“The first time I jumped into the water for two kilos of strawberries.” Fedotov is our top diver

“It all started when my mother took me to the pool, at five years old, to learn how to swim. But everything didn’t go as planned,” says Nikita.

– In the end, you became a jumper in the water. Were you taught to swim the wrong Soviet way, when they threw you off the top of the tower?

– Not. But we had a deal there. At that time, I sat sideways to the maximum and wet my legs, and they promised me two kilograms of strawberries for jumping and swimming. My uncle threw me in the middle of the pool – I don’t know where to row, panic! Mom was there, everything went well. And I learned to swim!

So I went to the swimming pool for development, but my aunt Elena Georgievna Drozhzhina saw something in me – they decided that I needed to train. He trained in Voronezh – first with her, then with her husband Nikolai Vasilyevich. I jumped both the springboard and the tower, but the tower was the main one – more people worked there.

— Sorry, the topic with strawberries is not disclosed. You have two legal kilos?

Yes, and they ended quickly.

Has the working day started?

– Normal childhood development. Nikolai Vasilievich finally took me to his group, where there were children who potentially reached a high level. He took it and said, “Well, that’s it, let’s go to the tower.” It was difficult, scary and physically painful. Jumping doesn’t happen by itself. There were crashes and everything.

– What level have you reached in classic jumping?

– I won the Russian championships, but with age the results became more difficult – third or fourth place.

We have many top schools, coaches and athletes in Russia. It was always difficult to compete with the athletes from Penza, they were always one step ahead, it upset me, but we worked, we developed, even if there were injuries. You grow, grow and at some point you have to start all over again from the beginning. The hard way, few people really realize this.

Were there any serious injuries?

– I’m afraid I’ll jinx it – it wasn’t particularly difficult. But there were problems with the brush. When you put your hands on the entrance, sometimes you miss your hand or hit your hand with your finger, knocking out the joint. We still have a big load on our hands – it’s 10m, and you’re not so developed yet.

Even professionals suffer from these problems. Hands break, joints burst. Everyone has been there. The same Nikita Shleikher, whom I know well, broke his arm at the entrance. No one can protect you from this.

– Sport is dangerous and does not pay all the risks. There was no thought “why all this at all”?

– It can only be monetized through the Olympics. I didn’t get into the national team, didn’t go to the Games – everything is falling apart again. Everything from scratch! You can become a coach, but not all good jumpers will become good coaches.

— Why did you leave classic jumps and how did high diving come into your life?

– Everywhere has its own policy, including arbitration, coaching. And that doesn’t work for a lot of people. It’s like that everywhere, all over the world.

I realized that I liked training and performing, but I also wanted something more interesting. Voronezh guys had already gone to perform in shows in China at that time. And I decided to try.

– How old were you?

– 16. Mom said: “Come on, try, the main thing – try.” I flew to Beijing, they put me in to watch the show. A large arena, rocks, towers, springboards – 3, 10, 15 and 23 m Everything looked very impressive, water cannons, jet skis. It was a big shock and… I didn’t understand anything. Outside, it’s a show, it’s a show, but how is everything arranged inside?

The final jump was a 23m high dive. The audience stood up, everyone was shouting and applauding. I felt the adrenaline and realized I wanted it too. After that, the boss, Oleg Anatolyevich Vyshivanov, called me. He’s such a person that he doesn’t care where you’re from. He just saw it. He likes to train, help, so that a person understands his destiny and begins to jump. If he sees such a desire in a person, he will train.

– And you stayed?

– Yes. I said I wanted to jump off that tower – so I didn’t even have time to realize it was 23 meters, I thought 12 meters. He said it was too early to jump 23 meters, I started working in the show on other shells. So here we go and here we go… We had to adapt, of course, while the risks are high. You have to understand and work. I had my first contract for four months – I was impressed, but I didn’t really want to go back.

Nevertheless, he worked in Beijing seasonally for four years. Two years later, I was admitted to the same tower. I came to another base in China, with a warmer climate. There was no longer a standard tower, but a tower with a platform. I recovered a program from 20 meters.

How did you get into the World Series? Was it necessary to go there?

– Previously, yes. We had to win the start in Australia. Then the rules changed, it was possible to write an application, come to the competition and show the program.

We didn’t quite understand. I went to a competition in Switzerland, took sixth place and got angry. The coach said I had to set up a program for 27m and I added somersaults to the jumps. After that, I was invited to speak at the FINA World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

According to the admission rules, you must show all your jumps. Even now, I have to show every new jump in the warm-up before writing it down in the protocol. Everything happened differently there. I somersaulted forward and on the entrance I was badly ripped – my legs were in a split. When you’re torn, you have to deal with it, but I wasn’t a pro, so I tightened up. I turned off my right leg, I couldn’t lean on it. There were four days left before the competition and a person who worked in Abu Dhabi as a physiotherapist in the football team helped me recover. I felt better, but I didn’t show the program!

The organizers followed – they said they believed my trainer, because he doesn’t bring unverified people. As a result, I was allowed to perform and everyone was very surprised at the level, because no one had seen me jump before. I also qualified for the world championships in Budapest. Then came an invitation to the World Series in Bosnia. On the first day I jumped inexplicably, on the second day I landed a standing jump – still very few people jump it – I reached the final and entered the top 3.

I didn’t think it was such a start.

— Many people say that divers are fearless. Top divers usually respond, “We’re just scared, because otherwise we can’t survive.” Are you okay with that?

“People are right. If you are not afraid, then you have mental problems. Someone is afraid of dogs, someone is afraid to go down stairs, someone is afraid to swim. When you’re scared, you realize what you’re doing, your body tells you “stop”, and you overcome it. Adrenaline, high, but you also have to be aware of the risks.

For example, I find it hard to tackle new jumps, but if I can, I try to do something original.

What are you afraid of in life?

– Loneliness. You can be a multiple Olympic champion, a rock star, a millionaire, a famous scientist and still be alone.

– Your wife jumps too. Are you afraid for her?

– We didn’t participate in the European Championships this year, but she did. I was under a lot of stress, it was bad. I realized that I never wanted to be a coach. I have never been so stressed. When we participate in competitions together, we have our own work, we follow as much as possible, we get sick, and then… How stressed I am!

– You missed the European Championship, but the World Series allows you to be neutral.

– It’s their principle: sport is outside of politics. There are people who drag politics into sports, and I don’t understand why they do it, why. I think athletes should do their job and there should be no political statements at competitions.

— Are high-level divers more athletic or showmen?

– Athletes. We pump the body and the brain. You have to have good mental preparation.

I understand why we are not allowed to participate in the Olympic program, but I hope that one day it will happen. Our sport is spectacular. Especially if you’re watching live, because only then do you fully realize how cool it is.