Three-time Olympic synchronized swimming champion Alla Shishkina assessed the level of the teams participating in the All-Russian Spartakiad.
“We have very strong teams – in the spring I was at the Russian Championship in Kazan, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of competition, the number of strong athletes we have in the regions,” Shishkin quotes on Spartakiad official website. – The skill level in our sport has increased dramatically. I can say that the last world championship was not as interesting to watch as our Russian championship. Here at the Spartakiad, all the strongest regions have come together – it’s always a pleasure to watch strong, well-developed programs and performances from top athletes.
— Are you in favor of holding the Spartakiad of the strongest regularly at the start of each Olympic cycle?
– As an athlete, I have always enjoyed playing at home. In this regard, I was lucky: we played in St. Petersburg at the European Cup, in Kazan – at the World Championships. Everywhere you feel the support from the stands, when several thousand fans cheer you on.
If such Spartakiads are held at a high level, with a large number of spectators, worthy rewards for athletes and coaches, competitions are advertised and broadcast on television, then, of course, it will be great if the new Olympic cycle begins with such competitions. For the athletes, these Spartakiads will be very important.
Spartakiad competitions are held simultaneously in 12 regions of Russia, more than 9,000 of the strongest Russian athletes will take part in them. The Spartakiad will end on October 2.
On Sunday, synchronized swimmers of the Russian national team Svetlana Kolesnichenko and Varvara Subbotina won the duet competition in Spartakiad in summer sports among the strongest athletes.
Source : MatchTV
