Nino from the program is just a last name. Nino Salukvadze: I want to be happy in my homeland. Admission to VGIK

The name Ninidze has long been known to everyone. The first association is “sky swallow” Ii. However, her daughter is in no way inferior, either in talent or beauty. Her name is Nino, she is a promising actress, and Nino Ninidze’s personal life worries every fan of hers. Kirill Pletnev and Nino Ninidze often appear on the covers of magazines, gossip and rumors about them appear in the media mass media almost every day. We will try to figure out at least a little which of them is true and which of them was just invented by evil tongues.

Nino's childhood

Nino Ninidze was born in 1991, she is now 25 years old. The girl’s homeland is Tbilisi. At the time of her birth, the war was in full swing, and with it, almost every family was haunted by fears and inconveniences in everyday matters. Lack of light and water, cold, financial difficulties. In a word - war. But the family did not lose heart, and the girl admits that she never felt deprived of anything. Parents created an atmosphere of comfort and warmth, trying to prevent their children from growing up in fear and worry. And they succeeded. When little Nino was 5 years old, the family moved to Moscow, as her mother received an invitation to perform in the capital’s theater called “ Bat" At first, the future actress was sent to a Georgian school, but on the initiative of the girl herself, she was transferred to a Russian one in order to master the Russian language perfectly.



Nino Ninidze learned easily, and due to frequent moves and changes in teams, she became more sociable and learned to easily find mutual language With different people. This undoubtedly benefited her, because for acting it is very important.
As a child, the girl's desires changed from escape velocity. To the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” the little girl answered in different ways: either as an artist (after all, she really does have talent, inherited from her father), then as a ballerina, then as an artist, then as a singer. Only towards the end of school did she definitely decide that acting was her true calling. Moreover, she immediately decided on an educational institution: it should be VGIK, and nothing more!
Despite her mother’s fame and extensive connections, Nino Ninidze asked her not to interfere with admission, because she herself wanted to experience this whole path. When preparing for the exams, Ii tried, of course, to help somehow, to suggest something, to give practical advice, but her daughter turned a deaf ear to most of them and brushed them off. And who in adolescence listened to their parents and did not contradict them? Nino Ninidze was no exception. Now, of course, her mother is her main adviser and professional activity, and in personal matters, but then everything was different. Despite this, the girl entered the university of her dreams and successfully graduated.

Carier start

At first, Nino Ninidze was unlucky: there were plenty of castings, but everywhere she was rejected: either too young, or too beautiful... When she was approved for the first role, she was incredibly happy, and at the same time not entirely confident in her abilities (frequent refusals made themselves known).
Now the actress has several good films, where she shines with her talent. The first two films were shot in 2010, these are the films “There Was No Better Brother” and “Quiet Outpost”. In 2011, the film “Blizzard” was shot.

Kirill Pletnev in Nino's life

In 2014, an unexpected trip to Vladivostok with the cast burst into Nino Ninidze’s life. This was Nikita Mikhalkov's idea. The essence of the event is that the star passengers of the train brought joy to the residents major cities on the way from Moscow, arranging for them bright holidays and parties. The event is timed to coincide with the anniversary of VGIK (that year it turned 95 years old). Both Ii and her daughter received an invitation. Star family I happily went to please the Russians.



Kirill Pletnev, an actor and director, was also traveling on the same train. He is known for a number of popular films and TV series, such as “Soldiers”, “Once Upon a Time in Rostov”, “Saboteur” and many others. His talent is also undeniable, because he has received many awards and prizes; in 2015, his short film won at Kinotavr. Kirill’s personal life has always been eventful, he was the favorite of women and even got married and has two children, boys.
Kirill Pletnev and Nino Ninidze returned from the trip as a couple, and all relationships began in front of Nino’s mother and other fellow travelers. Everyone whispered that Nino was just another “victory” of Pletnev, a passing hobby. However, to spite all the envious people, everything turned out to be serious.
The couple often appeared at events together, did not hide or hide, but on the contrary, showed tenderness and awe for each other. At the Sochi Kinotavr they walked on the red carpet together, and after winning this festival, Kirill dedicates all his achievements to his muse Nino. By the way, at this festival the girl was already pregnant. At the end of 2015, the young people became the parents of a wonderful boy, who was named Sasha.



Now Kirill Pletnev and Nino Ninidze are busy raising a child and a romantic relationship, which they still maintain. As we all see, Nino Ninidze was successful in her personal life just as in her profession.

Nino Mikhailovna Ninidze. Born on July 13, 1991 in Tbilisi. Russian theater and film actress.

Mother - Georgian and Russian actress theater and cinema, Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR, People's Artist Georgia (1995), known for the film “Sky Swallows”.

Father - Mikhail Buchenkov, artist, third husband of Iya Ninidze.

