"Gaining shape, playing football, losing weight": Zakharov on career renewal, Tokyo Games and family support

Ilya Zakharov's finest hour fell on the Games in London, where he sensationally won gold on a three-meter springboard and became the second in synchronized jumping.

Four years later in Rio de Janeiro, having five silver medals in the last three world championships in his track record, by an absurd coincidence he failed to qualify for the Olympic final, but he rehabilitated himself the next season, flashing at the world championship in Budapest.

In 2019, Zakharov was disqualified for 1.5 years for missing doping tests, which he did not dispute, as he decided to end his career due to numerous injuries.

However, a few days ago, he stunned the sports world with the intention to return to sports and compete at the Tokyo Games.

- We spoke on the phone at the beginning of the summer and, probably, it would be more logical to hear from you about your intention to return to sports even then, and not in November.

Aren't you afraid that the time left before the main starts may simply not be enough for you?

- I made the decision to return not now, but earlier.

I began to think about it back in April, when it became known that the Tokyo Olympics were postponed for a year due to a pandemic.

It was just that it was too early to talk about something.

Nobody knew how they would behave under the stress of injury, and I did not discuss anything with my coach Tatyana Korobko at that time, since she was at the training camp.

- When 11 months ago you officially announced your retirement, did you inform the coach about it just as categorically, or did you still think that you would change your mind and start training again?

- For me, that decision was unambiguous, without options.

I saw no point in continuing.

For what?

For another Olympics that I could possibly go to four years after I miss the Tokyo Games?

I don’t think it was realistic to set ourselves such a task.

Therefore, Tatyana Valerievna did not even try to persuade me to stay.

Who could have guessed that the pandemic that happened this year would disrupt all plans to such an extent?

- And he will give someone a chance ...

- And give someone a chance.

Like me, for example.

- Korobko was surprised that you want to try again to enter the same water, as they say?

- It seemed to me that she was happy with my decision.

Although outwardly she did not show it in any way.

She is generally a rather reserved person in terms of emotions.

She explained that we need to meet and discuss everything.

- What exactly did you discuss?

- Purely working questions: how to build training, where to start work.

- Weren't you afraid that during your absence in the pool, Korobko may have other students and she simply will not have enough time to work with you?

- I didn't think about it at all.

From the very beginning I decided for myself that if we go further, then only with Tatyana Valerievna.

If it turned out that she was busy and could not fully work with me, I probably simply would not have continued this whole story.

But at least I would know that I tried to return and did everything possible for this.

- There has already been a period in your career when, for four years, your whole life was completely subordinated to a single goal - to win the Olympics in London.

After you became an Olympic champion, has your attitude towards the Games changed?

Or do you still want to get to gold by all means?

- To begin with, I want to win the Russian championship by all means, return to the national team and start performing in other competitions.

I start from these thoughts.

And the Olympics ... I would like, of course, to compete to get into the top three, since I had a chance that athletes are unlikely to have again in the coming years.

In this respect, everything coincided with me.

- Do you mean the end of the disqualification, which will allow you to return to a normal life for an athlete at the end of May?

- Not only.

If the Olympics took place this year, as originally planned, I would not have been able to compete in it, even if I had not been disqualified.

There were too many injuries and operations that happened at the most inopportune moment.

The extra year gave me the opportunity to recover almost completely.

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Publication from Ilia Zakharov (@ zahar.diving) Nov 4, 2020 10:44 am PST

- How long, according to your feelings, does it take to reach maximum readiness?

- It will depend on the condition of the legs.

After the second knee surgery, I didn't really try ski jumping.

And now I train only in the gym: I am gaining general physical shape, I play football in order to gradually load my knees, I lose weight.

But the thought that my legs might fail when we start training in the pool is in my head.

- I have always believed that football is a rather dangerous thing for a diver ...

- It really is.

But I keep it in my head all the time and play it very carefully.

I understand that I cannot take risks.

Just from a highly specialized load, when there is no variety, you get very tired.

Football gives a very correct load on the leg muscles.

- During the time that in your “past” life you did not train due to injuries, you had the opportunity to understand that sport is an extremely selfish profession, where no one waits for anyone.

I am talking about synchronized jumping, where for you, despite all the titles won in this sport, it seems that there is no place anymore ...

