“I expected gold from myself.” Emotional interview with 19-year-old Bladtseva after Olympic final

She was considered the main medal hope of Russian sport at these Olympics. And 19 years old Angela Bladtsevawho recently started her journey in adult sport, managed to qualify, but in the final she remained out of the fight for medals.

She cried while waiting for her evaluation. And I entered the mixed zone in tears.

“I couldn’t do anything, neither with the equipment nor with the premises,” Bladtseva first told reporters.

— If I had done like in the qualifications, would I have won a medal?

– I doubt it. I didn’t even look, I’m embarrassed to look.

— Did everything seem normal to you during qualifying?

– No.

– Something went wrong ?

– It’s just not my day, let’s say. I won’t say I was worried, it’s usually obvious to me, you can see it in my eyes. It just didn’t work out.

— Did you feel the difference between the Olympic Games and the World Cup?

— I liked the Olympics much more, more support, more people, more motivation.

— Was there an opportunity to try this arena before?

“We all only had yesterday for that.” One more workout this morning.

— Because there was no big team, no flag, no pressure?

– Nobody put pressure on us. I tried not to force myself. If it had upset me, they would not have given us a flag or an anthem. In the village, nobody was against us, everyone was happy to see us, even if there were 15 people, we came.

— Many people criticize the conditions in the village.

– I don’t understand what’s wrong. We lived in much worse conditions, so I won’t say that the same cardboard beds that everyone criticizes so much are uncomfortable.

– What kind of talisman? Bear?

– Yes. I had a stuffed lamb, I gave it to a little girl at one of the competitions that year, but I decided to change it – at the world championship, the girl gave it to me in 2019. It stayed at my house for a long time. I decided that it would be the new mascot.

– What’s his name?

– Just a bear.

— Do you talk to him before leaving?

– Yes.

— In the final, you have one attempt. And if there were three, would you prefer to be in the medals?

– I think so. And this way there is more excitement: if you are better prepared mentally and physically, the luckiest one will jump and win.

— Did experience play a role?

“The girl who came second and I are the youngest, but I don’t think that experience played a role. We have to work harder.

— Are you happy for Violetta?

– Yes.

– Do you live together?

– In the neighboring houses. They arrived a few days earlier.

— Did the conversations about whether to go to the Olympics make you nervous?

— When we were told that there was an opportunity to qualify, all four of us were in a training camp in China. We were offered to try out – we accepted.

— Did the choice of who would leave affect you?

– Not for me. We are athletes, the one who does the best job will leave.

— Do you regret this decision?

– I can not tell.

– And then? Look at Paris?

– We’re leaving tomorrow. I won’t make any plans, we’ll work.

— Were you confident in your abilities?

– One hundred percent.

— What did the coaches say?

— Not to get upset, the departure was quite responsible, I did everything I could, it didn’t work.

– Why were you sitting alone?

– I usually leave. I wanted to leave, but they said I had to wait until the end.

— The British girl came and hugged you. What did you say?

— She told me not to get upset, that everything was ahead of schedule. I congratulated her. I’m happy for her; if I’m not mistaken, she’s participating in her third Olympic Games. It’s not her fault that I jumped badly.

— You were looking for gold.

– Yes, I was looking for gold. I expected gold from myself.

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