Maternal brother - Georgy (from Iya Ninidze’s second marriage with actor Sergei Maksachev), he is six years older than Nino.

Nino's father abandoned the family in the early 1990s, when the war began in Georgia, and emigrated to the United States.

The mother had to take care of Nino and her brother Georgiy alone. Nino recalled about that difficult period: “There was no light, no hot water, and cold water was only supplied occasionally. I only learned what radiators were when we moved to Moscow, and by that time I was already five years old. In Georgia, we don’t have heating "It was. And the winters were freezing, the frost penetrated to the bones. We slept clothed on the same bed, huddled close to each other - me, my mother and my older brother Georgy."

He says about his mother that she - " great woman", and that her example is always before her eyes. Since childhood, Nino wanted to be just like her.

Also with early years she is very close to her brother: “there was and is not a better brother,” she said about him.

When her mother was offered to work in the troupe of the Moscow Bat Theater, the family moved to Moscow. In the Russian capital, Nino first went to study at a Georgian school, but then - in order to better settle in and learn the language - she asked to be transferred to a Russian school.

In her childhood, she wanted to be a ballerina, a singer, and even an artist - she inherited her father’s ability to paint. But closer to finishing school, she firmly decided that she would follow in her mother’s footsteps and become an actress.

She refused her mother’s help when entering the theater - she decided to pave the way for herself. “It was very important for me to go through this path on my own, to defend my choice,” noted Nino.

In 2012 she graduated from the acting department of VGIK, workshop of A.Ya. Mikhailova.

She made her film debut in 2010, starring in the film “Once Upon a Time in the Police.”

Her breakthrough came in 2011, when the actress played the leading roles in two films at once - “Duel” (Tanya) and “There Was No Better Brother” (Dilber). By the way, her mother also starred in the last film, who played the heroine Nino in adulthood.

For her role in Murat Ibragimbekov’s film “There Was No Better Brother,” she received an award for best debut at the Kinoshock film festival (2011) and an award at the East and West film festival. Classics and Avant-Garde" (2011) for Best Actress.

Nino Ninidze in the film "Duel"

Then he approved the actress for the role of Yulia in war drama"Quiet Outpost" The actress recalled: “When Sergei saw me, he prescribed an image specifically for my appearance - Yulenka has brown hair and green eyes. And for the film “And there was no better brother,” on the contrary, they repainted me dark red. And so I come to the filming of "Quiet Outpost", and Makhovikov was speechless: only green eyes remained from the image he had invented. They began to think about what to do with my hair - either repaint it, or put on a wig, but then they decided that I would act in a headscarf. So my heroine doesn’t take off her headscarf throughout the entire film.”

In the film “Quiet Outpost” the actress also performed a vocal part.

Nino Ninidze in the film "Quiet Outpost"

Other notable works include the roles of Nana in the melodrama “You’re Having a Child,” Nino in the multi-part stunt melodrama “The Trickster,” and Manana in the detective story “Climbing Olympus.”

Nino Ninidze's height: 175 centimeters.

Personal life of Nino Ninidze:

Since the fall of 2014, she has been in a relationship with the actor. They met thanks to the organization of an unusual project - the VGIK-95 film train. In 2014 - on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the famous film school - a train carrying star actors. During stops in major cities they organized bright holidays for local residents. Among the stars invited to the trip were Iya Ninidze with her daughter Nino and Kirill Pletnev. Nino and Kirill returned to Moscow as a couple and immediately began to live together.

The content of the article:

I’m not a fan of sitting in front of the TV in the evening and watching it, because during the day I have time to “rest” on the couch. And then, during an advertisement, I started switching the channel and came across the program “It’s Simple” on the 360 ​​degrees channel. The presenter Marina Fedunkiv caught my attention. She has already appeared in both a TV series and a humorous program about women. So I decided to stop and listen to what she was saying. It turns out she hosts a very useful show for many people. Just taught me how to borrow free places in a suitcase wisely. It turns out that you can hide socks or fragile items in your shoes when transporting luggage or fold them compactly.

Now I’m sitting and thinking, why can they get wrinkled? So I just laughed at this advice. I’ll still be rummaging through my entire suitcase and looking for a charger until the last minute of departure. I also doubted the new method for smoothing out wrinkles in wrinkled clothes. All decent hotels have ironing boards and irons, so why should I repeatedly shake a crumpled item to get rid of wrinkles? This is not why I came on vacation. As a last resort, you can purchase a miniature steamer. Now they showed a very interesting method of making scented candles. The guy pierced a whole tin can with sprat and stuck the wick in there, tried to light it, but it didn’t work because the wick was soggy. The question is, why? Which of us likes to smell fish?

