Fyodor Konyukhov – legendary traveler, writer, artist and priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. He is 72 years old, but it would be difficult to call Konyukhov an old man. A strong bearded man with an iron handshake. And there is a special aura around Fedor. We were invited to the village of Konyukhova in the Kaluga region, where a hockey rink opened in the middle of the forest. Why the second question. But Konyukhov immediately decided to consecrate it so that the act would please God. Do you know what terrible downpours there were on Thursday?! So, in heavy rain, a prayer began to sound – and the clouds parted and the sun shone. Miracles ? No, Fyodor Konyukhov. And I had a great opportunity to talk sports with him.
“What should be broadcast on television is not football, but pigeon racing”
— Fedor, do you have a favorite sport?
– It depends on which way you look at your question. If we talk about famous sports, I like hockey. Normal guys perform there.
— Is it true that your son is a fan of Traktor?
— Yes, because we have relatives from the Chelyabinsk region. In general, my favorite athlete is Vladislav Tretyak, and it’s not just that in the village of Fyodor Konyukhov we named the hockey rink built in his honor after him and even dedicated it.
And if we talk about the sport that I really love, it is of course mountaineering, rock climbing or pigeon racing.
– What is this?
— When they release carrier pigeons and organize a competition between them. I think this should be shown on TV, not on your football. When I come across football, I turn it off immediately.
— You don’t like this sport.
– Yes, I would simply ban it in our country! Not only can they not earn anything, but they also don’t follow the diet – they drink alcohol or, looking at them, they all have tattoos. I would just like to kick everyone who has tattoos out of the sport. They are lost people! And they don’t walk around in jeans, but in shorts, showing them off – demonstrating their stupidity, that they have some kind of drawing tattooed on their skin.
In general, I only recognize athletes from the older generation. For example, Tretyak or Lev Yashin…
– But Yashin smoked and sometimes allowed himself a shot of vodka.
– This is a completely different matter, because Yashin, above all, was an excellent goalkeeper. But I caught myself thinking that I would leave this world of God and not see how the Russian national football team would become world champions. That’s fear.
“But our athletes were unlucky to be subject to international sanctions. There are currently 24 teams participating in the EURO. Maybe our footballers would have succeeded and glorified the country…
– You know, sometimes it seems to me that sanctions have been imposed on our players because they play badly. They were therefore excluded from the international scene. If they played well, who would impose sanctions on them?
— The BRICS Games are currently taking place in Kazan.
– It’s a wonderful competition! So many good countries, such an interesting tournament! Russia collects a lot of medals and delights our fans. Let them come to us, rather than going somewhere without a flag and asking to be allowed in.
— The competition is not very strong there. Only one athlete participated in men’s synchronized swimming: Alexander Maltsev. He took the gold.
– Wow! Have men started to perform in synchronized swimming? It was the first time I learned from you that this could happen.
“Footballers just can’t stand to travel around the world with me”
— You are now setting off on a new journey, you are going to conquer the Arctic again. Which athletes would you take with you?
– Nobody, my God! Do I wish them death? They are all skinny! One day, somewhere at the edge of the desert, I crossed paths with our footballers. And so, as a bet, we decided to run up the dune on which the flag pole stood. So I easily climbed to the top, even though I’m already 73 years old, but they couldn’t! And they are professional athletes! Simply terrible.
– Well, Alexander Karelin was not weak.
— If you’re talking about athletes from the past, then yes. Karelin is a strong man! I would take it with me on a trip around the world!
— Do you think Alexander Ovechkin will be able to overtake Wayne Gretzky? What do you think of Washington’s captain?
– I don’t feel good with him. And I wouldn’t shake Ovechkin’s hand!
– Why is it?
– Yes, because it occurs in America. And he doesn’t think about Russia, but only about how to make more money for himself. But we must play in Russia, glorify our homeland! Of course, Ovechkin will not surpass any Gretzky! I don’t respect him as an athlete.
– You shouldn’t do that, Fedor. Ovechkin is very good and he is a Russian patriot.
– Then let him return to the KHL and play in front of our fans! Then we’ll see what a patriot he is!
— Did you know that Nicole Kovalchuk, Ilya Kovalchuk’s wife, set out to conquer the seven great peaks? And I’ve already been to four.
– She’s so smart, she’s just awesome! I know for myself how difficult a task it is when climbing the same Everest. It is a great test of human will. Therefore, I bless Nicole for new climbs. This is a real achievement for a woman.
— Why do you need a hockey rink in a village where there isn’t even cell phone coverage? There’s an open field right there.
– It’s a field now. But do you see the sign stuck in the ground? There will soon be a secondary school here. And even though in my village there are still more churches than ordinary houses, this is only the beginning. If you come here in a few years, you won’t recognize this place!
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Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
