"To break the unofficial record in jumping above your height": Ivanyuk on plans for the season, competition in the sector and the Olympics

- Ilya, how was the preparation for the season, did you manage to fulfill all your plans?

- In fact, there was no off-season preparation as such, just the winter season smoothly flowed into the summer season. I didn't have any long vacation: I rested for a week and continued to work systematically. Until recently, we practiced in the gym, there were some technical difficulties with access to the open stadium, which were only about to be resolved. On Tuesday, the championship of the Smolensk region was held - for me it was the first training in the air. And the first start is scheduled for June 2 at the championship of the Central Federal District, then I will move to Moscow for the Athletics Week in Luzhniki. In general, there is already an approximate calendar for the whole summer, there will be about eight competitions.

- Is it a lot or a little for you?

- You know, in the winter I had only five starts, and at first it seemed that this would not be enough. But no, just right. The peculiarity of the summer season will be that it will be divided into two parts, between which there is almost a month break - from June 17 to July 13. On the one hand, this is unusual, but on the other hand, it is an opportunity to correct mistakes, to work on some problematic issues, if they arise.

- Last summer you set a tournament record at the Znamensky Brothers Memorial. Are you planning to improve it this year?

– Of course, I want to show a good result, especially since this time we expect good competition in the competition. Firstly, our federation was restored to World Athletics, so now foreign athletes can come to us. We are looking forward to them, first of all the Belarusians - there are very strong guys there. And secondly, we have good young people growing up. There is, for example, a very young guy, my fellow countryman Stepa Vetkin. He is only 18 years old, and he is already jumping 2.20 m and above. So I expect an interesting fight.

- I remember a year ago you were a little surprised by your record: they said that according to estimates, the readiness was lower than the final 2.34 m. How do you feel now?

- If you evaluate by training, now I am better prepared than last year. But it's not worth guessing, let's see how it goes. For a good result, many factors must develop: weather, wind, mood. You need to get off that foot (smiles).

- Good opponents again? Is the presence of Danylo Lysenko in the sector a sufficient motivation?

- Of course. It's great when you have someone to fight with. I can say from last season that it was very difficult to pull everything alone. And in rivalry, the result grows: no one wants to lose. And there is also a desire to take revenge on Dani for recent defeats.

- When Lysenko returned at the end of last season and began to churn out jumps of at least 2.30 m, there was no thought: "How does he do it after a four-year break?!"

- With Danya in this sense, everything is clear. He is a huge talent, so four years is not a long time for him. So, I rested a little.

— Have you ever had long breaks in performances? Was it hard to come back?

- Once, due to injury, I missed almost a year, but it was a very long time ago, I was still little. I jumped 2.20 m, maybe the maximum. There were no difficulties with returning, because the level was still low, and the desire was huge.

- After the restoration of the rights of domestic athletes, domestic athletes had the opportunity to participate in tournaments abroad, which are not held under the auspices of World Athletics. Are you planning to go somewhere other than Minsk?

- Technically, yes, we can play abroad, but we are not invited anywhere, so we will delight the fans at Russian competitions. Based on last year's experience, I can say that I really enjoyed performing at the Athletics Week in Luzhniki. The organizers have made a very high-quality product, which is similar in level to the Diamond League. Many acquaintances who watched the broadcast on television noted that the picture was on top.

It was also very pleasant in Cheboksary at the Russian Championship and at the Spartakiad in Chelyabinsk. It was a joy to see a lot of fans in the stands, because in our country athletics is not as popular as some other sports. I hope that this year, thanks to increased competition, interest will be even higher.

• Ilya Ivanyuk at the Russian Athletics Championships in Cheboksary
• RIA Novosti
• © Grigory Sysoev

- Without commercial foreign starts, have you lost a lot financially?

- Frankly speaking, yes, somewhere more than half of earnings. But don't think I'm complaining. You can live, and some savings from past years remained. In the meantime, we are happy with what we have. Still, money is not the main thing. Now I think more about inspiring and engaging young people by my example, involving them in sports. And you know, it's gratifying to see that to some extent this is happening.

For example, not so long ago, five or six new guys signed up for my coach who live in the same yard with me. I think it's very cool! All the troubles that we are facing today will end, and we need to be ready for this moment, so that we have athletes of the highest level. And the money... It's okay, we'll make money somehow.

- Some international federations have now begun to allow Russians to participate in tournaments in a neutral status. But the head of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, takes a very tough stance on this issue and, apparently, is not going to listen to the recommendations of the IOC. Isn't it a shame?