“Of course I understand that.

Moreover, I am ready for such a development of events.

Moreover, my former partner Zhenya Kuznetsov said not so long ago in an interview that he intends to end his career in a pair with Nikita Schleikher.

I can understand him, so I'm not going to apply for a place in sync, thereby knocking out someone else.

My job is to do my job, that's all.

And then we will see.

- Are you able to complicate the program on the springboard compared to what you showed before?

- It is unlikely to be complicated.

I already at one time chose all the most difficult options for existing jumps.

And I would not say, by the way, that during my absence, jumping into the water somehow went ahead strongly in terms of complexity.

In any case, my old program now does not look weak: you can still fight with such jumps with anyone.

Therefore, I intend to work primarily on stability.

Although I do not exclude that I will give up the most difficult of the screw jumps - I will not include in the program 2.5 forward rotations with three screws.

- Sorry.

After all, this particular combination has been considered your "crown" for many years.

- I'm just not sure that I will be able to restore the "three screws" after such a significant break.

But I have something to say in return - I've already thought about it.

If we put into the program the jump I'm talking about (1.5 turns back from the front pillar with 3.5 screws.

), then in terms of coefficient I lose 0.4, but I can win in quality: two years ago I I scored about 90 points for this jump at the European Championship, and this, as you know, is a very good amount.

- Are you sure that the Tokyo Games, for the sake of which you started your return to sports, will take place at all, and will not be canceled completely?

- Good question, by the way.

But is there a chance?

And I would like to try and use it.

And not to regret then for the rest of my life that I did nothing for this.

- What do you think yourself, in all honesty: Will there be games?

- Of course they will.

You must always believe in the best, and then everything will definitely turn out well.

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Shared by Ilia Zakharov (@ zahar.diving) Apr 17, 2020 6:23 am PDT

- By the way, how did your relatives react to the fact that you decided to resume serious training and return to the national team?

- Everyone is very happy.

- What exactly?

You won't be home for weeks again ...

- So maybe this makes everyone happy?

But seriously, friends still write me all sorts of words of support, and at home they have no doubt that everything will work out.

My daughter Alisa is already of a conscious age, and I really want her and Nadya to come to the Russian championship and see me jumping.

- Didn't your family bakery business collapse during the pandemic?

- I suffered a little, like the whole private business in principle, but in general we are holding on.

Now everything is more or less stable.

In addition to the bakery, my wife and I also opened a photo studio.

Nadia has always been fond of photography since childhood.

When we temporarily lived in Moscow, she graduated from a very good elite photography school, then another one, attended master classes of many famous masters, so we thought about opening our own studio in Saratov.

That is, for me, everything that happens is not the case when the business was covered, and in despair I rushed back to the sport.

- When do you plan to start training in the pool or go somewhere to the training camp?

- I still can't really plan anything in this regard, since the disqualification ends only on May 21.

And this imposes a number of restrictions on me.

Training - including.

- Have you already informed the International Swimming Federation (FINA) about your return to sport?

- As far as I know, I must notify FINA about this six months before the end of the disqualification in order to be included in the testing pool again.

In fact, I am not very aware of all the formalities.

So far, he has just made the first step - he applied to the Russian Federation of Diving.

Then I will fulfill all the necessary requirements as they become available.

- Is the most difficult period associated with the resumption of loads already behind you?

- Right now I am overcoming it.

I am doing a back flip on the ground already, it remains to get to the springboard and finally understand what I am capable of.

- But you will not wait for the opportunity to come to the pool until the end of May?

- I won't.

Under the terms of disqualification, I seem to be able to train only on a commercial basis, but I also have such an opportunity.

- Are there commercial diving schools in Saratov?

- One will definitely be in the very near future - mine.

Right now I am organizing it.

So I'll get to the springboard.

- But you will not say that you decided to open such a school only in order to be able to train during disqualification?

- No.

But the idea itself, as it turned out, turned out to be in great demand.

Previously, I conducted a survey on Instagram, more than a hundred people answered me, and I realized that many people in our city would like to learn how to jump into the water.

And it's not just about little children.

- That is, if I come to you in Saratov and sign up for classes, teach you how to jump?

- Definitely!

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Sharing by Ilia Zakharov (@ zahar.diving) Sep 21, 2020 6:18 am PDT