“I feel pressure, but I don’t regret deciding not to go to the Olympics.” Chikunova – on refusing to perform in Paris

In March Evgenia Chikunova officially announced its refusal to participate in the Paris Olympic Games. She would be the big favorite for these Olympics in the 200m breaststroke, being the current world record holder. But she did not change her decision, although news about St. Petersburg prize money recently appeared, the history of Yulia Efimova’s selection for the Games was actively discussed, and Evgeniy Somov has already received the neutral status and is now awaiting admission from the IOC.

– So this is the most important question. Zhenya, don’t you regret it?

– No.

— So you never regretted deciding not to go to the Olympics?

– Not once. People ask me if I’ve changed my mind, but for me the situation hasn’t changed at all. I have already said that I consider these admission criteria unacceptable. And no, I haven’t changed my mind. If anyone thinks that I might change my mind because of the prize money offered, because others have decided to follow this path and compete in the Olympics… But I made this decision based on my spiritual and moral priorities, because of my beliefs on this subject. admission system itself, not because of other factors.

— Do you have a standard for participation in the Games?

– At two distances – 100 and 200 m.

— Have you talked to the coach about what’s going on?

– Yes, we talked with Vitta Vladimirovna (Novozhilova, coach), but only because there is a lot of news on this topic now, I indicated that all this does not affect my decision in any way. She said: “I respect that, let’s continue to work.”

— There is a lot of news, including about the 5 million prize money from your native St. Petersburg?

— This information surprised me a little. But again, that’s not a factor for me. None of this affected me at all. The decision to compete in the Olympics is not about money.

– What is your response to everyone who says “he will regret it when he gets older?” »

– What can I say here? When I grow up, we’ll see. The situation with our admission has been going on for quite a long time, during this whole period, thinking about the international situation and all this in general, I believe I made an informed decision. We thought about it a thousand times.

— And what do you say to “in four years in women’s breaststroke it will no longer be your time?” Everyone is used to the fact that this style of swimming is quite young.

– There are examples that prove the opposite – Julia and not only Julia. Tatyana Schoonmaker, who won the Olympics at age 24. So for those who talk exclusively about breaststroke among young women, it’s time to start understanding swimming better. Kate Douglass was born in 2001 and swims 2 minutes 19 seconds.

— Do you feel pressure because of your decision?

“I feel it strongly, especially over the last month. And it’s hard to ignore that. But it would be harder if I regretted my decision. And so… Yes, there is pressure, but I continue to work.

Of course, it is not easy psychologically in this situation, but you have to be able to cope with it. [давлением] to face. We will return to the international scene, the pressure will be even greater.

— Have you followed Yulia’s results in the Bahamas?

— I only read the Telegram channel “Water Match”. In principle, I have already commented on my emotions on this matter: I sincerely felt sorry for Yulia as an athlete and really wanted to see how she would swim at the Olympics.

— You have a lot of fans. What do you say to those who are still hoping for your participation in the Olympic Games?

— I will say thank you to everyone for your support, for some reason I have the inner confidence that my time will come. And of course, I invite everyone to the Russian Cup final!

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