2010 World Boxing Champion Elena Savelyeva said that she did not lose her motivation for performances under the conditions of suspension from international tournaments, and also noted that she thought about the imminent end of her career.
Savelyeva, 38, successfully won the Spartakiad quarter-final stage on Wednesday.
“For some reasons, we were deprived of participation in international tournaments, so the Spartakiad is one of the most important competitions for athletes,” Savelyeva told reporters. – Boxers in Olympic weight participate here, and for me it is important. I moved on to another category and I now compete in the weight category up to 57 kg. The last time I boxed up to 54 kg was in 2015 at the European Games. A lot of time has passed and of course I am no longer in the shape I was before.
For me, the Spartakiad is important and unusual, because now I am in a relationship with girls that I did not previously perceive as rivals. Now the tournament gives us a great chance to try our hand at Olympic weight. The weights change periodically, now the category up to 54 kg is considered Olympic.
– What is your motivation for continuing to perform, including at the Spartakiade, in connection with the inventory?
– Everyone must determine their own goal, motivate themselves, or get help from psychologists, relatives, a coach. The motivation is always to be the first. It’s the same in life, because you have to fight for something, win, give attitudes and not back down. My favorite saying: “God loves everyone, but the strong are more”. You can’t be afraid of anyone or anything because they say that Muhammad Ali himself entered the ring and fought mainly with himself. The same for all people. The athlete must settle down. It seems to me that no coach or psychologist will help me until I help myself. This I know from experience.
If we talk about the general situation of athletes, it is very difficult, and everyone understands that. But the management will do everything possible to stimulate athletes, organize more tournaments and report on Russian athletes. The main key to motivation will be television, so that the athletes are recognizable in their country. I remember everyone in my area knew me as an athlete, and now there is nothing like that. I think television will do its job, and that will be a big motivation for us. We are Russians, and we can’t help winning, we don’t know how to do otherwise. We will compete with friendly countries, make contacts, go to tournaments. And giving up is not about us. Thanks to the tournaments, the support of the management and the television, everything will be fine.
Have you ever thought about ending your career?
Of course, such thoughts have been around since 2010. People often ask me, “How did you find this sport?”, and I answer, “Boxing found me.” In fact, there were times in life that I accidentally got into boxing and accidentally started doing it for myself and self-defense, I didn’t want victories, titles. Everything developed and inside of me there was always a struggle with the question: “Why do I need all this? And yet, she found the strength to carry on. Apparently I have such karma (laughs). Boxing hasn’t let me down so far, but age is age, and my career will soon be over. It is not advisable to continue further, but we must leave room for young people, help and motivate them, share the experience.
– Which tournament may be the last for you, or are you still not planning?
— The closest (laughs). The nearest main tournament was called the championship of Russia in its own weight. I will not guess, because there are unforeseen circumstances.
Source : MatchTV
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