- I don't follow the international agenda now - I'm more focused on my preparation and the tournaments that are coming. I try not to look far, I just go step by step.

- In terms of the result, do you set yourself any specific goals for the near future?

- I want to break the unofficial world record in jumping above my own height. He now belongs to Stefan Holm and is 59 cm Height Swede – 181 cm, and his best result – 2.40. My height is 179 cm, which means that to get around Holm, I need to jump 2.39. That's the goal I set for myself for the next couple of seasons.

- In your opinion, someone will be able to beat the world record of Javier Sotomayor in the foreseeable future?

- It's hard to say, only time will tell. Perhaps there will be some promising young athlete who will be able to swing at this result. If we talk about those who are now well-known, then this year I do not see any applicants among them.

"Even Mutaz Essa Barshim?" Do you think his best years are behind him?

- No, not at all. It's just that his goal is completely different, it seems to me. He wants to become the most decorated athlete in history, and the record does not attract him so much. Therefore, he will purposefully prepare for the World Cup this year, and you should not expect high results from him until August. He will not waste energy. But in Budapest and after it - it is possible. But again, it all depends on many factors that must develop. For example, I set my personal record at the regional championship, since everything came together there - mood, courage, wind in the back.

- And if one of the jumpers sets out to break the record, will purposefully prepare only for this, is there a chance to achieve the goal?

- To do this, you need to have remarkable talent in the first place. Again, I remember Stepan Vetkin - he has this data, in my opinion. The Belarusian Maxim Nedosekov, perhaps, too. But I believe more that the winter record will be broken than the summer one.

- Do you keep a close eye on foreign jumpers?

- We have a group on one social network where news of our species is regularly published, so yes, I am constantly aware of what is happening. Sometimes I watch recordings of jumps, I try to find something useful for myself in terms of technique and approaches. If possible, I watch the broadcasts with pleasure.

- Are you comparing the results? Let's say the World Cup was held last summer. Have you figured out what place you would take there with your result?

- From this point of view, no, because the comparison is incorrect by definition. It's not a fact that if I had been there at this championship on the same day, I would have been able to jump as much as in another place. The conditions are different, so you should not draw parallels. Now, if you clashed with the same guys in person, it's another matter.

In terms of results, it is more interesting to look at the rating of the best at the end of the season and evaluate your place in it. After all, there are jumps from a variety of tournaments, so a more objective picture is obtained.

- You are one of the few active Russian athletes who managed to perform for the national team under the flag and with the anthem. Are there any differences in sensations?

- Even during the period of our suspension, I managed to perform twice under my flag - at the European Games and the World Military Games. In Minsk, he took silver, so unfortunately, he could not listen to the Russian anthem there, but he won in China. Of course, it is a special feeling when you hear the anthem of your country on the first step of the pedestal, you do a lap of honor with a flag. And in itself, playing for the country gives confidence. Although this applies primarily to official starts. At commercial tournaments, everything is different: it's more of a routine, work. Although some guys come out on them in uniforms with national symbols.

- Given the vast experience, do you feel like an old-timer of the national team?

— Sometimes I think about the fact that I have been performing for more than ten years - since 2012. So much is behind us, but so is there to come. I don't want to finish, I don't want to leave. As long as I have the strength, my health allows, I will jump. In addition, I feel a certain responsibility to leave behind a worthy replacement. Young people will grow up, pull themselves up to a high level, then it will be possible to hang spikes on a nail.

— What are the most vivid memories left over the years of your career?

- I can't choose one, there are several of them. For example, the World Junior Championships in Barcelona. Also a victory at the European Youth Championship. And for some reason I remember how I return to the room after the competition with a gold medal, and my roommate to run the relay the next day. And we just went to bed without even celebrating the victory. Amazing impressions were left from the first adult World Cup in London. It was the first time I saw so many fans at the stadium. Such an atmosphere was breathtaking! There were also a lot of spectators in Doha in 2019, and they were so supportive of their athlete, Barshim, who eventually became the winner. But the Tokyo Olympics turned out to be kind of chaotic, blurred due to the pandemic and my injury.

Do you believe that you will have a second attempt at the Games?

- I will say this: if it presents itself, I will be ready for it.

• Winner and prize-winners of the 2019 World Cup in Doha: Mutaz Barshim, Mikhail Akimenko and Ilya Ivanyuk
• Gettyimages.ru
• © Matthias Hangst