“I always wanted to swim before the 2028 Games. When there is a result, it seems like it will always be like this. Morozov retired

After the last swim at the Tokyo Games Vladimir Morozov When asked if he would continue his career in Los Angeles, he answered “no.” Although he always expressed precisely this goal. Then there were also short course competitions, and since 2022 he has not competed in Russia. At the national championship in Kazan – more precisely, before the semi-finals of the 100m freestyle – we wrote off and he announced his retirement.

“It was always my goal to swim before the Los Angeles Games,” Morozov admitted. — When you are young, when there are results, it seems like it will always be like that. But first there was Covid, then other events, because of which our athletes are not allowed. And age has made it clear that everything is fine, we need to put an end to it. I really wanted to swim at least until Paris, even if the results in 2020 and 2021 were average, far from the level at which I am used to performing. Well, it wasn’t just my decision: factors came into play that I couldn’t control. Completed his sports career.

— So you left Tokyo knowing that everything was ending?

— I wasn’t ready for Tokyo. In 2019, I achieved some of the best results of my entire career. Not only in terms of performance, but also in terms of the number of starts I made that year: the ISL, the World Cup, the World and European Championships. I traveled for six months, didn’t show up in the United States, and then there was Covid. There was a bad result in Tokyo, which I am, one could say, still ashamed of. And that was the first call – that’s it, get ready, your career is coming to an end.

— You didn’t want to take a year off and come back?

“That was probably the plan.” After Tokyo, I tried to show results in short courses. And at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi there were one or two results in the 4×50 m relay races… There was hope that we could come back and train slowly. But then, as you know, all our athletes were suspended. There was no longer any possibility of competing at the international level. In my situation, living in America, to fly to Russia and only compete at that level after three Olympics and so many world championships… I didn’t like that at all.

—And when did World Aquatics announce that you could compete in neutral status?

– It happened not so long ago. It’s been three years already, it’s a bit late.

— Do you train in Los Angeles?

– Yes. In Los Angeles, I have around 30 athletes, but also group swimmers have a maximum of four swimmers. They are mainly swimmers from the club teams who train daily, and come to see me for additional lessons, aged 12 to 18. They want to study at good universities; some even have the possibility of joining the youth team. Now the boy wants to go to Stanford, he received a scholarship there (scholarship – editor’s note). Additionally, I train triathletes.

—And what kind of coach did Vladimir Morozov become?

“I think I was able to create a hybrid method.” All coaching experience comes from my career – so far I only have 2.5 years of experience. I have experience of swimming in America, swimming in Russia. These are two very different techniques. I think I can create a hybrid method, which I used to train myself at the end of my career, when I had the best, most stable results.

— Cool, but it’s a shame it’s over.

“I had time to reflect, to review my entire career from start to finish. Ten years passed in a flash. Everything has always happened at a very fast pace, from one start to the next, from one training camp to the next. Looking back, I can say I had a good career, so much happened. It’s a shame now for the guys who achieve the best results, set world records, but can’t go anywhere. I still managed to do it.

— The day before we recorded an interview with Yulia Efimova. She came back, even if many no longer believed in it.

“I didn’t expect it either, especially given how competitive it is right now. In principle, competition continues to grow. Young athletes are coming and it is more difficult for us to compete with them than before. It was a surprise for me too. I wish him good luck. It will be interesting to see how this story develops.

— If I understand correctly, do you know the results of Russian athletes?

— What comes to mind on social media, I sometimes go there and look at it, I wonder what the competition is like today. I saw that Miron Lifintsev won the 100m backstroke. We have Kliment Kolesnikov – a world swimming star, then a junior came and surpassed everyone. It has always been this way: someone new comes along and creates a competition for the strongest.

— You’ve been through so much in your career, including drama, excessive swimmers, and controversial false starts. Lots of adventures! Looking back, how do you feel? Do you smile when you remember all this?

– Today, there is no sadness, no regret, when you have such a long career, when you have accomplished a lot at international level during these ten years. During such a long career, anything can happen, and that’s what happened (Laughs). No regrets. The only thing, perhaps, when I was 24-25 years old, it was worth going more to training camps in different countries, with different coaches – in Australia, in Europe, to gain experience experience and knowledge. Today, that’s exactly what many world swimming leaders are doing. I did not do this. I flew from Dave Salo to Viktor Borisovich Avdienko, and the most knowledge I got from it was my maximum. I had to improve my knowledge of swimming. I should have taken more consultations with different coaches, except that I regret it a little.

Our sport is lagging behind others. Compared to track and field and running, world records in swimming occur more often; Now people are swimming faster and faster, at all distances and in all styles. It is possible to improve your results by studying different methods of working on water, on land, by studying everything, even meditation…

— What kind of meditation does a Russian athlete need in the current situation? What can you do to prevent your eyes from becoming discolored?

“It’s especially a shame for these guys who have already tasted movement, training for international competitions. I don’t know what to advise in this case. I experienced a similar situation when I flew to Brazil and found out I couldn’t compete in the Olympics. They didn’t even explain the reasons. And I didn’t know what to do with it either. The coaches told me: don’t worry, train, try to prepare yourself for the start. But whatever the advice, the situation remains very difficult. We must continue to train, try to find new ways in the training process, try to deepen a new technique, find a new interest in swimming other than the results of international competitions.

“We talked about it more than once, but still. Have you ever regretted deciding to play for the Russian national team? They may still be sailing to the United States.

– This is not a fact. Still, the competition here is higher. I really never regretted it, especially after the number of friends I made, with whom we still communicate. It was like I went back to my childhood and caught up on the moments I would have missed if I had stayed in the United States and competed for the United States. It completed me as a Russian. So no, I never regretted it.