I think yes. People go to great lengths to gain popularity for their videos. At the same time, the methods seem very useful when viewing, but the program ends and I begin to think soberly and reflect. Why collect unnecessary garbage in your apartment in the form of cans, boxes, matches, pieces of fabric, and then think about reusing them, wouldn’t it be better to start working at this time and you can buy ready-made things that are really useful in everyday life. For example, the same scented candles that smell like flowers and are made by professionals.

It turns out to be some kind of cycle. People use the method of making something unusual with their own hands and post it on video. The television channel watches them and shows viewers their staging, so that then people again begin to experiment and upload videos to Internet users.

The presenter's script is very interesting. She doesn’t directly say that, like, now there will be a plot on how to clean the bathtub. They will definitely bring her a dirty bathtub on air and she will hint around the bush that it needs to be cleaned. And she is dressed at home. No pretentiousness or glamor. Just hair in a ponytail, a plaid shirt, wide jeans and sneakers. The conversation is also surprising. It remains from the time of the series" Cool guys". But all these factors make the audience admire her and she admits that she is “one of the best.”

Incredibly beautiful. There were many difficulties in her childhood, but despite everything she was able to become a very worthy person, a wonderful mother and a wonderful actress. Her creative path It’s just beginning, but she’s already loved by millions. It's time to take a closer look at the biography of Nino Ninidze, a talented actress originally from Georgia.

Daughter of the Sky Swallow

Nino Ninidze is the daughter of the famous Iya Ninidze.

Iya Borisovna began her acting career at 9 years old. The girl grew and became prettier literally before our eyes. She was one of the most beautiful stars Soviet cinema. Men could not take their eyes off her, and women really wanted to be like the burning brunette.

The real love of the audience came to Iya Borisovna after her role in the comedy “Sky Swallows”, where she played Denise de Florigny. After the release of the musical comedy, Ninidze was dubbed the Soviet Audrey Hepburn.

Iya Borisovna was a very popular actress, but happiness was in no hurry to knock on the door of her personal life.

  • She first got married at the age of 16. Her husband was Nikolai Shengelaya, the son of actress Sofiko Chiaureli and the famous director Georgy Shengelaya. The marriage ended in a difficult divorce.
  • At 22, Iya married again - to actor Sergei Maksachev. In this marriage a son, George, was born. Despite the fact that the family broke up, Sergei continues to communicate with ex-wife and son.
  • The third husband of the actress was the artist Mikhail Buchenkov. Iya gave birth to him beautiful daughter, Nino, but this did not stop Mikhail from leaving his family and leaving for America in the midst of the war.

Iya Borisovna endures any difficulties with a smile on her face, she never loses heart and sets an excellent example for her son and beautiful daughter.

Nino's childhood

Nino Ninidze was born in 1991 in Tbilisi. There was a war going on, and the family had a hard time. About light and hot water I didn’t even have to dream; occasionally I only turned on the cold one.

On cold winter nights, Nino slept with her brother and mother on the same bed, hugging each other tightly. The girl admits that despite the difficulties, her mother was always in in a great mood. She continued to work in the theater even during the siege. The stage was lit by candles, it was very cold, but the hall was always full.

When in 1997 Iya Borisovna was invited to join the troupe of the Bat Theater in Moscow, she agreed without hesitation and left with her children for the capital of Russia.

New life

The move to Moscow became a turning point in the biography of Nino Ninidze and her entire family.

Nino first went to a Georgian school, and then asked her mother to transfer her to Russian in order to master the language perfectly.

The girl changed 5 schools during the entire period of study. The family often had to move from apartment to apartment, so educational establishments I had to find one closer to home. The difficulties of parting with old friends and getting used to new teachers and staff not only strengthened the girl’s character, but also allowed her to become very sociable, which now helps her a lot.

Nino's dreams of future profession changed almost daily. She either wanted to be an artist, like her father, or a singer, or a ballerina. But in the end, after 11th grade, I decided to follow in my mother’s footsteps and become an actress.

Admission to VGIK

Nino Ninidze decided to master the art of acting at VGIK.

Many people believe that if you have a famous mother about entering the theater university You don’t have to worry. But Nino wanted to achieve everything herself, so she only accepted help from her mother in the form of advice.

Nino entered the institute along with all applicants. Alexander Mikhailov, the course the girl wanted to take, knew her when she was very young. But he didn’t do her any favors.

In the evening, he called Iya Borisovna and asked her about the seriousness of her daughter’s intentions to become an actress. He also reported that on budget place won't be able to take it. The actress studied on a commercial basis.

She began acting in films from her first year, investing almost all her earnings into her studies.

Carier start

At the very beginning of her studies at VGIK, Nino was invited to various castings, but over and over again she was refused approval for roles, because she was still so young.

Finally the girl was approved. And although it was just a small episode in the series “Once Upon a Time in the Police,” she perceived it as a gift of fate.

After the film was released in 2010, many directors became interested in the young actress.

