Aleksandra Soldatova (RUS)

Aleksandra Soldatova, Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics World and European champion has been interviewed by Russia Today about her long-lasting battle with an eating disorder. She recognised that she needed help against anxiety, that was caused by a rigorous weight control. This issue has seriously damaged her mental and physical health.

She realized that she had a serious problem when her thoughts were only about food. She even starved herself for several days.

“I was always out of energy and didn’t have the power to train. But I was afraid to admit that I had an eating problem,”

She became lonely and unsociable and she tried not to meet people at cafes or restaurants, since this implied eating. Then she realized that she was over the limit and has to tell her problem to her coaches, who managed to stop her bulimic behaviors.

There were recent reports led Soldatova to open up on her battle with bulimia for at least, two years, that has constantly affected her. She confirmed she told to her coaches that she was suffering from this disease in summer of 2018. Anna Dyachenko, her coach, talked to her for up to three hours.

The alarms lighted up when in September of last year, Soldatova lost consciousness at a World Cup event in Portugal, leading to her being left out of the Russian team for that month’s World Championships. She confirmed that she ate alone and went everywhere alone, ignoring what was going on with her while her health condition was getting worse.

“I still has nightmares in which I gain weight, which remains a fear.”

Soldatova said she is taking a career break and not in a rush with her treatment, acknowledging that “professional sports and bulimia are not compatible, especially when you need to prepare for the Olympic Games.”

                                                                                                                      Source: Russia Today