According to Russia’s head coach Tatiana Pokrovskaya, five-time Olympic champion Svetlana Romashina has decided to continue her career in the sport and to resume training.

In an interview for the Russian news agency TASS, Pokrovskaya revealed that Romashina is planning on coming back to the sport after a two-year hiatus. She hinted that if all goes well, Romashina should perform in the duet with Svetlana Kolesnichenko at the 2019 FINA World Championships in South Korea.

Romashina took a break after the 2016 Olympic Games, and gave birth to her daughter in November 2017. The 28-year-old is one of the most decorated Russian athletes with not only five gold medals across three Olympic Games, but also boasts 18 world titles and 10 European ones.

Kolesnichenko and Romashina have already competed as a duet during the 2013 season, and they ultimately won two gold medals at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona.

This is a path that has already been taken by her former duet partner and synchro legend Natalia Ischenko. Ischenko also took a two-year break after the 2012 Olympics, had a son, and came back even stronger than before in 2015. She went on to win two more Olympic gold medals at the 2016 Olympics.

If Romashina’s comeback proves to be just as successful and returns to both the duet and team events for the 2020 Olympics, it would give her the sole possession of the title of most decorated synchronized swimmer in Olympic history. She already is at the number one spot with five gold, but is tied with teammates Ischenko and Anastasia Davydova.

Article by Christina Marmet.