The second day of the Russian championship ended with a grand chord: Maria Lasitskene won the national championship, breaking the two-meter line for the first time this season.
After the most eminent Russian jumper won the Tokyo Games, I somehow asked her colleague, the winner of the 2012 Games and the current country record holder Anna Chicherova, how she explains that during her stellar performances, Masha never managed to jump higher record result.
According to the interlocutor, she could do it.
Chicherova explained that track and field height is a kind where every single centimeter decides a lot.
In order to set a record, a combination of not only certain qualities, but also conditions must occur.
And this does not converge at every start.
So in Cheboksary, the female height initially stood apart, as a view where the brightest of the current athletics stars was to perform, but at the same time it was obvious to everyone that there would be no record.
That Chicherov's 2,07 will remain an unstoppable achievement.
Perhaps for many years to come.
Arguing in that conversation about the uniqueness of Lasitskene the athlete, Anna suggested that she still had great prospects in terms of results.
“Take at least the fact that immediately after the Tokyo Olympics, already completing the most difficult season in all respects, Lasickene jumped 2.05, despite the fact that this whole story was preceded by a serious injury.
Masha managed to win two world championships in a row, and this is a very difficult task.
She is a person with a very strong character, ”Chicherova explained.
Then, of course, none of us knew that several months would pass, Russian athletes would lose the opportunity to compete in international tournaments, and Masha's steel character would turn out to be the most ordinary, human.
During the Path to Olympus tournament, which took place at the end of July at the same time as the world championship, the Olympic champion failed to overcome a height of 1.96 meters and burst into tears before the final attempt.
There was a reason for that nervous breakdown.
From the point of view of the result, the post-Olympic season frankly did not develop.
Lasitskene's appeal with an open letter to IOC President Thomas Bach did not turn into sympathy and understanding, but another wave of hatred, and Masha herself explained that it was becoming difficult for her to cope with the tension that was being pumped up every day.
“What is energizing?
The situation in the world.
The World Cup passed without me - I accepted it.
I have to show what I am capable of, ”admitted the athlete.
Perhaps it was just the attempts to save the remaining energy that explained the fact that before the national championship, the athlete minimized communication with journalists, warning in advance that she would only answer questions in the mixed zone.
Coach Gennady Gabrilyan took exactly the same vow of silence, although, it would seem, when, if not now, while sporting events, like interest in them, have greatly lost their degree, should one remain as open as possible to their fans, providing them with first-hand information?
Especially in a situation where sports results leave much to be desired.
It is clear that the winners are not judged, but it is one thing to win with a score of 1.91, as happened at the Path to Olympus tournament in Moscow, and quite another to drive the bar over two meters.
To demonstrate, as if by chance, that the former Lasitskene has not gone away, regardless of whether the doors to the highest athletics society are open to her or not.
I suspect that the entire Cheboksary stadium dreamed of just such a plot the day before.
Who, if not Masha, was capable of a miracle that day?
She overcame the initial height of 1.85 on the first attempt.
I missed 1.88 and after the first misfire at 1.91 somehow very evil and confidently overcame this bar.
At a height of 1.94, only three athletes remained: the Olympic champion was accompanied by last year's winner of the Czech Republic Maria Kachanova and the world champion among juniors Natalia Spiridonova.
Despite the fact that the personal record of the first of the girls was 194 cm, and the second was even lower, in some ways it was even easier for them than Lasitskene.
If Masha had to look for ways to artificially cultivate at least some courage and competitive anger in herself, for her rivals, the very fact of performing in the same sector with an outstanding jumper was the reason for the maximum mood.
But neither one nor the other went further.
196 cm, already in the rank of champion of Russia, Maria did not take, immediately declaring two meters, but knocked down the bar.
The second attempt also failed, and it was very likely that the athlete deliberately angered herself with these mistakes in order to somehow arouse rage in her soul towards her main rival, that is, to the bar.
The third attempt is always extreme for the elite.
Speaking about his ward shortly before the Olympics, Gabrilyan explained that he divides starts into technical ones, where the level of competition is usually low, and psychological ones, with a full range of all possible stress factors: the level of results, responsibility, fear of not succeeding, and so on.
And he added that it is in such conditions that Lasitskene is able to show herself as much as possible.
Could Masha give up further attempts at all, becoming a champion?
Quite.
Just then, she would certainly have been guaranteed a train of gossip that the former Lasitskene was over or at least close to it.
The conquered two-meter line, which, as Masha admitted later, she was inspired by her victory in the pole vault, Angelica Sidorova, removed all questions.
And it didn't matter anymore that the next three attempts at 2.04 did not work out.
Too much energy was given to the previous height.
Even more emotions were wasted.
After taking a height of 2.00, Maria uttered a loud victory cry, and then, leaving the mats, she could not restrain herself and burst into tears again.
A little away, happy Gabrilyan applauded her, and tears flowed down the winner's face.
Perhaps Chicherova understood the state of the Olympic champion better than others.
When Lasitskene nevertheless coped with the task and we phoned to discuss what we saw, jubilation rang in Anna's voice.
“It was just wonderful to watch how Masha overcomes herself.
When something constantly fails, it is always very difficult to jump out of this wheel of failures.
If there is strong competition, you always find an additional resource in it.
But he wasn't here.
Therefore, Masha is just great, that on the third attempt she shandarakht this height - just like that, without serious rivals, competing with herself.
I think this is very important for her, ”said Chicherova.