– Vladimir, how did you go through this season, which was unusual both in structure and in general in all components?
“I handled it as normally as I always have. Athletes trained to improve performance. Our job is to increase an athlete’s ability to run faster. It doesn’t matter if it’s starts In any case, if we go to international competitions, we are ready to reach the A final and fight for medals.
After the Olympics, some athletes relaxed, someone considered it unnecessary, basically, to get tired, because there are no international competitions. Someone wanted to rest mentally and physically after the past four years.
Everyone has different values in sport. Someone is aiming for international glory, someone just likes to skate on the ice and they’re trying to get a result. Someone else is so young that they don’t know either of them, but try to outrun those who have already felt everything.
The adults this season were a little more relaxed than the youngsters, but the youngsters gave a light, as they say. Maybe adults will think they don’t want to lose their place, their opportunities.
– Which of the youngsters specifically gave a light to the Russian Championship?
– For example, Maxim Shevelev. A young junior who showed up. Valentin Kobyzev is also running well this season. The girls, of course, are progressing, but there is still no “wow” compared to the guys. There, you might say, “Wow, our juniors have grown up nicely.”
– Anna Vostrikova’s season was not the best, but at the same time she won the gold of the Russian championship. Were you worried about her during the season?
– We fixed the issue she struggled with on other starts in tactical terms. A man came, asked, I explained how to win. It’s strong, but tactically it’s not yet. At the Russian Championships in Ufa, she did what I asked of her and finally won the 1500 meters.
– Elena Seregina did not win personal victories in the Russian championship. Something went wrong ?
– Maybe at the five hundred she would have won a medal, but she overtook at the wrong time and made a mistake in the trajectory of the movement, met the athlete and lost her coordination. Failed to take first place.
The second place was taken by Sonya Boitsova, who has grown very well this year, including tactically – she began to receive fewer penalties than before. Started running faster. Lena Seregina had an opponent whose muzzle velocity was faster. She ran ahead and fought, Lena was behind and it is unusual for her – usually she is always in front in races, behind the person is lost: what to do, when, what? So there was a bad race strategy.
– Will this season without international departures affect the level of the athletes?
– Even if we use the protocols of the World Championship and the Russian Championship – even if it is impossible to compare directly like that, the ice is still different – but the results really corresponded to those of the world. At the same time, the guys are more in tune with the level, the women still need to work to get into the top, back to international competitions.
– Katya Efremenkova has combined performances on long and short tracks this year. How did you take it at the start and how do you assess it at the end of the season?
– It is very good. It’s a huge experience for Ekaterina, an experience for us in the preparation of athletes. She learned a lot, but I think it was difficult for her this season, because there was a lot more competition than other athletes. It is very difficult to run both on skates and on short track. Nevertheless, in skating, she surpassed everyone in her region in the first year. It’s a good result, Katya finished third or fourth in the competitions of the season.
It is clear that I would like such a result as that of Jorin ter Mors, who came out and immediately won the Olympic medal. But this is really a very good experience, a person tries himself – we have the example of Ruslan Zakharov, who switched to skating and five years later reached the level of an Olympic silver medal. Katya also grows and acquires the necessary experience, she wants to realize herself in something else.
– Do you allow yourself to hope for a return to the international scene?
The ISU is awaiting a response from the IOC. If they give such a recommendation, then it will be possible. After all, the ISU is also interested in this – in increasing the level of competition, in entertainment. But while there are diplomatic and political moments that no one can influence. Politics everywhere, not sports. We wait, we hope, we don’t despair, we encourage the guys. But they also have to understand that it’s not just in international competitions that everything is linked, it’s about whether they like what they do.
– Do they like their job?
– You can work, but not get high from what you do. Few people like their job. In sports, there should be mostly people who like to do it. They did not come for profit, but for pleasure, so the result will increase.
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
