Twice Olympic champions, the girls offered the Moscow-based daily, Vremya Novostei, a wealth of details on their World Cup training.
They had to change the program on firm insistence of Tatiana Danchenko, their trainer. "Don't you sleep on your laurels! You must always make progress," she was strongly warning the girls. That was how they came on a free exercise, set on incidental music from "Van Helsing", last year's American movie hit, and a set exercise to Finnish folk tunes.
The girls drastically changed their free exercise techniques to shift the stress from supports to plane figures, clasps and pushes. The program abounds in broken lines, so hard to make, and all the stronger to impress the referees.
Each of the swimmers is receiving a 5,000 Euro monthly grant, to which Olympic and world champions are entitled in Russia.
Nastya Yermakova is betrothed but does not intend to get married soon-no romancing for her before 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, she firmly says.
The two Nastyas impressively outdid a Spanish duo to win gold as Moscow was hosting a maiden synchronized swimming European Cup contest, late in April.
