PILIPENKO Daria

General
LATE BLOOMER
She admits that she thought her chance to play for the Russian national team might have gone and that she then doubted herself when she was selected for her international debut at the age of 28. "Any player wants to be in the national team. All the same, you are waiting for a call and you start to think, 'What if it never happens?' For me, an invitation to the national team was unexpected as Dinamo-Metar [the Russian club she played for in 2018/19] did not have the most successful season. Of course, I was very happy, but then doubts and negative feelings arose. Then my husband came to the rescue. He said, 'You have to try it. It's cool'. The support of the family, of my mother, brother and husband, is very important for me." (championat.com, 29 May 2019)

COACHED BY HUSBAND
She played under her husband Zakhar Pilipenko between 2013 and 2018 when he served as head coach of Russian team Severyanka Cherepovets. The pair married in 2015, and she says they were able to separate their work life and home life. "I must say right away, this is very difficult. It's good that we knew how to separate home and work. He could shout at me in the gym, fine me, even kick me out of training. That's normal. I'm a player like everyone else. But, after a training session or a game passed, we would get into the car and discuss what to cook for dinner." (35media.ru, 09 Oct 2019)