Synchronized swimmer Maltsev: “It’s good when you are nominated for the best athlete of the year award”

Quadruple world champion in synchronized swimming Alexander Maltsev said he was happy to be among the nominees for the 2024 National Sports Prize.

Maltsev, Olympic short track speed skating champion Semyon Elistratov and world hammer throw medalist Valery Pronkin made up the three nominees for the best athlete of the year award. The prizes will be awarded on November 20.

— Did this appointment surprise you?

“It was really unexpected, it’s the first time I’ve been nominated for this award and I know they were chosen from a large number of athletes. This year there were 4 gold medals at the BRICS Games, 3 gold medals at the Russian Championship and gold at the Russian Cup. From what I understand, no one else has won a gold medal at the BRICS Games. Logical, but still very nice.

— You’ve come a long way from when men weren’t recognized at all in synchronized swimming to being nominated for Athlete of the Year.

– Yes, but I don’t know how to assess what is happening now. We had great achievements in mixed duet – we won the World and European Championships, I’m not even waiting for nominations anymore. I was nominated for best synchronized swimmer of the year by FINA (International Swimming Federation, now World Aquatics) and LEN (European Swimming League). But it’s still nice to be nominated for an award.

— Aren’t you afraid that this will bring back memories of how you were alone on the podium of the BRICS Games? They made you a meme.

“I didn’t care then either.” I did my job well. The fact that there are no athletes from other countries is the work of the competition organizers, who invite the participants. I certainly shouldn’t have thought of that. My job was to perform well. I deserved the gold medal and I would have won it in the presence of all the athletes in the world; These comments don’t bother me at all. I know my worth, I know that I would be the best participant, and the fact that they are not there is really not a question for me. These memes were created by people who are in principle far from sport, who are making fools of themselves.

— How did you receive the news of your participation in the Hungarian Championship? Motivate?

— It doesn’t add much motivation, to be honest. Even though it is an open championship and where athletes from different countries come, it is still not at the level of the World Championship or the European Championship. I don’t really see any motivation in that,” Maltsev told .

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