A meteoric rise

In 2011, Nino was approved for main role in two projects at once: in the melodrama “Duel” by Jafar Akhundzade and the drama film “And there was no better brother” by Murad Ibragimbekov.

At the same time, Nino is also confirmed for the role of Yulenka in Sergei Makhovikov’s film “Quiet Outpost”. Filming in several films at the same time led to a curious situation: for the film “There Was No Better Brother,” Nino’s hair was dyed dark color, and the heroine of "Quiet Outpost" was supposed to be fair-haired. As a result, Yulenka’s hair had to be covered with a scarf.

In addition to these films, Ninidze Jr. adorned a number of other films:

  • "Blizzard".
  • "Trickster."
  • "You're having a baby."
  • "Ascent to Olympus"

In 2011, the actress was awarded the prize for Best Actress at the 4th International Film Festival "East & West" for her role in the film "There Was No Better Brother." The same role brought Nino a special diploma for her debut at the open film festival of the CIS and Baltic countries "Kinoshock".

Relationship with brother

Her brother Georgiy plays an important role in the life and biography of Nino Ninidze.

He is 6 years older than the actress. Since childhood, Nino wanted to imitate him in everything. The relationship between them is warm, Nino rightfully considered Georgy the head of the family, because he was the main and only man in the lives of both Nino and Iya Borisovna. Communication with his brother is built on trust, but Nino prefers to share news with him very delicately and respectfully, as it should be in a real Georgian family.

Personal life

Nino inherited beauty and talent from her famous mother, but, fortunately, not failures in love. The personal life and biography of Nino Ninidze have never been put on public display; the girl has never been seen in a dizzying love relationship.

The first and only relationship that became known to the public was her affair with

Young people should be grateful to Nikita Mikhalkov for their acquaintance. It was he who organized the “VGIK-95 Film Train”, where he invited both Kirill Pletnev and Nino Ninidze and his mother.

The project was dedicated to the anniversary of the institute. A train with stars “on board” set off from Moscow to Vladivostok. Along the way, celebrities staged colorful concerts for residents of large cities.

Kirill really liked the Georgian beauty and he did not miss the opportunity to start a relationship with her right in front of her mother. The young people returned from the trip as a couple. The relationship developed very quickly. Kirill and Nino almost immediately began to live together.

Many feared that for the famous conqueror of women’s hearts the girl would become another star lover, because in his biography before Nino Ninidze there were short relationships with such actresses as Tatyana Arntgolts, Ksenia Katalymova.

But the fears were not justified: Kirill was very serious. And his young lover was never embarrassed by his biography. Photos of Nino Ninidze together with Kirill only confirm this.

A few months after they met, Nino became pregnant. The first-born for Ninidze and the third child of Kirill were born. The boy was named Sasha.

The official wedding of Nino Ninidze and Kirill Pletnev has not yet taken place. But friends of the couple report that the wait for a grand event will not be long.

Meanwhile, the lovers have been living happily for two years now. civil marriage and raising a son.

Participation in "The Voice"

In addition to her excellent acting talent, Nino inherited her mother’s amazingly beautiful voice.

For the first time, Nino demonstrated her musical talent in Makhovikova’s film, performing the vocal part superbly. The girl has a very pleasant and alluring velvety mezzo-soprano.

Kirill Pletnev decided that everyone should know about this talent of his common-law wife, and submitted an application for her to the show “The Voice”.

The actress was invited to blind auditions, but her performance of the group's song "The Same Thing" did not impress the jury, and no one turned around.

According to Ninidze, she does not regret taking part in the competition. It was for her new experience, because before that she sang only in musicals, on behalf of her heroines, but here she had the opportunity to show herself as a person.

Despite the failure, Nino does not give up dreams of development in the musical field. She would like to create a group and perform her songs.

Participation in “The Voice” is an important, albeit very short stage in the biography of Nino Ninidze. Personal photos and videos from her and Kirill’s pages on networks are filled with positivity, and the girl is very grateful to the jury members for their valuable and pleasant comments.

Nino Ninidze is amazing. And it’s not just the dazzling beauty of the fair-haired girl with deep green eyes. She exudes kindness and care, this can be seen even from the photo. Nino Ninidze has already won the hearts of millions. We wish her success and boundless happiness! And let the biography of Nino Ninidze repeat life path the famous “sky swallow” only in part of his brilliant career.

“Nino has always been a prima, and will remain so...” These words belong to Kirill Ivanov, the former coach of the Russian national shooting team. It's hard to disagree with him.

Salukvadze is the only Georgian athlete who has won Olympic medals of all merits. In Seoul (1988) she won gold in the 25m sport pistol and silver in the air gun at a distance of 10 meters. 20 years later in Beijing, Salukvadze added bronze to her Olympic medals in pneumatics.

