Beautiful, successful and determined; these three words perfectly describe the impressive Svetlana Zhurova, who is not only a gifted athlete, but also an outstanding politician. The famous speed-skater achieved such acomplishment in both fields thanks to the fact that she never gives up, never wallows in self-pity and takes initiative, solving all problems placed before her. Winning an Olympic gold medal was Zhurova’s prized dream. It took her 16 long years to achieve this goal, coming up short in Lillehammer, Nagano and Salt Lake City. Winning gold in the 2006 Turin Olympics with one of the best starts yet, the Russian speed-skater became the third athlete in Russian Olympic history to reign victorious in this sport. Svetlana Zhurova shared her opinions on adrenaline, raising children and a woman’s role in politics with RTG TV host Natalya Krylova.