Stormy emotions, instinctively unbuttoned jumpsuit and incredible emotional connection with fans. Olga Graf always knew how to brighten things up, and it was she who managed to open the Russian medal count at the Sochi Games. Bronze at 3000 m in these realities was akin to gold.
In an interview with , Olga recalled how it was.
—To be honest, I don’t think ten years have passed. Is it really me?! Now it’s a different life, far from sport.
— Were you different in sport?
– Certainly. In sport, you live under restrictions, you have a constant schedule, everything is decided for you, there is a calendar. Now I have a child, new knowledge, a new life.
— Did you want to return to sport on the occasion of the anniversary of the Sochi Games? On long distances, competition is no longer as strong these days.
— I always watch World Cup broadcasts, I know all the guys – the ones I know personally are still running. Sometimes I want to go for a walk! I saw the results of Russian competitions – the level has dropped, the speeds are not the same at all. But I’m not the same anymore either. I completely understand that it is hard work, again lived within the framework of the schedule and preparation. I want to ride and compete and dive back into all these restrictions – no.
— Aren’t the seconds in national competitions overwhelming?
— Such results are a temporary phenomenon. When I started there were no indoor rinks at all, but then they started appearing. And in Moscow, in Chelyabinsk and in Kolomna. The results started to grow. Now there are Irkutsk and Kolomna. Children have something to hold on to in terms of motivation: breaking records on the ice rink, for example. So there will be progress.
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— What motivated you, for example, in 2010? Did you think you would leave your national Olympics with two medals?
– Of course not. But I dreamed of the Olympics, especially since I didn’t qualify for Vancouver. The girls, when they got home, told us so many things. And when I was invited to Maurizio Marchetto’s team, I really wanted to go to the Olympic Games at home. And when I got there and won my first medal, it was all unrealistic. The first day after, it’s like through the looking glass. I opened this box with a medal and tried to make sure: “Is this really for me?” Is this really for me? I rewatched the race several times, during which time my phone was blowing up, and when I logged in there was a sea of messages.
— It was also the first Russian medal in Sochi!
“That’s why there’s been even more attention.” Before departure, everything was done so that we wouldn’t get exhausted, especially since we were opening the speed skating program, and, as a result, I didn’t go to the opening. In the Olympic Village, it seemed like everyone was waiting for the first medal, and when I won it, there was a lot of attention. I didn’t know how or what then. I met Vanya Skobrev in the corridor, he said to me: “Why are you walking here? We have to party! For example, you could go to the Russian House to see the fans. But I didn’t go anywhere. Maurizio, when he saw that I had so much emotion and adrenaline, said that I didn’t need to go to training. Answering calls, communicating with family. Friends and acquaintances of acquaintances called. It was a pleasure.
— Do you regret not having been able to monetize this crazy popularity?
– Nothing to regret. Sometimes it seemed to me that this attention was too much, especially for our sport, which is not spoiled by it. At the end of the season, there was still the World Championships, there was a medal, and I was constantly agreeing on certain matches and broadcasts. I was taken from one event to another, I didn’t refuse anything. My husband saw that my resources were running out, that I was literally melting down and burning out. He picked up the phone and said, “You can’t live like this if you want to keep training.” » So I took everything that could be taken in Sochi at that time. And when she refused to participate in Pyeongchang, she was no less popular.
– Your victory is also remembered by the unbuttoned overalls!
– Now, at these seconds of the video, the commercial begins. But the comments remained – they were nice. Funny incident: she unbuttoned it instinctively. Another reason to smile and remember what it was like.
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— Weren’t you worried about the charges Marchetto gave you? Not everyone has faced this. In addition, the psychological pressure before the Games was significant.
“There was pressure, we were told that we had to take the Olympic Games at home seriously. I wasn’t afraid that I wouldn’t be able to take it off. It was hard, but I loved that kind of work. There are always difficult moments, and even once I left training, but in general it is part of the working process – I came back because I knew what it was for. Either you move forward and do everything to achieve your goal, or you do nothing and leave for another life.
Overall, I think it’s great that Maurizio took on his work with such enthusiasm. He could just get his money and then say, well, that didn’t work. He had his own goals and objectives. I think he was not ready for such a low level of skating in Russia, especially unlike the Italians who occupied their niche and had completely different results. At that time, I was 18th out of 24 at the World Championships. What can we talk about?
— Do you communicate with Maurizio?
— Happy birthday, happy new year. He asks: how do we live, like a girl? I was worried: how is he doing during the pandemic? In Italy, the situation was difficult. Now it’s nice to see it broadcast from the World Cup stages. It’s on the stock market! Glad he’s healthy.
— When did you realize there were ways to become an Olympic medalist?
— A year before, when I won bronze at the World Cup in Astana. My level of results was already more or less high, I understood that I could launch into prices. Irene Wüst and Martina Sablikova remained out of competition, but the third place was vacant – everyone was fighting to get it. I was in the top 6 and, under favorable circumstances, I could have reached the prizes.
— Are you one of those athletes who don’t remember anything about the Olympic Games, except where you were? Or did you manage to see something?
– I don’t remember anything at all. I didn’t see anything except the ice rink and the Olympic village. The opening took place on television, fireworks were fired from the balcony, then there were competitions and training. I ran the 3000m, the 5000m and the team race. There were chances of medals. Once I had half a day off, I tried to leave the Olympic village, but got nowhere. She was so recognizable that she constantly stopped to sign autographs.
– But it was closed!
– Yes! Bright medals, everything is very beautiful and a little sad that everything is ending. My parents went to the ceremony and were just thrilled.
— I know we’ve already talked about it, but don’t you regret not going to the Pyeongchang Olympics?
– No, I don’t regret it. My heart didn’t skip a beat, even when I was commenting on the races. Additionally, they offered us alternative competitions and got everything we won. Everyone tells me that I had my golden years in the Olympic movement, where the principles of Pierre de Coubertin were respected, where everything was amicable. Then various political moments took over, as well as the pandemic, when everyone was sitting in their rooms at the Olympics. I am glad that I saw a completely different atmosphere – cheerful and friendly.
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— You said you wanted to go into tourism after finishing your career. Managed?
— First there was a pandemic, now many borders are closed. We decided it wasn’t ours. I want everything to go as well as possible, but now I have to close everything, it’s difficult to work in such conditions. I take care of the child.
— Do you want to work in the sports field?
“When I come to the rink, this idea will excite me. » I would be interested in working as a coach, but while I’m looking for myself, I need to think about what I would like to do. If any proposals come in, I will study them.
— It turns out that there is a chance to see Olga Graf at the “stock market”?
— I would prefer to consider the possibility of working as a consultant, because otherwise I would have to return to the same regime and I want to see how my child grows. I got so sentimental! How can I leave her? Before, I think I was stricter. I still have to think about how I could theoretically return to sports and in what capacity.
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.
