Anastasia Gotfrid Interview

Anastasia Gotfrid was born in Snizhne, Ukraine in a sport family. Sergiy Romanov, her father, was also a weightlifter and her personal coach, and her mother Antonina is a gymnast. 

Being only a girl, she already showed herself as a very promising athlete and soon proved it on the platform.

Anastasia has been successfully competing on the international level under the Georgian flag since 2015. She owns a great collection of junior and senior world and European medals. 

 When she was 20, Anastasia first became an Olympian in Rio de Janeiro, where she finished in 12th place. 

At the 2017 Worlds in Anaheim, she became the winner in the 90 kg weight class and grabbed the first female Georgian gold at the Worlds. 

At the 2022 Europeans in Albania, Anastasia finished with 235 kg in total and won the bronze in the 87 kg weight class. 

We managed to have a chat with Anastasia about her sport and personal lives as well as future plans.

1. You are from a sport family. Why did you choose weightlifting, not gymnastics?

I started training at 4 when my parents showed me both weightlifting and gymnastics. Later, when I was 8, I chose weightlifting since I liked it. There were almost no opportunities in gymnastics because we didn’t have even a sport school for it in my hometown Snizhne. 

2. Tell us why you decided to go to Georgia, despite being a promising Ukrainian athlete? When you look at the Ukrainian national team and their achievements, do you think it was the right decision?   

I had a conflict with Yuriy Kuchynov – the head coach of the national team, so I had to leave. Now I think it was a God’s sign and I was very lucky. 

3. Are your preparation and training loads based on the Georgian system of Asanidze, your husband-coach Denys Gotfrid or your father’s experience? Tell us about it.     

I don’t follow any methodology, just stick to my training program.

Frankly, one of the main points while planning loads is to stay away from weak areas and comply with the restrictions due to injuries. 

4. You spend a lot of time lifting weights in Georgia. Tell us more about it.  

The Georgian national team is one big and close family, ruled by Olympic champions Giorgi Asanidze and Kakhi Kakhiashvili. 

 I guess these names speak for themselves for any athlete. And Georgian weightlifting achievements in the last 6-7 years need no further explanation. 

5. Is combining family, children, and sport possible?     

As you can see, yes. But believe me – it’s such a hard task to balance everything. 

It’s no secret that preparing for international competition and showing results need full concentration. For a weightlifter who is a mother and a wife at the same time, it is especially hard both physically and mentally. 

6. What did you complete/fail at this Europeans? Did you manage to get into your peak form?    

I injured my shoulder two weeks before the championship, so I competed with a torn tendon. It was a difficult preparation. The war in Ukraine influenced me a lot. It is painful to think and especially speak about it… 

7. What are your favorite exercises and why? What ‘weaknesses’ do you have and how do you work on them?      

My favorite exercises are the snatch and squats. Now I have some problems with my shoulder and knee. With all my injuries, I call on the head doctor of Symmetria clinic – a wizard with his own special rehab methodology. 

8. You best snatch, clean&jerk, and squat?     

My best competitive results:

Snatch – 124 kg

C&J – 145 kg

Back squat (in the gym)  – 245 kg

9. Will we see a 200-kg clean & jerk by a woman in the future?   

Definitely! 

10. What do you dream about?

Now, I want to learn a new profession and help people. Also, I want to sell all the medals from these Europeans and give the money to children affected by the war in Ukraine. 

P.S Thank you for the WARM BODY COLD MIND lifting straps and thumb tape.