Olympic champion, World champion, Europe champion Alexey Tischenko

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Vivat Olympians!

Olympian champions Alexey Tischenko and Evgeniya Kanaeva and their coaches Leonid Kiselev and Vera Shtelbaums returned to our city early morning on Wednesday. They were met in the airport with flowers and sham. At midday Beijing triumphators were invited by the Omsk region state vice-chairman, Youth and Sport Minister Sergey Shelpakov to the press-conference where they were literally attacked with questions.

Today is the outstanding event, - Sergey Shelpakov set the tone. - For the first time in Omsk sport history three our countrymen at once become Olympiad champions. (Margarita Aliychuk stays in Tomsk for a while and will come later. - Edit.) We, for the first time, have twice Olympiad Champion boxer Alexey Tischenko and Olympiad debutante gymnasts Evgeniya Kanaeva and Margarita Aliychuk. The victory costs a huge effort of the sportsmen and their coaches. Effort which is multiplied with talent and allegiance to sport and the state.

The boxer competition lasts for two weeks. It was not easy for our sportsmen. The finals took place at the last moment of the Olympiad. So, we believe that Alexey Tischenko’s gold saved face of the team. Only two Russians reached the final in boxing. - Indeed, - said Aleksey. –You know it is really hurtful when the guys who lost in the beginning were leaving Beijing… When the captain Islam Timursiev was leaving he told me: “You are our only hope”. Happy we did well.

- How do you estimate the judges?

- Two-way (laughs). As for me, I have no reservations about it. As for the other guys, not all of them lost.

- Your main counterpart British Franky Gevin who won you at the word championship “didn’t do the weight” and did not come to Beijing. It looks like you have a good luck even in here.

- I wanted to fight with him very much and take revenge. But as it is, yes, I have luck.

- What emotions did overflow you right after the final fight?

- You know, I wasn’t too emotional after it. Perhaps the strongest emotion for me is the absence of it. I could not sleep during the last two nights. It was rolling in my head on and on. I was very bothered. And for now it is like inanition.

Alexey played cunning a little. Just as four years ago in Athens he, staying on a pedestal and singing Russian hymn wiped an eye-drop. Answering the question concerning the future, Alexey said straight: “Russia for a long time had no three times Olympiad champion“. I have incitement, London Olympiad. We will start getting prepared for it. For now I just want to have some rest and forget about boxing for a while. We will see later. And make a schedule for the next four years.”

The final fight with black French went on very hard. Any kick could turn the balance. All I had to do, still I was not very well in it, to meet the counterpart with a kick or kick in advance. On the other hand I was successful in combinations which brought me many scores. In general, I am glad. I have won!

- Was it hard to fight the French? He is higher and his hands are longer.

- Yes, the counterpart was very inconvenient. The fight was a little roll over. But now it doesn’t matter.

- Was the Olympiad harder or easier than you thought?

- To tell the truth I have planed for Cuban Jor-Denis Uchas. I have been preparing for him. I think it would be harder to fight him.

Leonid Kiselev said it was very difficult to hold the optimum shape and the fight spirit during the time from the first battle to the final one. For fifteen days long. “We had all the conditions for recovery, but psychic atmosphere plays a huge role not to say the key role on the Games. And everything was against the background of the unlucky strong sportsmen of the Russian combined team. Alexey did well the nerves, was able to concentrate and become the best.” Alexey adds:

I had worried previously. But never this way. I even had to drink a sleeping draught. Didn’t help much.

- Is there some kind of honor of the fact you took the last gold of the Games for Russia?

Yes, I knew that free calisthenics would be before my fight. I understood I finalize the victorious line of the national team. I am very pleased. You can’t say that the first gold in Athens was easier. They are two different Olympiads, two different golds and both are precious to me.

Coach and the sportsman were talking of the support of the countrymen and those who was scanning in the sport hall “Lekha! Russia!”. And support of those who pulled, supported them and whished good luck staying in Omsk.

-What are you going to do beside of boxing? - asked somebody.