All her life, Salukvadze trained under the guidance of her father, Vakhtang Salukvadze, who managed to discern talent in his daughter and bring it to perfection. In the late 80s - early 90s, this tandem had no equal in the world. This is evidenced by six World Champion titles and four gold medals at the European Championships. There is no need to even talk about prizes at these tournaments.

But that is not all. Nino Salukvadze’s son, Tsotne Machavariani, has already qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio. And this will be the first time in the history of the Olympic Games that a son and mother will perform at the same Games. And in one sport too!

© video: Sputnik. Alexander Imedashvili

Before we begin, let me sincerely congratulate you on the fact that your son Tsotne Machavariani also won a license for the Olympic Games in Rio.

- Thanks a lot! In fact, no one expected it to turn out this way. We placed him among the adults, and this is already a sign that somewhere in the depths of our souls, albeit small, hope glimmered. I only gave 30% for a successful outcome.

This is already your eighth Olympics, and it makes no sense to ask about responsibility. But these are your first Games to which you are going with your son. Taking this into account, will the Rio Games be special?

- Naturally, they will be different from everyone else. Together with my dad, we passed on all the accumulated experience to our athletes and now we will do this with renewed energy. In this case, it makes no difference whether it will be my son or someone else. For me, the main thing is that one of our athletes shows an acceptable result in domestic competitions. Then I take them under my wing and look after them like my own chickens, like my own family.

And I claim that in training, on the firing line - son, daughter, relative, mother, father, such a concept does not exist. There is an athlete and a coach - and that’s it. At home - please, but this is work. Yes, I am very glad that after the collapse of the USSR, for the first time someone other than me took an Olympic license in shooting. A young athlete, and also my son. This is a bonus.

© photo: Sputnik / G. Akhaladze

- Why was there such a failure?

— Because there were no conditions. It wasn't and isn't. The Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships - all competitions of this level are held at an open shooting range, in natural light. But we don’t have an open shooting range. Closed, yes - but only five installations.

We still shoot at paper targets, just like before our era. And everyone is already shooting on the computer and looking at the results on the monitor. We rebuilt the 25-meter shooting range here. We took traffic lights and adapted them old equipment and equipment, we shoot at the paper and look through the optics where we hit it. This is not the point. I'm not even talking about the open shooting range. Therefore, we often have to travel outside Georgia for training camps.

- That is, funding is at a low level?

- Funding? Yes, for me - Nino Salukvadze - the government did everything. We always went where and when needed. But I don't want to travel alone. We need to develop sports, we need to think about young athletes. Therefore, quite often I refuse to travel to certain competitions in order to use these funds for the development of youth.

And most importantly, there are already results. Last year, our young guys took third team place at the European Championships; before that, one girl got to the European Championships for the first time, another was fourth at the World and fifth at Europe. This is already an achievement.

In order for a team to have such indicators, something has to be sacrificed. Because without fees there will be no results. I watch them here on the spot and, if I see that the result has already been consolidated, I take them to the training camp. Because it is at the training camp that you see the full picture and understand what this or that athlete is like.

- Do you identify talented and capable people?

- Yes, sure. And then comes the honing of skills.

- Is it pointless to ask men about a 50-meter shooting range?

— In principle, yes, because we simply do not have the capabilities. Despite this, my son reached the final of the European Championship last year and took fifth place. This is a paradox.

- Maybe genetics?

“You can’t get far without work on genetics and talent alone.” Then you can forget about them. Now any sport has begun to develop in such a way that talent alone is not enough to achieve a goal.

At the upcoming Olympics you will again face Jasna Sikaric. Do you continue to compete with her in absentia at the Olympic Games and other tournaments?

- You know, we have known each other for so many years that there are no longer any rivals outside the shooting range. There are only girlfriends and friends. We try to help and support each other whenever possible. Last year, Bulgarian athletes came to our training camp. Yes, we are each other's competitors in competitions, but outside, we must help each other. It’s in the blood of both my dad and me. That's how we were raised.

© photo: Sputnik / Levan Avlabreli

- You are already going to the eighth Games. Can the Olympics become an ordinary event with such frequency?

— There is such a large interval between Olympic Games that these competitions cannot even have analogues. Each Olympics is individual and unique. And no amount of experience will help you with this. You prepare for each game from scratch and turn over a blank page.

No competition can be similar to another, especially the Olympic Games. And you can’t call them “next” at all. All athletes dream of simply even participating in the Games. For me personally, this is a big holiday and a big event.

- Where did you get the license for the Rio Games?

— At the European Championships in Maribor, where I took fourth place. It was very difficult for me. Only two tickets were awarded there. From the eight we had to advance to the semi-finals and then the final. Four already had a license, and four did not. But at that moment I didn’t know this. For me, the main thing is to shoot well yourself, and not look at the results of your opponents. Having made it to the finals, where four athletes competed, I automatically received a license, because two had it and two did not.

