— After the Russian All-Around Championships in Kemerovo, you said: “I’ll make a wish for my birthday that the tournament will never take place there again.” What spoiled your impression of victory?
— Actually, the skating rink in the city is cool. It looks gorgeous from the outside, everything is great inside too: light and bright. But there are small nuances that, I hope, the organizers will correct in the near future. Over the past two years, two Russian championships have already been held there: last season - at individual distances, and now - in all-around. But the quality of the ice, unfortunately, continues to suffer.
The skating rink in Kemerovo can be considered the “quiest” indoor one in the country. So those who are interested in improving the quality of competitions there have something to strive for.
- So this is the only issue?
— Yes, as for the organization of everything else, it was great. During the broadcast, which was broadcast on the Internet, there were good commentators. I probably won’t live to see the moment when the Russian speed skating championship will be shown on the federal channel, but this year it seems that the competitions could even be watched on satellite television, and this can be assessed as a positive moment and a small step forward.
— Did the spectators reach the stands?
— You could count them on the fingers of two hands
(laughs).
But those who did come liked it. The fans actively supported their own. As I ran, I heard several male voices. They screamed very loudly. I know that the guys didn’t even come from Kemerovo, but from other regions. They probably love speed skating very much.
- Someone's relatives?
- Definitely not mine
(laughs)
. Perhaps some of the guys were supported. But thanks a lot to them for their support. They cheered us all up.
— Did your family watch the tournament online?
“They missed it this time.” On the first day, my wife watched the performances, and I forgot to tell her what time the competitions on the second day started. Sunday is her only full day off, without training for children. And since the time difference with Moscow is four hours, by the time the family woke up, I had already covered everything.
- So they just got up, and you are already with gold?
- Yes. My wife calls me and asks: “How are you? You look tired." I answer: “Well, I just finished running the competition.” She: “It can’t be!” It turned out that I forgot to reset the starting protocols for her
(laughs)
.
— Despite the quality of the ice, you set a skating rink record. Or should we not rely on these numbers?
“Even the President of the Investigative Committee, Nikolai Gulyaev, is not guided by them. Considers them very low, uncompetitive at the international level. I have nothing to compare with. This time we did not have the opportunity to compete on fast skating rinks at the height of the season. Therefore, I cannot comment on this situation in any way.
— Are all skating rinks “quiet” in Russia?
— The one located in Kolomna can be compared with the best skating rinks in Europe and the world. Everyone loves him. This is objectively the best sports facility in Russia for our sport; they know how to make ice. And there were races when we showed decent results.
— But the main starts of the season are not held there?
— This year the first stage of the Russian Cup took place in Kolomna and there will be a final. The skating rink has not hosted national championships for two years in a row.
“But if this is the beginning and end of the season, then the athletes are not in optimal shape and cannot show high results.
- You see, even you understand this. And the one who draws up the competition schedule for some reason does not want to pay attention to this moment or pretends that it is not so important.
— Your main competitor in Kemerovo was supposed to be Daniil Aldoshkin. You train with him. Why didn't he come forward in the end?
- Danya is handsome. This year at the Russian Championships in Irkutsk he won five of the five distances in which he participated. I think this is a record. I don’t remember anyone previously managing to collect such a collection of gold medals. But unfortunately, before his trip to Kemerovo he fell ill. In my opinion, Danya and Sergei Trofimov are two of the best all-around athletes in our country. But it so happens that for two years in a row they miss the national championships.
— In cross-country skiing last year, we followed the confrontation between Alexander Bolshunov and Sergei Ustyugov. Do you have a fundamental rival in Russia?
- Well, this year Bolshunov won all the races at the stages of the National Cup, and Ustyugov missed almost the entire season, so there is no competition as such, just like among women. I can’t say that we have any fundamental rivals. Usually three or four athletes are able to win any distance. I’m talking about the disciplines in which I compete. Several years ago, when the team included Alexander Rumyantsev, Danila Semerikov, Egor Yunin, Vladimir Semirunniy, the competition was even higher.
Our sport involves competition, first of all, with yourself and the stopwatch. Therefore, even if there are some confrontations, they do not look as spectacular as they conventionally do in skiing.
AFP
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— Gulyaev, in one of his last interviews, spoke about bonuses for high results: “Whoever, at the end of the season, gets into the top three in the world on flat skating rinks can immediately go to the cashier.”
— It’s a pity that they didn’t ask him the address where this cash desk is located
(laughs)
. Although this year I didn’t run into the prize. In general, skating is a sport that is not partly about money, so the financial component does not greatly stimulate me to show good results. Every year I find a different motivation for myself and I think I do a good job with it.
Even last season I was as determined as possible. The guys and I wanted the Moscow region team, which included me, Danya Aldoshkin and Sasha Podolsky, to break the skating rink record in Kolomna in the team race, set by Dutch athletes. We tried to do this twice, but we still weren’t that strong.
- Is there a big gap?
— No, but here you also need to take into account this point: the ice is prepared differently for Russian and foreign tournaments. Various powders and additives are used. I don’t want this to look like an excuse on my part: they say that we are initially in worse conditions, although this is actually the case. Knowing this, we tried, we were close and I am sure that someday we will definitely beat this result. This is what records were created for.
