Svetlana Romashina, who shares the Olympic record with five synchronized swimming gold medals, plans to return to competition by next year for the first time since the Rio Games, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Romashina, 28, said soon after the Rio Olympics that she was taking a break from the sport but harbored Tokyo 2020 ambitions, according to Russian media.
She had a baby girl last fall and has been an assistant coach with the dominant Russian synchro team that just won all eight events it entered at the European Championships.
Romashina was part of Russian Olympic team and duet sweeps with Natalya Ishchenko in 2012 and 2016. The pair carried the Russian flag together at the Rio Closing Ceremony, after which Ishchenko reportedly retired.
Ischchenko holds the record of 19 world titles in synchro, followed by Romashina with 18.
Romashina is expected to pair with Svetlana Kolesnichenko, Russian coach Tatyana Pokrovskaya said, according to TASS. Kolesnichenko, part of the Rio Olympic champion team, just swept the four golds in solo and duet at Euros.
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