“We show our opponents that we are moving forward.” Baidalov’s coach talks about Kalina’s gold at the Paralympics and the preparation of Lifintsev and Kornev

Paralympians finish their performance at the Paris Games, but at 4 a.m. the next day Olga Baidalova flies to a training camp in Kabardinka with his swimmers. At the Paralympic Games in Paris, his athlete Andrei Kalina won gold, but it is time to prepare for the short course season, to work with the group in which Miron Lifintsev and Egor Kornev train, who have made a powerful breakthrough from juniors to the elite of Russian swimming.

— How often does it happen that a coach works with both Paralympians and Olympians?

“We show our opponents that we are moving forward.” Coach Baidalov – about Kalina’s gold at the Paralympics and the preparation of Lifintsev and Kornev There are such coaches, but there are not many of them. It is very difficult to combine.

— How long have you been working with Andrey Kalina?

— Since 2015. We already had one Paralympic Games – we were not allowed to enter Rio, but we came back from Tokyo with three gold medals. 100 breaststroke, 200m medley and medley relay.

He is an experienced, competent and thoughtful athlete. It helps me that he does not need to chew or explain much. Andrey is a very efficient athlete, we work with complete trust. If there is a task, he trusts me, we do not discuss why, he just does it.

— There was no certainty about participating in these Paralympic Games. You didn’t want to finish?

“He thought about it before Tokyo. Then he said that this was probably his last Paralympic Games and that he probably wouldn’t compete again. He and his wife were planning to have a child; he wanted to completely withdraw into the family. But a year later, he said: ‘I want to go to the Paralympic Games in Paris.’ I think the fact that he was the best in the 100m breaststroke and that no one could beat him motivated him to participate in these Paralympics.

— You were selected in the spring. After the international competitions stopped, was there any concern about the change in level?

– In general, there is never any certainty that one is strong, one is on horseback. There is only one first place and everyone fights to get it.

— Has the average level of results increased compared to Tokyo?

— In general, yes. But in the 100m breaststroke we didn’t show our best seconds. Andrey is 37 years old after all, and there are several reasons why we didn’t reach the top. But we won, we got gold, that’s the main thing.

— During the Olympics, there was a lot of talk about heavy water. Did you discuss it with the athletes?

— Guys say they feel something is wrong. It is a fact that the depth of the pool is different. However, some show better results, others do not.

— How do you like the atmosphere of the Games?

— The same atmosphere was in London. In Europe, everything is close, fans can get there. The stands were also full during the preliminary starts. It’s good, great. I talked to Andrey, he said that it was cool for him, he feels the dynamism. But someone is afraid of this, you explain to him that you don’t need to look at the fans – look at the water, communicate with the water. Then, after the finish, you look at the stands.

— Tell us how you work with the St. Petersburg team, where Miron Lifintsev and Egor Kornev swim?

— We work with Elena Yuryevna Kuznetsova. After the Cup final, the guys went on vacation and are now getting back into the rhythm of work. On the 9th, I will return from the Paralympic Games at 17:00, and at 4:00 in the morning I have to be at the airport and fly to the training camp, it will be in Kabardinka.

— How do you assess the results of the Cup final?

“Our brigade swam very honorably.” Egor Kornev showed the 6th result in comparison with the Olympic Games, Sudarev – the ninth. Lifintsev is the second result in comparison with the Olympic final.

— Weren’t you sad when the Olympics started?

— Every athlete wants to participate and win at the Olympic Games. But I wouldn’t say that the guys were sad. We hope that the situation will change, they will let us in, they are still young.

— Tell us about Miron Lifintsev. Is he super talented, but also a hard worker?

– He is a hard worker. They always say that we have a difficult teamwork. A lot of space, a lot of water, big volumes, high speeds, but it is a sport, you can’t complain about them. But it is only at work, otherwise we have a good atmosphere. Andrey Kalina also thrives in this atmosphere, they train on the same track, they cross paths in the gym. Andrey shares his experience – he has participated in many more Games. The guys share with him their youthful energy and positivity. They help each other a lot.

— Coaching a spin player in Russia means reaching the level of seconds in the Olympic finals at every start. Hard?

— The competition is strong, and it’s great. We have one of the best teams in the world in men’s backstroke. Two years ago I told Myron: let’s try. The opponents are Kliment Kolesnikov and Evgeniy Rilov! These are the leading figures in world swimming, so we have had enough competition at home. Kornev is in the same situation, there are a lot of worthy and promising guys at his distances. We continue to train, our foreign rivals are watching our results, we show that we are working, we are alive and moving forward.

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