no simple answer, whose car is this: Alina's or Musealini's?

If not for Alina's fame, the whole story "is not worth a hill of beans". What people can do for love, how it forms between seemingly absolutely different people, is there love in the modern world and are marriage contracts a necessity? We will bring these and other questions up in our new rubric "Love story" and you can read the first story on page...