On December 19, the O. Rypakova Athletics Center hosted the first press conference in its history. Her heroines were four beautiful girls, four stars of athletics: Olympic Champion Olga Rypakova (O.R.), who collected a full set of medals at the Asian Games in Incheon Olga Saforonova (O.S.), as well as silver medalists of this competition in the 4-100m relay Svetlana Ivanchukova (S.I.) and Anastasia Tulapina (A.T.).
– Have you ever been to Ust-Kamenogorsk before this day? How did our city greet you?
– O.S. – We haven’t been to Ust-Kamenogorsk at all yet, so now we have a great opportunity to get to know the city and hold good training camps. I met the city first of all with a new arena, built in honor of our and your Olya Rypakova. It seems that her works will glorify the regional center of East Kazakhstan Region for a long time (smiles). The facility will give more than one record and produce more than one athlete with a big name. After all, young athletes run, grow up and will surely glorify Kazakhstan on the world sports arenas more than once.
– Have you already had a walk around the city?
– O.S. – Yes, of course we did (laughs). We liked Ust-Kamenogorsk. Yes, it’s cold, frosts, but we are used to it – we are northern. I would like to mention your playpen separately. Probably my words will seem loud to someone, but after building this arena, they built a house for us! Previously, there was a feeling that we were some kind of homeless, that no one needed us, we were kicked out from somewhere all the time, trained here and there. And here they built us a house, our temple! When we arrived, we were just stunned! We are, of course. We have seen a lot, I personally participated in the World Championships and visited similar arenas. But this is ours! Not some kind of foreign one, but ours! We are very satisfied and happy.
– Where did your winter training camps take place before?
– S. I. – We mainly trained in Almaty, but even there there is no such athletics base in which it would be possible to practice and conduct full-fledged training. There are only three tracks in a circle of only 150 m. It’s very difficult, and considering that the track and field team is very large, it became crowded, everyone interfered with each other. In fact, we are currently having our first winter training camps, when we can train well. The arena was simply amazing in its scale and functionality. Comfortable locker rooms that have access directly to the arena. Coverage, inventory – all this is very accessible, nothing is locked anywhere. That is, everything has been created here so that you can just concentrate on doing the exercises.
– How difficult is it to compete in arenas with a standard circle and the same marking after the preparatory period took place in arenas that do not meet the world criteria?
– It is really very difficult to move from one to the other. Because absolutely everything plays a role: from the coating to the length of the circle. All of this affects the results. And to produce results when training takes place in such difficult conditions as we had before… there is no need to talk about it. I am very glad that such an arena has finally appeared in Kazakhstan.
– How often do they arrange foreign training camps for the National team?
– A. T. – Depending on what competitions we are being prepared for. Let’s say we had three or four training camps in the Olympic year. Unfortunately, I did not get to the Games, but the preparatory period is familiar to me.
– O.R. – We usually have two training camps: in the off-season and in the autumn period. the rest – depending on the competitions we are preparing for – the World Cup, the Olympic Games, sometimes the Asian Championships. We are going to the training camp, where we are conducting pre-competition training. We mainly spend time where the climate and time zone are suitable for the conditions of the place where the start will take place. There has never been such a thing that the training camps took place at arenas of this level, before we were hosted by Karaganda or Shymkent. But now it is Ust-Kamenogorsk.
– Surely, in terms of popularity, your life was divided into two periods: before the Asian Games in Incheon and after them. Have they started to recognize you on the street?
– O.S. – Probably the first weeks after the Asian Games, sometimes people came up and said: “And we know you, you won the 200 meters at the Asian Games.” We only remember victories. But now this hype has subsided, and thank God. Still, it distracts from the training process. Let’s say I spend most of my time in Almaty, where I train, and play for Pavlodar. And there are constant calls asking you to come somewhere, to come somewhere, to participate in something, to give an interview. And I understand that it is unpleasant for people who have to be refused, but here there is a choice between training normally and having a chance to further defend the honor of our country on the world stage, or to satisfy something momentary.
– O.R. – It’s very distracting. Of course, it happens that they are asked to come at a time when training is taking place. We try to find compromises, and take into account what kind of interview or program or event it is, how much it benefits the development of sports. Then I try to find time, negotiate with the coach. But when, in principle, there is no benefit and result from the event, then, of course, it is better to spend this time on training. But over the past year, I probably haven’t turned anyone down (laughs). But I see that there is a result – a lot of children come to the arena for training, and our mentors are already grabbing their heads from the fact that there are not enough coaches! The groups are packed to the brim. Life is in full swing here. There were even cases when parents brought their small five-year-old children and were outraged that we did not take him to the section. After all, we accept guys two or three years older. But this is a pleasant headache, I hope that it will continue to be the same.
– S. I. – I actually come from the village of Kordai, Zhambyl region, and there, of course, our achievement caused a very serious stir. After all, I became the first track and field athlete in our region. who managed to win a medal at the Asian Games. The guys asked very interesting questions about sports. It is very pleasant to engage in such propaganda, especially among our small countrymen.
– Can you remember the most original object on which you had to leave your stroke?
– I like it when people come prepared and ask to sign a photo or some expensive thing for people. For example, the diploma of the youngest athlete who managed to climb the podium, and brings his first diploma with a request to sign it. It also happened that the girl brought her diary. That is, she leaves some personal notes there, and there, among other things, was a place with a postscript: “And here Olga Rypakova will leave me an autograph.” Such a cordial attitude is very endearing. She signed, of course, on T-shirts and on diaries.
– I have never seen such a large number of beautiful people gathered in one place anywhere. Have you received offers for a photo shoot or to decorate the cover of a magazine?
– A. T. – No, but we would love to (laughs).
– S. I. – There really were no such proposals. But we have been told many times that we have very beautiful girls.
– O. R. – If the girls have such offers yet to come, then I have already received such offers, and I have participated in some projects. Everyone says that girls from athletics are very photogenic as models, and even suggest changing their type of activity to modeling. But the latter is no longer for me.
– Has the success of our national team at the Asian Games somehow changed the attitude of Kazakhstanis to athletics?
– The results that we showed in Incheon have given some kind of shift, popularization is still underway. Parents send their children to the section – this is the most important response of that success.
– Are there any of your half-competitors from among the current athletes who will be able to oust someone from our silver four of the Incheon 2014 sample?
– O. S. – Of course there is. I believe that there are no irreplaceable people at all. And competition is one of the incentives that make an athlete develop and improve results. Personally, I am very happy for every athlete who improves his or her results, regardless of whether he or she is a competitor to me or not.
– What did you think was not enough to become the first, and what conclusions were drawn from that success, but still silver, not gold?
– S. I. – In any case, we did everything we could and showed our result. The Chinese women were really very strong and ran in record time. And mistakes always appear, because nothing is perfect. But we are also working on the blemishes that we have identified.
– Anastasia, a question to fill in. Do you remember what color the baton was in that “silver race”?
– A. T. – I only remember that it was very bright, maybe orange.
Источник: http://vksport.kz/