“All these numbers don’t fit in my head,” admits Sautin. – Yes, and I don’t want to think about it, because it reminds me of my age (smiling). I jumped very long.
– What are your impressions of the first Olympic Games?
– I felt like an alien. The first Olympics, the first Olympic Village – so much fun and free! It’s the 92nd. With all our location – and here you are in Barcelona!
I got lost in the village, I forgot my bathing suit for the departure. I saw bowling for the first time, billiards! Where would I have seen that at all at 18? I really didn’t go anywhere with us. Young. I just joined the team.
– Did you keep the bathing suit that Fernando Platas gave you?
– Preserved, I wrap them carefully in a bag. I want to make a whole museum and give them there.
– What are your main impressions, besides the medal, of these Olympic Games?
– View of Barcelona from Montjuic. Then they held the World Cup there. Then, fewer and fewer starts took place in the open pool. Why then suddenly returned to this in Rio – green water, wind – I honestly do not understand. In general, in Barcelona, at the Olympics, there was a special atmosphere. In Beijing, for that matter, too.
“Especially for diving.
– Yes. And great attention to our sport.
Have you ever been invited to China?
– Filmed there in the show “Tower”. There were even two such shows – I acted in one and Tian Lian in the other. Unfortunately, the project was quickly closed, otherwise it would be possible to live and earn money. I flew there in first class, the filming was short, we were very well received.
Did you know in China?
– In China? Sure. I think even if I come now, they will find out. He doesn’t seem to have aged much. Although many years have passed… Times are changing. The last time I was in China was in Wuhan for the War Games in 2019, then there was a pandemic.
***
Today, Dmitry Sautin is the first vice-president of the Russian Diving Federation. At the national championship he has a busy schedule, but we also managed to talk about what is happening in Penza.
“There have never been so many competitions in the internal calendar, the Ministry of Sports and the Federation are trying to give athletes starts – suddenly everything changes, you have to be ready,” he said. – The guys will take a break in September, and the recovery camp is planned there.
You can see that the athletes are already very tired, this time the championship is one more day. But they are young, let them jump. Moreover, you can win – bonuses are good. Recover and prepare for the next departures.
Have you watched the World Cup?
– Not. To be honest, I didn’t want to watch this World Cup without ours. It was just not in the mood. That they think I’m bad. Well, really – not in the mood… Not before that. Of course, I know the Chinese picked up and transported everyone in one gate. Apparently, they decided that it was enough to give medals, for example, to the men’s tower. They have shown that they are still the strongest of all.
– In Penza, Ruslan Ternovoy and Alexander Bondar received the number of points that would have allowed victory at the World Championships.
“The guys jumped very well. Great. Why not give high marks if people show good attempts? It’s a shame they found themselves without international competition.
But I wouldn’t compare in absentia by points. This is the Russian championship. The World Cup is a different refereeing, a different environment, a different attitude. Everything is completely different.
– Tell us about Ternov.
– The guy is very talented, clean lines, shows cool jumps. We need to add stability. He received a lot from God, but a good job was done. Gratitude to Tatyana Lukash, who found him, raised him. He moved to Moscow, and (Raisa) Galperina already has a ready athlete.
– I would like to see Ternovoy at the Tokyo Games, but it didn’t work out. We are talking about athletes – he still has everything ahead of him, but what exactly is unknown.
At 22, I won the Olympics. Then I don’t know how my health kept me going for another four years – I’m talking about the tower now. Then, after Sydney with the tower, he abruptly tied up. The tower is a whole different story. It is not necessary to guess what it will be like in a few years.
– Will the omission of international competitions affect the development of Ternovoye?
– They have a competitive practice, but, of course, international experience is important. There’s no other option right now, well, other than you can just sit at home and do nothing. I think he understands that he has to keep working. In general, he is known in the world. You must be ready to come back.
– At the World Championships on the women’s platform, the first and second places were taken by a 14-year-old Chinese woman and a 16-year-old Chinese woman. It is clear that such a story is not the first time, but in light of the discussion of the age limit in other sports, it seems incredible.
— I don’t think the qualification will be raised. It also won’t particularly affect the results – all the same, Chinese women will dominate. Now they almost always win and quit the sport quickly. They grow up and it becomes difficult – the new ones adapt. Next! Like a conveyor.
– In other countries, this trend is not adopted because of the mentality?
– At the age of 14, others, even if they wish, simply will not have time to prepare such programs to win the Games. We need a strong school. Among other things, as you said, it is a question of mentality. In other countries, children won’t work like that at the age of 14, nor will parents. China is another story. The others have other priorities, in the first place for any study.
My wife also puts education first for the child. The senior twice confirmed the master at competitions in Stavropol for the prizes of world champion Evgeny Kuznetsov. He trains twice a day, but the priority remains studying.
– Everything is clear about the classic jumps – the schedule is the densest. How are the divers doing?
– Nikita Fedotov will go through all the stages of the World Series. Artem Silchenko traveled to Paris. Also invited to Switzerland and Italy.
– The question of their removal has not been raised?
– They took time to think, as a result, Silchenko was invited, Fedotov was already in the permanent line-up. I was supposed to judge, but in the end they decided that for the moment I was on a break from Russian refereeing. He was completely calm about it. Better not do it now. I have something to do in Russia, a lot of work.
– What competitions will the guys have in the internal calendar?
– Two departures are planned in Crimea. They had a pretty serious break from the competition – Silchenko sat without a start for six months. Then, when it became clear that he was going to Paris, he made a collection for him in Kazan. And so he just jumped 10m.
— By the way, Gary Hunt competed in the mixed team tower at the World Championships!
– Yes it is! Single person. He talked about it last year, but I thought it was more of a joke. It’s a complicated story actually, these two different heights. Here the entry is done with the hands, there with the feet. But maybe it somehow stimulates him, frees him.
Source : MatchTV
