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Moscow and her what-just-happened semifinal victory, Pirozhkova had to ready herself. A concussion at the Golden Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan in July sidelined Pirozhkova for a month. She would spend the rest of July and the majority of August off the mats, unable to raise her heart rate or practice.
“The biggest thing I had to focus on was my mental approach and keeping my weight in check,” she said. “I couldn’t work out for a month. I had to focus on whatever it was – visualization, staying positive, just telling myself even if I get cleared two days before weigh-ins, I can do it.”
It wasn’t two days before weigh-ins, rather three weeks, but in short time with training, Pirozhkova had to slowly get back into shape.
“It wasn’t super easy, but maybe it seemed easier because I was so eager to get back into it,” she said. “It wasn’t a smooth road back. The first week, I’d work out and start feeling crappy and I’d have to play everything by ear. “Some days, I’d only have a half-hour workout,” said Pirozhkova. “I think the fact we eased into it, I wasn’t over- trained.”
But the initial question still looms, what does Pirozhkova consider herself? Until 2006, legally she was Russian. “When you wrestle in tournaments, it wasn’t a big deal,” Pirozhkova recalled. “I remember filling out paperwork for the resident athlete program and there was a question on if I was a U.S. citizen and I didn’t know what to put.
“They’re like, this is pretty serious,” Pirozhkova explained about the sign-up process. “If I’m not a U.S. citizen, I can’t stay here, so I had to get everything rushed. For most people it takes a year, but I got it done in six months.” Now in her fifth-year at the Olympic
Training Center under coaches Terry Steiner and Izboinikov, Pirozhkova has her first World medal and she’s gracious to accept how that opportunity arose. “Because I was born in Russia and I was raised in a Russian home, I have a lot of Russian values,” she said. “I’m a U.S. citizen, I grew up in America and I have a lot of American culture in me. I don’t lay claim (exclusively) to either one, but I’m grateful for both.”
Pirozhkova routinely speaks with Izboinikov in their native tongue, but Izboinikov is aware who they’re wrestling for.
“We go back and forth all the time,”
Elena Pirozhkova scores on an inside trip against Japan’s Kaori Icho in the finals of the 2010 World Championships. Larry Slater photo.
“Because I was born in Russia and I was raised in a Russian home, I have a lot of Russian val- ues. I’m a U.S. citizen, I grew up in America and I have a lot of American culture in me.” - Elena Pirozhkova, World silver medalist
said Izboinikov. “Part of it is the nature of people speaking two different languages. Some things sound better in Russian, some things we can bring across better in English. “We use both as tools, but we try not to speak Russian when other people are around – just to make sure there’s no secrets,” said Izboinikov, with a grin.
So what is the answer to that ques- tion? How does Pirozhkova define her- self?
She doesn’t and stays, again, grateful for her unique upbringing.
“The Russian culture made me the per- son I am, but America gave me the opportunity to get what I have,” said Pirozhkova.
USA Wrestler 7
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