– Masha, how did you live a few months after the Russian championship?
– We went to the Kabardinka training camp. Then there was a month at home, an open cut from Belarus to Brest, a two-week break, Lake Krugloye and went to Kazan.
– Did you go to Kabardinka by train?
– Not! In the car with my boyfriend Mikhail Vekovishchev. We rode with two stops – we set the time for this. We returned without stopping.
– Who was driving?
– Michael.
– And you?
“He let me lead for two hours on the way. We came home at night, I was sleeping, he was driving. Long-distance routes – it’s a thrill for him.
“Did you enjoy training at Kabardinka?”
“It was very good there. Several outdoor pools – we trained in full “fifty”. Many Americans and Australians train in outdoor swimming pools, under the sun. This is usually very important for the general and emotional state. We have a different climate, but when there is such an opportunity to train in the sun, it has to be done.
– How did you enter the new departure schedule? There are many, but the level is still not the same.
– Of course, it would be foolish to compare these competitions with the World Championship in terms of seriousness in terms of competition and emotions. There is no way out or choice – we navigate where there is opportunity. In principle, I am very satisfied with the Friendship Games. There is an entourage, everything is very well done. According to the emotions provided by the stands, compared to Tokyo, it’s more pleasant here. There, because of the pandemic, we were like in a box, no emotions, at least for me.
– Have you left these Olympic Games in the past?
I left almost immediately. I understood that it was necessary to enter a new cycle, a new year with a light head and not to look back. And it happened – since the short aquatic season I did not think about the Olympics. It was a new season, a new atmosphere…
And a new coach.
“Obviously that played a role.
– Nastya Fesikova participates in your training process?
– At first I worked with her in the gym, then moved to Daria Stratilatova to train in the gym, general physical training.
– You swim distances where there is fierce competition. How do you manage to stay motivated – it’s hard to be there, but not in the top 3. Fans always demand medals.
– We also want medals, not just the fans! (laughing) I like the distances that I swim. I am grateful to fate for being born a sprinter. I keep the motivation, because I feel like I don’t have everything in place, there is a backlog that seems to have been waiting for a few hours.
I worked with a trainer, I gained the necessary experience – and I’m grateful for that. But sometimes you have to say goodbye – at a time when athlete and coach can give each other nothing more. I changed coach, and there is motivation, there is potential.
“Swimming has matured a lot as a sport. Until what age are you ready to swim?
– I don’t think so at all. If at the age of 18 I made plans, after five years I can’t even think for six months. Especially in the current situation, when we don’t even know what our next international competitions will be. As long as there is a desire, as long as I get high in classes, in competitions, I will continue. If the desire disappears or, God forbid, health does not allow it, then there will be another conversation.
– Is there anything other than swimming in terms of lessons?
– Only at the level of ideas.
– Doesn’t that scare you?
– Not yet. As they say, to change something, you have to get out of your comfort zone, and I’m there.
– How adequate was your transition from junior sports to adult sports?
– It wasn’t smooth. The result was not progressive. As a junior, she arrived in adult Europe and the adult world, but after that she could not qualify for the Rio Olympics, and it did not work out in 2017 to qualify for the World’s Championships. Two long water seasons at the time of the transition were a failure – the results stopped. Then I also changed coaches.
– Did you want to give up everything?
– Not. I dreamed of nothing but swimming.
– Some girls who performed well with you in juniors went to the USA. You didn’t want to leave either?
– To study, like them, I didn’t want to go there, swimming was already in the background for them. We were then 18-19 years old, my priority was swimming, not studying. I don’t think it’s bad, everyone has their own way. Going there just to swim, without studying at university, is a road to nowhere, because it’s expensive, I didn’t have that kind of money, and everything was fine in Russia.
What motivates you now?
— The feeling that I can improve my result. In Kazan, the 100m was just a little short of a record. I was close, anything was possible. No matter the type of competition. What matters is how you settle in. Everyone asked me in Tokyo, “How do you swim finals in the morning?” Me, it’s like that: I go into the swimming pool and I tell myself that it’s already evening. Much is decided purely psychologically in his head.
– You are not a medalist of the Games, not a medalist of the world championship in long water. How are you doing financially?
“To be honest, I’m not complaining.
– We joked on our telegram channel that you were switching to synchronized swimming, and some people believed it. Have you thought about trying another sport?
– Not. But before swimming, I was engaged in sports ballroom dancing. Grades rule everything there, and I left when I was ten, because it wasn’t all quite fair to me. In swimming – touched, won and everything is clear. When choosing, I opted for swimming, a sport I practiced for six months, while dancing was practiced for four. I wanted honesty, not subjective assessments.
In our swimming, too, sometimes there are slips, failures – platforms, shields may not work. But these are rather exceptions to the rule. It’s not that there is a scandal at every competition because of refereeing – like in gymnastics, in figure skating.
I would therefore hardly have remained in the types with a subjective appreciation. I would rather be in athletics – it’s closer to me.
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Source : MatchTV
