Vladimir Alekno: ‘People are still thanking London for Olympic gold and Zenit’s success’

Former Russian men’s volleyball team head coach Vladimir Alekno said in a interview that people still thank him for winning the 2012 Olympics in London.

Alekno led the Russian national team three times – from 2007 to 2008, from 2011 to 2012 and from 2015 to 2016. The specialist spent most of his coaching career at Zenit Kazan (2008-2021). Alekno’s last place of work was 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.

– How have the last two years been for you since you finished your job in the Iranian national team in the summer of 2021?

I started to pay more attention to myself. This is both physical education and non-volleyball work. The biggest change is that I take great pleasure in not living on a schedule.

– So you now live in pleasure?

– Yes. But I can’t say that when I played volleyball it wasn’t fun. It is impossible to do a thing for 35 years without pleasure. It’s just a different life now.

— Earlier, you said you had a construction project. Was it difficult to change to work in another, non-sporting field?

“Of course, it’s difficult. At first you don’t understand anything, you start from scratch. Little by little I get used to it, I manage somewhere, somewhere where I don’t get used to it, I try to learn a new trade. Naturally, all this is not easy, but nothing, it is a useful experience for me.

– How do you spend your free time now?

– I walk a lot, walk the dog, do physical education.

“How often are you recognized on the streets of Kazan?”

“I can’t say that they follow me everywhere. I have to fly a lot, they don’t recognize me only in Kazan, where I live. Someone asks for an autograph, someone thanks for Olympic gold in London.

Being recognizable is not a goal for me, but it’s great that many years have passed and people still remember our success at the Olympics. In Kazan, people are also grateful for Zenit’s success,” Alekno said in an interview with .