At the Games in London you were the standard bearer of the Georgian team. There is an unspoken rule that it is not recommended to let athletes who will compete in the coming days after the opening ceremony, or those athletes whose arms are involved, carry the flag. Did it bother you?

— If you looked closely, I was carrying the flag in my left hand. So it didn't hurt. But in fact, it is a very great honor, so I could not refuse. Although I performed the next day.

It should be noted that in London the organization was on top level. We didn't stand at the opening for long, as usual for 4-6 hours. I went through seven Olympic Games and was only at the opening ceremony three times. We only walked half the stadium and then this flag was taken away. By the way, it was very light, and not heavy, as usual.

© photo: Sputnik / Levan Avlabreli

- Will explain. The fact is that China and India were late to join the Olympic movement. At the same time, they progress quickly, as they pay great attention and importance to healthy image life.

In India, in general, the first Olympic champion was in rifle shooting. This happened in Beijing. After such success in India, shooting became almost national species sports

Because sport is one of the ways to introduce your culture to the world. When your flag is still raised. Isn't this the most important thing for any athlete? They won’t know all the politicians, but good athletes will be known by everyone, everywhere.

The Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement are one of the most peaceful events. Therefore, it is very difficult to digest and comprehend when war broke out during the 2008 Beijing Games. Even before our era, all wars stopped during the Olympics. Even when countries were not of that level, they thought of this. What happened to us? Where is our level of development?

© photo: Sputnik / Levan Avlabreli

What you did at the awards ceremony deserves true admiration. (Salukvadze hugged Natalia Paderina from Russia, who took second place, showing the whole world that real sport, the sport of the strong in spirit, is outside of politics - editor's note). The then IOC President Jacques Rogge even said: “This is the true manifestation of the Olympic spirit at its core.”

- Well, what should I have done? Natalia and I have been friends for many years. And we continue. I repeat once again - no one wants war. Nobody needs her. Let the politicians sort out what they have messed up among themselves. It's always the common people who suffer.

War is the same trade, only with weapons. Therefore, I will not get involved in this kind of adventure.

After all, you were one of those who protested against leaving the Olympic Games in Beijing?

- Who would benefit from this? I then said - if you decide that you need to leave the Olympic Games, then I will not be a “black sheep” and will be with the team. But this decision would be wrong. It's good that you decided to stay.

- Can you name three main qualities needed by a shooter?

— Firstly, it is resilience in psychology. Hard work and concentration. Uznadze's theory has a huge impact on our sport. When you think about something, then your body, whether you want it or not, materializes it.

To think correctly, to think correctly, to have the right mindset, to conduct the competition correctly - that’s the most important thing. Because I can deliver the equipment to you in half an hour. You can master it very easily and quickly. But then comes the moment of psychological struggle.

© photo: Sputnik / Levan Avlabreli

How do shooters relieve stress? After all, compared to other sports, the adrenaline rush in shooting is invisible to fans. No one screams, no one does somersaults - everything happens very calmly at the shooting range, even when someone wins.

- Agree. Our tension is not visible from the outside - everything is inside us. Let's say a runner. It has one start and one finish. We have 60 starts and the same number of finishes. For us, each shot is like a separate start and finish. And maintaining the same attitude throughout the entire distance is very difficult. Actually impossible. This requires non-human resources. This is what you need to learn and practice. Added to all this is an elemental jitters.

Does jitters appear at the moment when the athlete already feels the closeness of victory, or at some other moment?

“If you’re counting your points, that’s when you start to worry.” For example, I don’t do this. The computer does the math for me. I just look at the results of each individual shot.

If everything went well for you from the very beginning, then I repeat once again - you need to be able to maintain such an attitude. And vice versa, if things didn’t work out for you from the very start, then you need to rebuild. This is the most difficult thing about our sport.

© photo: Sputnik / Levan Avlabreli

- It turns out that it’s much harder for shooters than for sprinters?

- Yes. You noticed correctly. In many other sports, you can get angry, after which you begin to attack more actively (if it is wrestling) or hit the ball harder (for example, if it is football). There is a strong release of emotions and adrenaline. But with us it’s the other way around. Under no circumstances should you be angry. On the contrary, we need to calm down. If you made a bad shot, you simply have no right to panic. And, naturally, this is not visible from the outside. But you simply have no idea what’s going on inside. In addition, you need to calm down in a very short period of time.

- Who is involved in your psychological preparation? Your father?

“And my father, and psychologists, and I myself devote a lot of time to this. I worked with many psychologists, including sports psychologists. Psychology is generally very fine work. It may seem that it is very easy, but it is not. Every athlete is different in every sport. And you, as a specialist, are obliged to know the psychology of this sport and each athlete and select accordingly the right words, specific to that athlete and specific circumstances. Sometimes you can slap a person in the face and help, but sometimes a kind word is enough. It all depends on the situation. But no matter who helps you, you, first of all, learn to fight with yourself.

