Kolesnikov: “Before, in sport there were different opinions, but there was a common spirit. Now I see the disunity”

— Clément, how did you prepare for the winter season? Did everything go well or with some adventures?

– As usual, nothing is going well. It’s a professional sport. Let’s see if we managed to prepare, hopefully for the best, and then whatever happens.

— How do you feel when preparations are disrupted? Boring?

– All this is as boring as possible, everything is fine in the head, everything is seen differently there, but everything happens as usual. In such a situation, it is already useless to make plans A, B, C. Everything is improvisation.

—Who carries this irritation?

“It builds up inside and then comes out in competitions. So these emotions are controlled, put aside.

— Do you use anger for sporting purposes?

– Yes, I accumulate it at the right time.

— Have you watched the Olympic Games?

– Yes, I looked. I followed the guys I was originally supposed to follow. I liked that those whom I have known for a long time, with whom I communicate, behaved well. Someone won, someone took prizes – well, as many as possible! I was happy for them.

— When you saw Ceccona sleeping on the grass, what did you think?

“I talked to him about it, but in reality it’s a whole different story.” Let’s not talk about that (laughs).

—Have you spoken to Minakov about his trip to Korea?

“I just asked how the guys were, he said they missed us.” Everything is reciprocal.

— You have become more active in the media. I have participated in many events. Tell me where you managed to visit during the rest of the summer and fall?

— I went to master classes. That’s what impressed me the most. I changed my mind about this. It’s still not a one-sided story, but the feedback from the guys, you show them something interesting, new, you communicate with them.

— Do children ask the most difficult questions spontaneously?

“Unfortunately, at these events, they were somewhat shy. If we had a little more time, we would probably be more relaxed and open in our communications.

— What question would you ask yourself now at their age?

— “If you went back in time and made a choice, would you do anything else?” Or I would have followed the same path, changed something and improved it.

-And what would you answer? Would you choose swimming? Or not a sport at all?

— I would not choose swimming, but another sport. Basketball, definitely. It gives me more pleasure; I would immerse myself completely in it with my head. Age allows you to judge and understand how you got into sport, what you have experienced and what your development has been. At that moment you understand that initially it was not everyone’s choice, but since there is a certain potential, it must be used. If you have talent, develop it. I stand by that. Talent is cool and cool, but when you think about something else in your soul, over time you begin to wonder what choice you would consciously make.

— In the offseason, you had a lot of cool content on social media. I see that Vanya Girev’s wedding took place in style.

“I had no doubt that Vanya would do just that, in his style and taste, with Evgenia, his wife.

— When you come across swimmers outside the pool, in wetsuits, it’s a completely different perception. In general, do you like to buy clothes, and what is the hardest thing to buy as a swimmer?

— The span of my arms does not allow me to quickly buy shirts and jackets; you have to select everything. Even those designed for tall people require a different arm span. The shirt should end just below the bone, and for me it ends somewhere on the forearm. You need to look for a separate extended rule. Oversized sweaters are easier to choose, but suits and shirts are really difficult.

— Do you like the purchasing process itself? Selection process? Or do you buy a different brand, line and colors?

– No, I don’t do that, I don’t consider myself a shopaholic either. I’m more of a junk buyer! The purchasing process itself is not tiring. I used to like to dress fashionably in cool clothes, but now I’ve come to something simpler.

— This year you encountered negativity for the first time. Now the comments are constantly reminding you of your decision to skip the Olympics. Are you reading this?

“I absolutely don’t care what anyone thinks about my decision, because it’s my life.” What is more distressing is that in the current climate, sport is no longer what it used to be. After the 2012 Games, he became more political. But it’s not even that, but the fact that people are divided into two camps. Sport has no longer become a point of convergence, but a place where people can argue, refusing to hear another opinion. It’s really upsetting. And when they write: “Clément didn’t go, he’s stupid, but this one went, so he did well.” Well, okay, I have no right to judge anyone for their opinion. But it turns out that with their opinion they divide us into two clearings. I thought that in sport there can be different opinions, but there is a kind of common spirit. Now I see the disunity.

— Professional leagues appear in biathlon and gymnastics. Does swimming need a league like this?

— If it’s a format like the ISL (International Swimming League — approximately), of course. First of all, for us, the athletes. This would diversify the same type of routine competitive activity. It looks very cool, it looks very cool.

— Are we capable of carrying out such an ambitious project?

“We can do it if they want.” It’s a matter of reasonable approach, how it will be presented, how management and public relations will work. It’s like making a film: you need people who understand how to do it. There are such people, you need to attract them, there just needs to be a common reason for doing all this.

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