- Create a family , build a house… What else? Born a sun. A tree I have already planted.

The present Olympiad champion Eugenia Kanaeva was as usually modest.

I treat the victories very calm. Of cause it is very pleasant to win. No sooner you come off the pedestal but you have to start everything from the very beginning. It is law for me.

- Genia is of the kind of hard-workers., - tells her coach Vera Shtelbaums making parallels with her former disciple and countrywoman Irina Chaschina. Ira naturally had a wonderful jump, with Genia we have hade a lot work on it. I believe that she has the most complicated performance out of the gymnasts in Beijing. And she does the exercises clearer and with easiness that spectators think it is not difficult at all. She even has no favorite accessory. Chaschina liked jump rope and hoop. Genia is absolutely “universal”

- Vera Efremovna, many Olympians are dissatisfied with the judges. How did they work on gymnastics? A lot depends on them.

- Russia for years has won in free calisthenics. Some people do not like it. They try to invent new regulations in order to complicate the competition. But still, eventually, the fist places are played among the sportsmen from the former Soviet Union. It is very judgmental kind of sport. You are to be by head and shoulders above your competitors. A good example – China’s silver in team competitions. It hardly was able to take place among top ten before the Games. And there is such a success in here today. They always can add or take away a tenth.

Kanaeva was asked: “Are you never get tired of calisthenics? ” “Sure”, - answered she calmly. “But it doesn’t last long.” I love my life. I know, sport won’t be forever, especially ours. That’s why I give all myself to the calisthenics. You can’t rest more than a week. Otherwise you lose the form never to regain.

Her another one chart - outstanding coldbloodness in any kind of situation. 2007 was her debut in the European Championship. She got to know it just two days before – Kabaeva was traumatized at the last moment. Genia came and won the exercise with ribbons. Staying on the pedestal could not but cried a bit. “Usually I do not cry often.” – explained she later. This is the impact of huge mental pressure – it was so suddenly. So it was. She also cried a little in Beijing. Except the coach no one has seen it. “I did the last exercise and felt I am crying”, - she confessed embarrassing. “But I got calm very fast.”

- Did you heart shiver with cold when got caught with rope in qualification?

- A bit. (smiles). But I managed to concentrate fast. Staying on the pedestal and singing the hymn I did not even remember it.

- Your performance seems to be the most difficult.

- Yes, we make every performance even more complicated than the previous one. It has become accustomed to me after we started with Vera Efremovna. The next one will be even more complicated.

-Is it possible?

-Sure, I came to Beijing as a favorite but tried not to think of it. Just like others I was exited. It is good it was not obvious. You can’t win staying at one point. That’s way we make the performances more and more complicated.

- Did you cry when you realized the victory?

- No, when I understood that I did everything well. There were no marks for the time.

“Usually, Genia is very reserved, holds everything in herself”. – says Shtelbaus. Although the pressure that every sportsman feels in the Olympiad had almost overwhelmed her too. Perhaps that was the reason when she lost a rope. Luckily she had made no mistakes afterwards. In order to calm her worriment down I kept on telling her “forget the Olympiad. You participate in a house of administration championship. Just do you best on the carpet. ”

- When you were preparing for the competition have you got time to monitor the combined team performances?

- We were in Japan. They prefer highlight the events of their national sportsmen. We got to know about the Russian team results just here. As if we were in isolation.

- Vera Efremovma, What is it for future?

- We have a meeting with Russian President. On the 1 September we are back already. And very soon come World cup and the Final of the Club cup..

Shtelbaums smiling told us that Genia got a nick-name mother Theresa in the national team and Omsk school.

She is really very kind ready to help everybody. Early we had a very congested locker room. And kids always mess woolen boots and mittens. I look for Genia “Where is Kanaeva?” And hear in return: ”She helps kids with boots”. If I got ill there is no need in doctors. Genia rushes in the drug-store, drags a bunch of medicines: “Vera Efremovna, this is for throat, this is for head…” I laugh and say: ”you are my emergency”.

Sportivnaja Gazeta. August, 29, 2008