Have you noticed how non-Asian coaches worry about their players? They scream, throw out emotions, run along the sidelines... And compare them with Asian mentors. They are peace itself. And as you can see, this calmness justifies itself.

© photo: Sputnik / Levan Avlabreli

- In your sport, only psychology is important or physical training does it matter too?

- It has some other things. First of all, endurance is important. We simply need it. We devote time to physical training every day. Every day. This includes barbell, running, and swimming. Without this, the shooter simply will not be able to acquire the necessary endurance and endurance. During competitions, the pulse reaches 170-200 beats. This is impossible to bear if the heart is not ready and accustomed to such stress. The athlete will not survive the competition.

You take a pistol, stand on the line and shoot - this is not so. When it’s entertainment, then you’re welcome, but when it comes to professional sports, there’s a completely different approach.

- Despite the fact that you are also a sports functionary, do you manage to find time for training?

- They help. I would like to have time to work in Olympic Committee. Do you know how it was for me? After giving birth, I left the children with my mother, and I was always overcome by the feeling that they were missing me. This is the same feeling in the NOC of Georgia (laughs). I feel like I don't spend enough time there and don't have time to do much of what I need to do.

T. Kulumbegashvili

- How much time a day do you devote to training?

- We have a system. Exercising every day is also not entirely correct.

- What kind of system is it, if not a secret?

- Yes, there is no secret here. You can't just train all the time. You also need to pay attention to rest for these workouts to be beneficial. Otherwise, in a month you will die and will only be treated. That's why perfect option- this is three days of training and one day of rest. Because of this, we do not have Saturdays and Sundays. Everything is going according to schedule and plan.

- How long does training usually last?

- It depends on the training. If it’s 10 meters (pneumatic), then three hours, with all the elements, is quite enough. And if it’s 25 meters, then it’s four hours.

- Is this enough for you?

© photo: Sputnik / Levan Avlabreli

- You have repeatedly stated that you love 25 meters more than 10. Why?

— Probably because it’s still small-caliber firearms. I feel it better. There is both slow and fast shooting. And 10 meters is only slow. It’s just that Shikarich prefers pneumatics. Therefore, in the finals of the Seoul Olympics, I was not afraid of anyone, and neither was she.

- Do you have an individual weapon?

- Yes, sure. Athletes who are above the average level and who have some results already have individual weapons. Individual handle adjusted to the athlete’s hand.

- Do you only have one gun?

- No, several. Because whatever one may say, this is a mechanism that tends to break. How many times have my weapons been damaged in competitions? In Beijing, a pistol broke during test firing. After firing slowly, I had a second or third result. And during the rapid fire the rear sight came off, and the weapon failed. I don’t know how this happened, because I didn’t leave my weapon for a second. It was with me all the time. The first five test shots are three seconds and then you rest for seven seconds. In those seven seconds, I managed to insert the rear sight and somehow managed to shoot to the eight mark. I still can’t explain what happened. And I had a lot of such cases.

A similar incident occurred at the European Championships. After firing slowly, my trigger broke. It’s hard to imagine how the trigger can break, but still. There was no time to change it. They found someone's gun and gave it to me. The main thing is the same brand. The handle is not mine, it doesn’t fit well in my hand. But nothing - I shot and won that tournament. Only later did I find out that the pistol belonged to one of the men from the USSR national team. What can you do - anything can happen (laughs).

© photo: Sputnik / Levan Avlabreli

- A common question - have you ever shot from sniper rifle?

- No. I had to use a machine gun, a Makarov, and other pistols, too, but I didn’t have to use a sniper rifle. But she fired from the optics - at the “running boar”. This is a very interesting exercise, which was removed from the Olympic program and therefore very little attention is paid to this discipline. In my opinion, it was the most interesting and spectacular view.

- How different are the sensations when you see a target through the front sight and through the optics?

- These are completely different things. But optics have a completely different purpose. In general, I look at weapons exclusively as sports equipment. And no other way.

- Haven’t you been hunting?

- No and not gonna. I will never be able to shoot the beast. They repeatedly offered and called, but it was useless.

-Have you trained with an iron?

- No, these are inventions of journalists. Why do I need an iron when I had weapons at home (laughs). Dad shot all his life. At the age of 27, he began to engage in shooting sports. I won the USSR championships and sports competitions, but they didn’t go any further.

- But he raised an excellent athlete.

“He just says: “It’s good that they didn’t take it, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

How did you first become acquainted with shooting? Is this thanks to dad?

