“It’s time to reach new heights in a new capacity. » Cyclist Dmitriev announced his retirement

Russian athletes were allowed to participate in the Nations Cup stage in Hong Kong in neutral status, with the competition starting on March 15. In 2017 Denis Dmitriev won a gold medal at the world championships on the local track and now returns to Hong Kong in a new role.

— Did I understand correctly that the athlete you work with was on the podium at the Asian Championships?

– Became champion twice.

— So you’ve already gotten used to being a coach in China?

– It’s already been a year, so yes. There have been difficult moments: I am here with my family, the children go to a kindergarten where Chinese and English are spoken, the general atmosphere is new. There were a few moments where we were ready to pack up and come back. I’m not going to lie, it was difficult, there’s a lot of detail here. But at the same time, the entire sports system is structured like ours, and in this respect my job is easier.

– That is, the Chinese TsSP (Sports Training Center – approx. “”), is that all?

– Yes, all that is there. Little by little, I got involved.

– And you’re not going to run anymore?

“I consoled myself with the hope that we would return soon.” I really missed the atmosphere of international departures. Yet when you play for so many years at the world level, you get addicted to it all. Then I said to myself that maybe, even if I don’t go to the Olympics, I can at least participate in the World Championships and finish my career on the podium to put a good end to it.

But time passed and I began to understand that I could no longer make this dream come true. So I decided it was time to finish and reach new heights in another capacity, as a coach.

– Sad?

– Sometimes. But I also understand that such is life, that it is time to make way for the next generation. Today, people born in the 2000s run track. Me and my 1986 won’t look very good (Laughs).

— What if they said: “We admit it, you can participate in the World Championships”?

– Theo Bos – world champion, head coach of the Chinese men’s team, periodically encourages me, pushes me to come back (Laughs).

– So yes or no? They will say, Denis, there is a chance to compete at the World Championships, what will the reaction be?

—I won’t close this door completely, so to speak.

— Will you go to the Olympic Games?

— The head coach of the Chinese national team will go, as well as Theo Bos, with whom we are friends and communicate well. I have a chance, even if it is very small. But I hope I will go to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

— Do you follow what is happening in Russia? The hikers were left without the Friendship Games and the BRICS Games. Literally without all the alternative starts that many sports offer…

– It’s very sad and sad. But here the question for the administrative part is why this happened. Question aimed at people involved in the development of sport. Of course, it’s a shame for the guys, we communicate constantly. I’ll keep an eye on the results. I see the fire is still hot, but how long will it last…

— Nastya Voinova is back. Surprised?

– I was never surprised. I know Nastya very well. If she has an idea in mind, even if it’s a little crazy, she will go ahead and try to achieve that goal. I was sure she wouldn’t want to end her career like that. She was one of the best, and now she has a new challenge: how much more can you squeeze out of yourself. She is capable of returning to the highest level.

— Will we see you again at the Nations Cup in Hong Kong? Our guys were allowed to participate.

– Yes! And my mother gives me black bread through them. I miss Russia, Moscow and my friends very much. I’m still waiting for it to be possible to break out, but the Chinese won’t let me go. I am here with my family, my wife, my two children. They are just getting used to kindergarten and are starting to master the basics of languages. If you take me out of this environment now, it will be difficult. We decided to postpone our arrival in Moscow until the summer.

— The story is currently the subject of active discussions about whether to go to the Olympics in neutral status. Would you go?

“I have spoken about it several times, including before Rio. I would go. Everyone already knows who I am and where I come from. We must prove once again that Russian athletes are among the best in the world. We must perform with our heads held high, succeed and remember that global track cycling is more beautiful with our athletes.

— Do you think anyone remembers our athletes? It seems to me that people are living their lives and, for the most part, they don’t care who isn’t performing there.

– In general, yes. It’s unlikely that anyone actually noticed our team’s absence. But when Daria Shmeleva, Anastasia Voinova, Denis Dmitriev passed by, it seemed more interesting to me. I am a patriot and always support our athletes in all sports. It always seems to me that things are more interesting at home.