Vladimir Alekno: “A severe back operation is felt”

Former head coach Russian team volleyball Vladimir Alekno in an interview with , he said that the back operation was taking its toll, the flights were starting to be more difficult for him.

The 56-year-old Alekno’s last job was with the Iranian national team, with which he took ninth place at the Tokyo Olympics. In August 2021, the specialist took a break from his career.

– After working with the Iranian national team, you put your coaching career on hold and said you did it to regain your health and emotional strength. Can we already say that we have recovered?

– I cannot say that I left volleyball as an invalid. You look at Nikolai Vasilyevich Karpol, how much he works in volleyball, and it’s a shame to talk about it. I had an emotional burnout. When you plan a microcycle for a team and put as many days off into it as possible, you are already doing something wrong and acting dishonestly towards your profession. I had more difficulty flying because of back problems. It all added up, and I think it’s wrong not to work one hundred percent.

– Is your health well now?

– Yes. A severe back operation is felt, of course, but everything is fine, I’m moving.

– According to your passport, you are 56 years old. And you, how do you feel?

– I can still do something that even a 25-year-old won’t do (laughs). Rightly they say that age and what a person has inside is not determined by the number of gray hairs,” Alekno said in an interview with .

Alekno’s titles as a head coach are champion of France, 10 times champion of Russia, 5 times winner of the Champions League, winner of the Club World Championship, Olympics, World League and world Cup.