This year there are no problems with motivation either. I come up with some small goals and tasks for myself. They look, perhaps, funnier than winning the Russian all-around championship, but they push me to work.
- For example?
— This is, first of all, a struggle with the stopwatch and with yourself. I have been experiencing back problems for the past few years. And the distance of 10 thousand meters is hard for me. Therefore, I wake up in the morning, do exercises and think: “If only my back hurts nine laps before the finish this time, and not ten, like last time.” This motivates me to move forward and develop myself. Improve further.
— So, for you, the best result in the top ten is for your back not to hurt until the very finish?
— Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to repeat my best result for two years now
(laughs)
. This probably indicates some kind of decline. At the same time, I don’t know what its main reason is. I have a few thoughts. The first is the lack of international starts. Because of this, there is no internal motivation. The second is not very good physical condition, and the third is age, which only goes forward. Nature, unfortunately, is hard to deceive. Well, there are limiting factors, but I fight them and am confident that I will win this battle with myself.
— If you look at the results of the tournaments, the medals are still the same athletes who went to the Olympics, Cup and World Championships. There are practically no new names. Do you see young people who will be able to compete with you in the future?
— There are a lot of related questions here. Competition for what? For the podium of the Russian Championship - perhaps. What next? What is our future? How do we see him? Recently, Dmitry Anatolyevich Dorofeev, the head coach of the national team, gave an interview and said very well: “Our younger generation is our common cause with mentors from the regions. And we must think about it together.”
For the last two years, the biggest benefit has been the juniors who have benefited from the current situation, as they have had the opportunity to be with the main team at every training session. And if you have something in your head, you must learn, adopt everything and progress faster. Whether it’s true or not, we’ll see in the coming seasons. Rarely does anyone progress quickly. Two years is still not a very long time to evaluate this or that situation, this or that athlete.
- So we need to wait a little longer?
- If they took something positive, then yes. It takes time.
— It’s just that when Viktor An came to the Russian short track team, you said that progress began almost immediately.
- Yes, but there was a main team, and now we are talking about juniors. When Victor Ahn arrived along with French specialists, we immediately felt the difference. If Sven Kramer had joined our team now, I would probably also begin to progress faster.
Legion-Media
© IMAGO
— Due to the suspension of the national team, are you able to spend more time with your family?
- No. We train the same way. We go to training camps, although they all take place on Russian territory, but I didn’t go home more often.
— Are you still closing your bases?
— Yes, for example, in Kolomna. When we work in Moscow, since I live nearby, this gives me a slight advantage. But the number of collections has not decreased or changed in any way.
— That is, the loads are the same...
- Yes, it’s just that the psychological attitude is different, and therefore, it seems to me, the result suffers.
— Both of your sons are involved in figure skating. Why did you choose this particular sport for them?
- Because you can start studying them at four or five years old. It is relatively affordable and convenient. But, as it turned out, this is an interesting sport that has a positive effect on health. Let's wait and see how it will be further.
- Do the boys like it?
— Yes, they train with great pleasure, the eldest trains six days a week. The youngest is three so far. Our whole life now revolves around figure skating.
— How different is it from skates?
— All my life I trained at the base in Novogorsk side by side with the best skaters in the world. These are good guys. But I never went into details. It seemed to me that they were doing the same thing every day. And now, of course, I understand how complex this view is. And little by little I start to like him more and more.
— Do you already understand jumping and other details?
- Trying. I'm studying.
— In figure skating, unfortunately, now all the conversations in one way or another relate to the doping case of Kamila Valieva...
— After this, tomatoes will fly at me, but my position is similar to the opinion of biathlete Alexander Tikhonov. If something is found in your sample, then it is your fault.
— Aren’t you afraid that this situation may in the future affect the admission of athletes to Milan 2026?
— I'm afraid, since we are in the same international federation. In general, I wanted as few doping scandals as possible. Regardless of what country they occur in. In any case, this has a detrimental effect on the entire world sport. And I believe that Russia is still its representative. Firstly, we will definitely return to it, secondly, we dropped out of it not so long ago, and thirdly, we continue to perform in some events. And I still position myself as a part of world sports, so I want there to be fewer such scandals.
— Have you decided for yourself whether you will compete before the Olympics?
— Every time at the end of the season, I hold a meeting with myself, and then all my thoughts are simultaneously brought to the family council, and a decision is made to continue my career for the year.
So far, I have agreed with myself only until March 2024. It is just around the corner, so literally in a month a new meeting of the Zakharov family is planned. And we will definitely make some decision.
— You said that you passed the cycle before the Beijing Olympics because you promised Alexander Rumyantsev to perform at it. Did this really happen while sitting at the table while watching the Pyeongchang Games?
— Yes, I’m an adult athlete and I can probably afford this sometimes. Of course, this is not very good. We followed the speed skating competitions in Korea, watched and were sad at the same time, because we were not there
(
Zakharova, like many other Russian athletes, was not admitted by the IOC without explanation. -
RT )
. Not very good emotions, I don’t want to experience them anymore. Then Sasha and I promised each other: no matter what happens, we will train until February 2022. And both kept their word.
