“I think about prize money, but the sporting interest is higher.” Ternova – about the lack of the Olympics and the new rhythm of life

Medalist at the European Diving Championships Ruslan Ternovoi this season, with Alexander Bondar, he won key races in synchro. Unfortunately, Ternovoy misses the second consecutive Olympic Games, while continuing to work and putting sports interest at the forefront.

— You said before the Russian Championship that last year, unlike this season, you had some preparation problems. Which?

“There have been some injuries that have made it a bit difficult to prepare properly, whether it was to the finger or the back. I wasn’t in the best shape. This year it’s easier with that.

— The IOC announced that it is allowing participation in neutral status on the day of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of our diving. On that vacation, you rejoiced over the decision, but no one went anywhere.

“I was happy, but I realized that 99% of the time we weren’t going anywhere. » Then they said what the conditions would be, including: one person per apparatus in the individual jumps and certainly no “synchronized” for us. As a result, we all gave up on the Olympics.

— Honestly, it’s sad for you – you found yourself without the Tokyo Games and now without Paris.

“I got used to it two years ago.” We have no choice where to go, we are happy with what we have.

— They’re trying to diversify the schedule for you, but don’t you have the impression that every departure is like Groundhog Day, with the same participants?

— Honestly, there is competition and show jumping is interesting. And we are only satisfied with what the competitions bring us. Additionally, the prize money is also a huge incentive. Before, before I turned 18, I thought less about prize money, but now that I support myself, I have to think about it. But my interest in sport goes beyond the question of money. I value victories more than prize money. Especially if at the same time I remain satisfied with my jumps.

— Regarding the collection in China… Were you interested in that? Was there anything new?

— Recently we have only traveled to Belarus and Uzbekistan. And then, for the first time in a long time, we flew that far to go to training camp. It’s a shame that we couldn’t compete with the strongest in the Chinese team. But it was still useful and cool. We trained and saw how people live.

—Have you ever been to China?

– At competitions. We don’t have time to walk, we see little. And then there was an opportunity to go out for a walk – just take a walk, see how and what. Try the local cuisine.

— What is your relationship with Chinese cuisine?

— The guys said that they were once in a training camp – the accommodation was in some kind of hostel and there was a complete problem with the food, so they advised us to take doshiraki. That’s exactly what I did. But in the end, the food at the hotel was normal. And we went to eat at the cafe, there was no problem. There are people who absolutely don’t like the food in China, but that’s okay with me, I like rice. I didn’t even have time to get tired of him during the collection.

— How does a person feel when their synchronized partner climbs onto a 28 m platform and jumps?

— I only saw the video. During this training camp in China, I only jumped 20 m, I couldn’t go higher. I realized that it’s not mine, but Sasha’s [Бондарю]I like it. Cool video, for sure. It’s worth trying once in your life.

—Aren’t you afraid of trading synchronized diving for high-level diving?

– Don’t think. I asked – looks like he’s not going to do any high diving.

-Which one of you is the calmest?

— Sasha is calmer than me due to his age and experience.

—Are you more picky?

– That’s right. I’m not that restless, but I really like the restlessness. That’s why I like living in Moscow.

— Have you ever been to the Vyshka bar?

– Not yet. I will stop by some time after the competition. I wonder what is there and how.

— Have you watched the World Cup?

— Highlights on social networks. In principle, everything is as before. There are good jumps, good jumpers. Now I don’t particularly want to watch it all.

—Are you going to watch the Olympics?

– If there is a desire. Still, you look and it’s a little offensive.

— Last year, Schleicher returned to the tower and stood in step with Belevtsev. Does this irritate you?

— The more competition there is, the more incentive there is to take the plunge. I’m just happy with it and I feel good. It is clear that we have no communication problems. We have a friendly team. We are only rivals in competitions.

— Since the schedule is not so busy now, our athletes have started spending time at home more often. How do you manage this time?

— Yes, I’m at home more often. I don’t always go to training camps. I spend time with my parents and friends. I love driving a car. I can go somewhere with friends for a walk in the park, for example.

— Higher education students are very subtle. Does your trainer restrict food?

– I take care of myself. The easiest way to do this is at the base – when you train a lot and the food at the base is good, but without the ability to afford a lot of extra things. It is clear that when you are at home, you can go to a cafe with friends, and then you will definitely want khachapuri and khinkali… Well, besides, being at home in general is always more tempting for additional snacks. But I try to watch my weight, because when you gain weight, it’s hard to jump.

“Didn’t you go study while you still have time?”

— I just graduated from the Russian State University of Physical Education. Classic. In the future, I would like to take training that is not related to coaching. There is no time for that yet.

— Do you want to get into eSports?

— Now, I don’t really like playing. Before, yes, now almost not anymore. We had a lot of people on our team who loved all of that. Minibaev and Zakharov… They all sat down and played together. Now I’ve moved away from it.

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