“The surgeon said it was better for me to play chess than to jump. I thanked him and left. The sautin is 50 years old!

Double Olympic champion, diving superstar Dmitri Sautin On March 15 he celebrates his birthday – he turns 50. He has been practicing his sport for 43 years!

– From the age of seven. My kids already jump and I go to the pool twice a day for their training. The one in the middle trains in the morning, the eldest in the evening,” explains Sautin.

—Are you jumping yourself?

— Lately, my health has not allowed it. You need massage, all kinds of procedures.

— You don’t want to participate in the Masters?

“People asked me to jump with them.” I tell them: “Guys, why should I bother you? You are amateurs, we are professionals. ” I don’t want to jump badly, that’s not our way, but jump well, here your health is no longer the same. In general, I refuse such offers.

— When we see that even centenarians perform there (VIDEO ), What do you think?

– Grandpa is simply phenomenal! It’s good, it’s the popularization of our sport.

— Did it take you a long time to get your health back in order?

— I spent the longest time being treated when they pinned my back. Then I went to the hospital for a month, but it turned out to be three months. While they were cutting it up, cleaning it, while it was being developed. It was easier with the hand, even with the knee it was easier. And then there was a difficult recovery.

— Have you ever thought that it was in vain that you did not take up another, less traumatic sport?

“When I got to the surgeon, he said, ‘You better go play chess, just move your fingers.’ I said, ‘Thanks for the advice.’ And left.

I am grateful to God and my coach that destiny brought me to diving. The 90s were a total disaster. Without sport, I don’t know where I would be. Sport saved me from all kinds of street adventures. I am very grateful to my coach, Tatyana Aleksandrovna Starodubtseva, may she rest in heaven. She taught me not only how to become a top athlete, but also life in general.

— Have you ever been invited to work in China?

– They called me to act in a film! And I was filming. I am grateful to them for inviting me for six months, I extended my sports life. There was a lot of attention there, they took autographs, the young people were always very respectful. It’s a shame that it is no longer possible to implement something global together, even though the guys are already going to a training camp in China at the end of the month.

— You live in Voronezh. Why didn’t you move to Moscow?

— I spent half my life building a house in Voronezh! I have family here. I never intended to leave, I am a patriot of my region. All that remains is to build the swimming pool. For example, it was possible to settle in Moscow after the Sydney Olympic Games. It was then possible to stay, there was a service apartment. It was possible to settle there. Now, at my age, I don’t want to change anything. They simply won’t understand me, my family or my loved ones. My wife’s parents are old, you have to be nearby.

I know Moscow well, I am a frequent visitor there. I’ve been driving there for 30 years. But to live… I stayed there for a maximum of three months after the injury, when I was cut… But I didn’t live in Moscow, I wandered around hospitals.

— Do you like the pace of life in the metropolis?

“No nerve is enough for such a pace of life.” Muscovites are so nervous that of course they spend two hours in traffic jams. But in Voronezh, people also suffer from traffic jams. People are nervous because of such a life. We have never lived in peace. Sometimes perestroika, sometimes putsch, sometimes pandemic… There is not enough calm.

– How long will you live a peaceful life? One week? Two?

– Where does a quiet life come from? I have three children. Vanity. The days pass quickly!

— Are you continuing your coaching work?

— I am a trainer-consultant in Voronezh. I can suggest and explain something. There is no such thing as me sitting sideways for two hours in the morning and evening.

— Would you like to work on the side all the time?

– Probably not. I also have a lot of work to do in the region as vice-president of the federation. I recently arrived from Kaluga and a new facility has been opened. Now there will be a Russian championship, my eldest son will perform.

I am calm about the fact that athletes do not become coaches. Few people, after a long sporting career, embark on working with children and then raise someone.

— In the current situation, will many people leave?

“The guys’ lives are busy now. Collections bring good money, but working in the region for 12,000 rubles with at least 20 children in a group…

— They will write in the comments: let the athletes go to the factory after their career.

– Now we are no longer in the Soviet Union, it is a completely different time. I regret not opening a business at some point, but with such a busy career it would have been difficult to do so.

The 90s were terrible. For a year, I lived off what I won at the Olympics. It was only apparently in 1993 that they began paying salaries to collectors.

A sports career is an unpredictable thing, you can collapse. And you have children, a family, so you have to earn money.

— Is it annoying that there is still no swimming pool in Voronezh?

— It’s painful, but the process has begun. Because of the pandemic, everything stopped. This year, the governor signed an agreement with the businessman involved in the affair and the land was transferred to him. I think the project will be ready this year and construction will start in 2025. So the year has started positively for me. I am happy.

The 20 years I waited for the pool passed quickly. I think the three years of construction will pass even faster.