— Maybe this time I should also promise someone to go to the Games?
“We then agreed to train until the next Olympics. I’m afraid that if I give my word now, then perhaps I will have to run for a very long time, not two years at all
(laughs)
.
— Is the fact that you were not allowed into Pyeongchang the main disappointment in your career?
— At that moment, I think yes. It was stressful because the previous ten months had been very difficult for me. I just switched from short track speed skating. Everything is new: coach, skates, team, loads. And when, despite all this, you are already close to your dream, received Olympic equipment, and they tell you: “You’re not going,” this is a very big disappointment.
— Did they even manage to give you everything?
“Moreover, the next day we flew to the pre-Olympic training camp, since it could no longer be cancelled. And when we were on the plane, we already knew that after it we would go not to Korea, but home. As a result, only two from the training camp went to Pyeongchang, and the remaining 15-17 people went to Moscow.
AFP
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— If Russians are still allowed to participate in the Games in Italy, you will be 38 years old. How old is this for a stayer?
- I'm young at heart. And this is the most important thing
(laughs).
If I have a chance to compete at this Olympics, I will definitely take it. Moreover, you correctly noted that I am a stayer and for us this is not such a big age.
— By the way, have you ever considered sprinting?
- No, this is a different world. And few people manage to successfully run both long and short distances. Especially now. In my memory, the American Shani Davis managed to win the world championship in both sprint and classic all-around. And after him, the Japanese athlete Miho Takagi did it once. Now Jordan Stoltz is showing good results. But there are only a few of them.
I run 500 meters at the girls level. I compete in this event twice a year at all-around tournaments. Last week we practiced the start with Daria Kachanova, the fastest speed skater in Russia today. And I lost a lot to her in the first 100 meters. She won by a clear advantage. Therefore, here conversations about short distances end before they really begin.
— A bicycle is a must in your preparation. How do you entertain yourself when you pedal for hours?
— There are several applications where you are virtually on the track. There are descents and ascents. You can use them to pass the time. I rarely listen to music. Sometimes I watch a movie. When there was a pandemic, I didn’t leave the house for about a month and a half and spent time in my office on the balcony from morning until lunch, listening to audiobooks. I tried to combine business with pleasure. This is good training for the psyche.
- Be able to be alone with yourself?
— Yes, more than two and a half hours is difficult. Moreover, the first two usually pass quickly and unnoticed.
— At the same time, you said that you love the process of training itself.
“I’m constantly trying to improve and develop. I usually don’t do anything new, because what I already know has room for improvement. In cycling I try to show new watts. There are evaluation criteria by which we train. And in this process, every time I try to find new facets, edges of my physical capabilities. And sometimes it works.
— Rumyantsev completed his sports career last year and began coaching in China. Have you ever wondered what you will do if you don’t agree to stay for another year at your meeting in March?
- Complex issue. Over the past few years, I have realized that I can only be focused on one thing at a time. And now I'm focused on sports. It's hard for me to figure out what else I could do. You could say I run because that’s all I can do. There is a grain of truth in this. And Sasha Rumyantsev is handsome. He’s doing very well now, with great results. I want to congratulate him not only personally, but also take this opportunity in an interview.
— Have you thought about a coaching career?
— I haven’t thought about anything at all, to be honest. While he’s running, I’m running
(laughs)
.
— And you still hope to win another Olympic gold in speed skating.
- Yes, it's my dream. And if I understand that I am close to the goal, I will do everything to achieve it. But I am an adult and I realize: every day there are fewer and fewer opportunities, the chances of getting admission to the Games do not increase, and the years go by. Perhaps I won't make it in time. But some dreams should remain so. Maybe I can realize my ambitions in something else. Or my children will do it.
- But it will be figure skating.
- Why not? This gold is no less prestigious than in speed skating and short track speed skating, and is probably even more significant in our country.
- Doesn't that bother you? After all, there are more sets of awards in skating.
- No, because I’m already used to it
(laughs)
. But before it was a shame. It's just our kind of sport. I don’t complain about the lack of attention, I do what I love, the rest is secondary.
— Do you regret that you chose short track speed skating as a child?
— I started studying at the age of nine. Before that I tried a lot of things: wrestling, tennis, and football. Thank God, my parents provided me with such an opportunity. But all this didn’t suit me much, but I liked the short track. Maybe it's fate. Who knows how life would have turned out if I had chosen something else. But I would probably like to test myself in some kind of game. I also really like the cycling track. And at the end of February I will try to attend several training sessions. Let's see what comes of this.
— Although the bike was not easy for you at first.
— Yes, when I switched to speed skating, it was hard. But little by little he fell in love with himself. Now I really like it in all its forms, so now I’ll be happy to try riding a track bike.
— Is it very different from your training ones?
- Don't know. I've never ridden. But sometimes everything has to be done for the first time. They say it also takes time to get used to. But these are the same two wheels and two pedals, only one gear. There will be new experiences and sensations. You always have to try.