If you had not become successful at pole vaulting, what would you be doing now?

I would probably be back in Russia, where I was a 400m hurdler before I left for Australia [to join her husband and fellow pole vaulter Viktor Christiakov, from whom she divorced in 2004].

What was your best moment in athletics and your biggest regret?

The night that I won the Olympic silver medal in Sydney in 2000 was magnificent. I was new to Australia, having arrived from Russia in 1997, but was embraced by the country. I split with my coach [Alex Parnov] in 2004 and trained myself after missing out on Athens. People said that I was crazy but I won silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Who was your toughest opponent?

American pole vaulter Stacy Dragila. She won the gold medal in Sydney and we had a few years of close rivalry in competition.

Which athlete do you enjoy watching?

Roger Federer for his composure and focus. Tactically and technically, he is brilliant.

Some of your rivals thought you spent too much time on the catwalk. Did you resent that?

Everybody is free to make choices. Sport was a large part of my life but not my whole life. Several opportunities were presented to me, so I combined sport with modelling work, and built a career in both.

You posed nude ahead of the Olympic Games in 2000. Are female athletes put under pressure to sell their sport by appearing in revealing pictures?

I enjoyed bringing fashion and sex appeal into my sport but I was determined when I got to the arena. I wanted to win.

Do you still train?

I am studying Chinese medicine and acupuncture, accounting and law. I also run the Caffe e Gelato Milany in Brisbane with my fiancé, Plamen Milanov, where we make 32 different flavours of ice cream. I play tennis, golf, go surfing and do yoga.

What book did you last read?

Veronika Decides To Die, by Paulo Coelho. On the surface, Veronika is a girl who has everything but decides to commit suicide. Coelho writes about the journey of life, and the fact we have to make choices.

What music do you listen to?

I’m going to see Andrea Bocelli in Brisbane. I have all of his albums. I listened to a lot of classical music while I was competing as an athlete, but Lenny Kravitz would prepare me for competition with his guitar play.

Who is your hero?

I never had a hero but Sergei Bubka was a role model. He retired when I was starting, so I did not spend much time around him.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

It’s important to maintain a balance in life, so I would want to have a loving, caring family and friends around me. As far as the business is concerned, we would like to expand.

What is the biggest difference between your life in Russia and your life today?

I spent 22 years in St Petersburg and Moscow. In the winter it was freezing and in the summer it was so hot that it was unbearable. You had two wardrobes, one for summer clothes and one that had all the rest because you would need them all for the winter. It requires nerve and desire to be in the top 10 in the world in your sport for five to seven years and I learnt those qualities in Russia.

Which world leader most impresses you?

Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev and his predecessor, Vladimir Putin. There was no sense of pride in being Russian when I left in 1997, but Putin and Medvedev have restored it.

What was the most bizarre moment in your life?

Every time I turned up at the check-in desk in an airport carrying two bags - one full of clothes, and one containing a fibreglass pole, 4.6m in length, I used to get all kinds of suggestions: “Could you fold them in half? Can you send them by cargo?” There were times when I was prevented from flying because the aircraft couldn’t fit them in the luggage hold.

What is your favourite TV show?

Sex and the City because I love the fashion.

What is your favourite food?

I love Italian cuisine and used to spend a lot of time training in Italy. It was exquisite.

Where is your favourite holiday location?

I’m living there - the Gold Coast. We have beautiful weather and the world’s best beaches.

What does the tattoo of a rose and thorns on the side of your stomach represent?

The yin and yang in my life, my masculine and feminine sides. In my career I was able to be feminine and glamorous, but I was aggressive.

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