Olga BRUSNIKINA

Living Upside Down
Olga Brusnikina first attracted attention when, at the age of 14, she performed a mesmerizing solo routine at the 1993 world junior synchro championships that earned her a standing ovation. When team synchronized swimming was added to the Olympic programme in 1996, Brusnikina was a member of the Russian team that placed fourth. In Sydney 2000 the duet result was never in doubt. Brusnikina and her partner, Maria Kisseleva, swam a karate-themed free routine, performed to Japanese drums, and earned straight 10's for artistic interpretation and technical merit scores of 10 from four of the five judges. Brusnikina won a second gold medal as a member of the Russian squad in the team event. Four years later, at the Athens Olympics, she earned another gold medal in the team event. Brusnikina, who had been a synchronized swimmer since she was nine years old, once explained, "After so many years of training, I feel at home in the water. I'm used to having my feet point upward. I'm used to living upside down."