What ever happened to Tatiana Grigorieva?
Twenty years on from her silver medal win at the 2000 Olympics, champion pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva says she still gets goosebumps looking back on that fateful night.
Stellar
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It was September 25, 2000, and the fourth day of track-and-field events at the Summer Olympics in Sydney. Soon enough, it would become known as “Magic Monday”, which many still argue remains the greatest night in the history of the sport.
Cathy Freeman absorbed the hopes of the nation, crossing the line in her iconic full-body suit to take gold in the 400m, and US great Michael Johnson became the first man to win consecutive Olympic 400m titles.
Then there was the sight of ethereal Russia-born Australian Tatiana Grigorieva catapulting through the night air and releasing both hands from her pole vault on the way to an Olympic silver medal.
Strong, mentally resilient and undeniably glamorous, Grigorieva remains an enduring
symbol of the 2000 Games. In the two decades since, Grigorieva, 44, has been through a marriage break-up, relocated states, competed in Dancing With The Stars, appeared in the 2008 revival of Gladiators, owned an ice-cream shop and became a high-performance athletics coach.
Now, she reveals to Stellar, she is tackling an even greater challenge than clearing that bar: raising her two children.
We’re approaching the anniversary of your big night at the Sydney Olympics 20 years ago. What is your most vivid memory, and how does it feel thinking about it all today?
It doesn’t feel like 20 years. This year people are really ready to celebrate and I’ve been receiving some nice messages. Emotionally, it was such a full-on experience; I still get goosebumps looking back.
The most vivid memory that brings so much emotion is walking out to the main track for the final. I was the only Australian woman in the final and we had to walk about 120m to get to the competition area, and the roar as we entered the stadium was incredible.
It was a shock because I suddenly realised I was not jumping for me anymore; suddenly I felt more pressure. I had expected the crowd to want entertainment but then, and these are very big words, I felt expectation – not just from all the spectators there but also from the nation.
Those were the first Games women’s pole vault was on the program and you were battling a few injuries, including a neck strain and a dodgy ankle. You responded by jumping 4.55m – 5cm more than your previous personal best. Is this why your first Australian coach, Alan Launder, called you “tough as teak” and the most determined athlete he had met?
Well, that is for others to say, but I always responded well to pressure. World Championships, Olympics, Commonwealth Games... I won a medal at every major championship. To come away with a medal, particularly in Sydney, was an amazing feeling. As you get older you do appreciate it a little bit more.
Do people in public recognise you all these years later?
Yes, people sometimes still recognise me, and my daughter giggles. To Sophia [9] and my son Makar [11], I am just Mum. I pack lunch boxes, read them books and tell them to do their homework.
When I get recognised in the street, they find it quite strange. I am not one to put pressure on my children, they are into their own sport, but I don’t use myself as their role model. I just want them to be active and healthy. I believe in them and will support them in whatever they choose to pursue.
In addition to your athletic feats, you are also well remembered for appearing in Black+White magazine as part of a collection of nude photographs. How do you feel about those shots now?
I am quite proud of those photographs.
Have the kids seen them?
Absolutely not! They are not ready for the emotional shock. But am I still proud of those photographs? Definitely. I worked hard in training and I was super careful with what I was eating. Doing that shoot was beyond my comfort zone and I wouldn’t have done it on my own, but my husband at the time [fellow pole vaulter Viktor Chistiakov] came with me, supported me and made me feel more comfortable. Now when I look at those photographs, I think. “Gee, I need to get back in shape and go for a run!” [laughs].
You were an Olympian well before social media exploded. Are you thankful for that?
I am terrible at social media. You have to invest time, know what to do and I have little clue about it. My Insta and Facebook are about as uninteresting as it gets.
Modern day athletes are so exposed. They try and build profiles and it can quickly turn around and backfire. When I was competing, requests went through my agent and, believe me, you can get all kinds of requests. At least my agent could filter those.
When things are going well, it’s easy to share news, but when things are not, social media makes it harder to retreat as a public person.
For me, it was the perfect time to be competing. I came to Australia, got to compete at the first Olympics with [women’s] pole vault as an event, won a medal, went overseas and competed with the same group of girls. We were like a big family travelling around the world.
What was more fun: owning an ice cream shop, Dancing With The Stars or being in Gladiators?
I moved to Queensland from South Australia after my break-up [with Chistiakov]. I started looking at places and saw the Gold Coast and thought, “It sounds really good. That place can save me.”
When I retired from competing, I bought a cake and gelato shop in Brisbane, which I sold about four years ago. Now I am working as a high-performance advisor looking after athletes. It’s my turn to give back, and share my knowledge and experience to help the next generation.
But you still haven’t answered: which was more fun?
Oh, hospitality was hard work. I loved the training for Gladiators, they taught us to tackle, and how to box and fall from great heights. But I was more nervous on Dancing With The Stars than I was running down the runway with a pole vault. Because I felt less prepared. To wear those heels with the costumes, remember the routine... I had butterflies all the time, but I’d love to do it again.
Originally published as What ever happened to Tatiana Grigorieva?