“He didn’t want me to do shooting.” I was physically very weak. Dad didn't think I could pull it off. While still at school, I played basketball for four years and was even the city champion among schoolchildren. I remember that my first photograph in the newspaper was related to basketball. But then it happened that I left basketball, music, and dancing. I couldn’t stand playing music (laughs). I love music very much, but to study - excuse me. I don’t know how, and it’s not mine (laughs).

It so happened that for some time I did not go anywhere. Then my mother told my father: “She has a lot of free time, she’s always in the yard - take her with you.” I studied very well at school and coped with my lessons quickly. And the courtyards used to be different - there was no danger.

So it was my mother who insisted (smiles). At first I really didn’t want to go, because after basketball, a team sport where you have fun and have fun, shooting is something completely different. You have to stand at the line calmly, you can’t talk, you can’t laugh either. After training, please do whatever you want. But during it you must be calm. This was difficult and unusual for me. Especially for us - southerners, with our temperament (laughs).

© photo: Sputnik / G.Akhladze

And yet you stayed?

- Yes. It turned out that after two years I won the schoolchildren’s “spartakiad” and off we went. Because of this, I was unable to pass exams in either the eighth or tenth grade.

Then I entered the physical education institute, although I was preparing for something completely different. I have always loved anatomy and biology. I just thought that I might not turn out to be a good specialist, because I would be on the road all the time, and so I would study according to my profile.

Although, if you really study in physical education, you can learn a lot here. Psychology, pedagogy, physiology, anatomy, biomechanics are taught in a very good level, and all this is very useful for the athlete. Every coach should know this.

- How did Tsotne end up in sports?

- Oh, Tsotne! This is also a difficult question (smiles). My husband is former rugby player Gocha Machavariani. I also really love rugby because it is a very masculine sport. Moreover, when you know the rules and specifics, it’s very interesting to watch. Besides, I have never met a single rugby player who was a bad person.

Therefore, when the boy was born, my husband really wanted Tsotne to also play rugby. And he went to rugby for four years. He had many injuries, and in the end he received damage that is still felt to this day. But at the same time as Tsotna, I also went to the shooting range. True, at first I didn’t take shooting seriously, so to speak. And when he stopped playing rugby, he began to appear at the shooting range more and more often.

Once I took him to a competition in Kutaisi. He showed good result- not typical for him. Then there were the next competitions, and he gradually got a taste for it. He won there, he won there. Then they took me to training camp, and I got seriously involved in shooting. As a result, after three years of training, I received an Olympic license.

- At the shooting range and in the shooting range you are completely calm, but what are you like at home?

— My husband is very noisy and temperamental. And I balance it (laughs). Although, in fact, I am very emotional, very much. I just don’t always show it, but I feel everything, I understand everything, I worry. I can’t calmly watch films where children are mistreated - I can’t hold back my tears.

Of course, every sport develops character and influences its formation. But not to that extent.

- You have a clear distinction, sport is work, but you “close” the door and become just Nino?

- Yes, sure. At home I am a wife, mother, daughter and daughter-in-law. My mother-in-law lives with us and doesn’t want to leave us. Ask her yourself if you want (laughs).

I feel great respect and love from people, from colleagues. This is the most important thing.

In one of your interviews before the Olympic Games in Atlanta, you said that the most important thing for you is self-realization. After 20 years, can you say that you have fully realized yourself or is there still something to strive for?

- They say - the eighth Olympiad, etc. But for me quality is more important, not quantity. Like, say, Viktor Saneev - three golds and a silver. Although at the Olympic Games in Moscow there was also gold, although officially it was silver.

After 1989, we went through so much time that it’s even surprising that we remained as athletes at all. And how they were able to survive in this country, and were able to preserve not only the athletes, but also the sport. This is already a paradox. That's what's offensive.

If we had at least half the conditions that Seoul has, I think there would be more of these medals. It's just a shame.

When in Atlanta, in the finals, I was second, and something happened with the computer, I still believe that it happened. I still ask God: “Why did you punish me like that? Because only you know how I prepared, how I came to these Olympic Games.” In conditions worse than mine, probably, even in Somalia, no one prepared.

But there was such a wave in the 90s. And she influenced both people and athletes - everyone.

— When the collapse of the USSR occurred in the 90s, many athletes from post-Soviet states changed their citizenship and began to compete for other countries. Have you been offered something like this?

— They offered it not only in these years. Since 1985, there have been proposals - starting from South Africa and ending with Switzerland. They offered. Promising, young - why not.

But my dad is a very wise man. He said: "I want to be happy in my homeland." And I always remember these words of his.

P.S. I always tell journalists that if you want to help us athletes, you should stop all interviews before the Olympics so that we can start preparing normally.

Because everyone always asks the same question - what do you expect from Olympic Games? For me, this stage has already been passed, but a young athlete does not always react correctly to such questions.

© photo: Sputnik /



What else to read